From corridor care to staff morale, winter is never an easy time for the NHS. But what is it like for staff working in urgent and emergency care during this time of year, and has it always been this way?

Ruth Robertson is joined by Kelly Ameneshoa, Emergency Medicine Doctor, and Charlotte Wickens, Policy Advisor, to find out. They discuss how winter impacts patient care, what could make this winter different to others and what the first few months of a Labour Government might tell us about its approach moving forward.

• The number of hospital beds (nutshell)
• Public satisfaction with A&E at an all-time low: reflections of an A&E doctor (blog)
• What does the Autumn Budget 2024 mean for health and care? (long read)
• The government's 10-year plan for health and care (project)

What impact has the first 100 days of the new Labour government had on health and care? Join Andrew McCracken, Charlotte Wickens and Siva Anandaciva as they explore what's happened, what's surprised them and what might be next.

Related content

• Government will have to make tough choices at upcoming budget (press release)
• The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, delivered his first health and care speech since taking office at The King’s Fund annual conference this morning
• The Darzi review of NHS performance signals why radical change is needed (blog)

What is co-production? What does it mean to have a health and care system that prioritises equity, inclusion and the voices of service users?

In our new podcast episode, Jo Vigor is joined by Clenton Farquharson CBE, who shares his leadership journey and reflects on how his personal experience of navigating life as a wheelchair user has led him to a career advocating for marginalised voices and campaigning for meaningful change. He also explores why the new government should consider this moment as an opportunity to reimagine the health and care system.

• Listening to people and communities – the change we need (event)
• The Darzi review of NHS performance signals why radical change is needed (blog)
• Making patient experience a priority (blog)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Jason Leitch became a familiar name for many across Scotland seeking to make sense of the global health crisis and what that meant for their lives.

Siva Anandaciva is joined by the former National Clinical Director for the Scottish Government who shares what it was like navigating Covid-19 during a time of high pressure and uncertainty, the challenges of being a public figure and why leadership in a crisis can sometimes be a ‘lonely role’. 

Related content:

• Free online leadership courses
• The King's Fund content related to public health
• Leading through Covid (project)

We're back to our usual programming after our election mini-series and this episode is all about social prescribing.

So what is social prescribing? How does it fit with other health and care services and what does it aim to achieve?

This episode explores the relationship between community and wellbeing, and how social prescribing can step in when traditional treatment isn't the answer.

In this episode host Siva Anandaciva sits down with Heather Henry, Queen's Nurse, writer and managing director of BreathChamps CIC and Edward Rosen, Project Director Lambeth GP Food Co-op to learn more.

Related content:

• What is social prescribing? (long read)
• How can social prescribing better support migrant women's health and wellbeing? (blog)
• Link workers for population health (blog)

In this episode Andrew McCracken and Siva Anandaciva are joined by our CEO Sarah Woolnough to discuss what the election result means for health and care, and what we might expect from the new government and new Health and Care Secretary.

This is our final episode of our election mini-series. We hope you've enjoyed reviewing the campaign activities with us, please share any feedback you might have to our X account @TheKingsFund or email us: [email protected].

Related resources:

• Is the NHS broken and what does that mean? (blog)
• The minister, the GP surgery and the signal of change (blog)
• General election 2024 (project)

A week before the election, Sally Warren, Siva Anandaciva and Dan Wellings sit down to talk about what the public want from the next government, how industrial action might disrupt plans to improve health care and the recent Dispatches episode, which revealed the harrowing human consequences of A&E performance pressures. 

Plus, they answer a listener question on ways to approach delivering NHS improvement at a national and local level.

Related resources

• General election 2024 
• What do the public want politicians to do about the NHS? 
• Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2023
• The King’s Fund comments on ongoing industrial action 
• Making patient experience a priority 

Andrew McCracken, Sally Warren and Siva Anandaciva discuss whether the sums add up in the main parties’ health and care pledges. The panel also explore what's been said about social care and answer this week's listener question: would a large majority in the House of Commons be bad for scrutiny of legislation?

Want to get involved? Send us your general election questions via email, X (formerly known as Twitter) @TheKingsFund or LinkedIn.

Related reading

• How likely is a general election to transform health and social care?
• General election 2024: the health and care manifesto pledges
• ‘Topic avoidance’: how the main parties will avoid talking about social care at this general election 

It's manifesto week and on this episode we're examining what the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour are pledging on health and care. Join Andrew McCracken, Beccy Baird and Siva Anandaciva as they analyse the manifesto commitments from the three largest parties and discuss whether what is being promised will be enough to deliver the transformative change the health and care system needs.

Want to get involved? Send us your general election questions via email, X (formerly known as Twitter) @TheKingsFund or LinkedIn.

Related resources

• The King's Fund responds to the Liberal Democrats' manifesto

• The King's Fund responds to the Conservative Party's manifesto

• The King's Fund responds to the Labour Party's manifesto

• General election 2024 (project) 

It’s been a busy week in the world of UK politics, we’ve seen pledges to boost NHS community services, progress the New Hospital Programme and reform social care by introducing free personal care. But what do these pledges really mean?  

Join Andrew McCracken, Sally Warren and Siva Anandaciva as we delve into the Conservative Party’s plan to bolster community services and outline the debate on the health and care workforce so far. Plus, we answer a listener question: should we redefine what we count as ‘NHS’ or ‘health’ spend, and is there ever a case where ring-fencing budget is a good thing?  

Want to get involved? Send us your general election questions via email, X (formerly known as Twitter) @TheKingsFund or LinkedIn.

Related resources

• General election 2024: 28 days and counting 
• The NHS budget and how it has changed (data explainer) 
• ‘Topic avoidance’: how the main parties will avoid talking about social care at this general election 
• Making care closer to home a reality (report)