In this episode, Ruth Robertson explores how the NHS elective care waiting list can be managed in a way that improves health equity with Dr Mark Ratnarajah, UK Managing Director at Precision Healthcare, Sharon Brennan, Director of Policy and External Affairs at National Voices and Dr Polly Mitchell, Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Bioethics and Public Policy at King's College London.

Related resources

• Tackling health inequalities on NHS waiting lists: learning from local case studies
• Waiting times for elective (non-urgent) treatment: referral to treatment (RTT)

What is anti-racism, and why is it important in the context of health and care? Jo Vigor sat down with Joy Warmington MBE, Chief Executive of the equalities and human rights charity brap, to find out. Joy explores the importance of forging genuine change beyond target setting and delves into her own journey of leading authentically and having the courage to do things differently.

Related resources

• Open Wounds exhibition: Tottenham Rights in collaboration with The King's Fund (event)
• Our work on discrimination and issues of equality and diversity within the health and care workforce (topic page)

What does the future of health and care look like from the perspective of three young leaders, and how can they help to shape that future? Join Jo Vigor as she speaks to Hannah McCaffery, Registered Manager at Richmond Fellowship, Rini Jones, Senior Policy and Research Manager at Marie Curie and Beth Sutherland, Senior Project Manager in the National Ambulance Team at NHS England.

Related resource

• Those who dare: thinking differently about the health and care workforce (event)

How do you solve a problem like NHS workforce planning? Ruth Robertson speaks to Dr Navina Evans CBE about her leadership journey – from starting out as a psychiatrist, to becoming NHS England's Chief Workforce and Training Education Officer – and the opportunities and challenges of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Definitions of the acronyms used

• ELFT – East London NHS Foundation Trust
• ICBs – Integrated care boards
• ICPs – Integrated care partnerships

Related resources

• The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan explained (long read)
• Train, retain, reform: does the NHS Long Term Plan provide a coherent map for the future? (blog)
• The King's Fund annual conference 2023: A health and care service fit for now and for the future (event)

Join us as we mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. In this episode, Jo Vigor chats with fellow colleagues from The King's Fund, Danielle Jefferies and Siva Anandaciva, about how the NHS has changed in its history, and what we can learn from other health systems around the world.

• How does the NHS compare to the health care systems of other countries? (report)
• The NHS then and now: a view from The King's Fund's archive (blog)
• Reflecting on 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush (project page)
• Reflecting on 75 years of social care (project)

How can we ensure that health and care staff from all backgrounds feel respected, valued and listened to at work? Siva Anandaciva sits down with Karen Bonner, Chief Nurse at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, to talk about the value of having a diverse workforce, and how we can make the health and care system fairer for staff, patients, and communities from ethnic minority groups.

• Those who dare: thinking differently about the health and care workforce (event)
• Reflecting on 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush (project page)
• You called and we came: Windrush and the NHS (exhibition)
• The health of people from ethnic minority groups in England (explainer)

Jo Vigor speaks to Karen and Yvette, a couple who beautifully demonstrate the varied and essential role that unpaid care work plays in many relationships. As they share their story we learn what support they currently receive, and what could make a positive difference. Later in the episode, Jo is joined by Deborah Fenney to talk about our recent research in this area.

• Caring in a complex world: perspectives from unpaid carers and the organisations that support them (report)
• Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing (event)

What is it like to be leading during this difficult and uncertain period for the NHS? Ruth Robertson sits down with Dr Fay Gilder, Medical Director of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and Matthew Rice, one of our senior leadership consultants, to find out. Join us for a conversation about leadership, vulnerability and self-care.

• What is compassionate leadership? (long read)
• The Circles programme speaker series (event)
• The Circles programme: leadership development for women (course)

Anna Charles speaks to Hilary Cottam OBE, internationally acclaimed social entrepreneur and author of Radical Help, about the importance of building new systems that are equipped to deal with the health challenges of today, and the need to foster 'horizontal' bonds between communities and public services.

• Lessons from the Wigan Deal (project)
• A citizen-led approach to health and care: Lessons from the Wigan Deal (report)
• Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing (event)
• The pivot: changing our relationship with the health system (blog)

Is the NHS really full of 'overpaid pen pushers'? Jo Vigor talks to Dr Seema Srivastava, Deputy Medical Director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Emma Challans-Rasool, Founder and Chair of the Proud2bOps operational network and Director of Organisational Development, Culture and Talent at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System and Rachel Burnham, Director of Performance and Information at Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, about the critical role of NHS managers and what it means to bring your humanity to work.

Related resources

• Leading well for staff health and wellbeing in the NHS (free online course)
• Tenth annual leadership and workforce summit (event)
• What is compassionate leaderships? (explainer)