Helen McKenna sits down with Kate Jarman, Director of communications and corporate affairs at Milton Keynes University Hospital and co-founder of Flex NHS to discuss what working flexibly means in practice, communicating during Covid-19 and activism in the health service.

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• Working 9 to 5: Poppy Jaman on mental health and the work-life balance
• Leading through Covid-19
• The digital revolution: eight technologies that will change health and care

Helen McKenna sits down with Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, to explore his approach to place-based leadership, the NHS’s role as a ‘place-shaper’ and the city’s experience of Covid-19.

• Healthy places: the link between your health and where you live
• The role of cities in improving population health: international insights
• What is population health?

Host Helen McKenna sits down with Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu to talk about what drew her to nursing, becoming the first Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia nurse specialist in the UK, and how to remain positive in the face of adversity.

• The courage of compassion: Supporting nurses and midwives to deliver high-quality care
• Professor David Williams on racism, discrimination and the impact they have on health
• Workforce race inequalities and inclusion in NHS providers

The Public Health England (PHE) review of disparities in risks and outcomes of Covid-19 showed that the pandemic followed the fault lines of existing inequalities and had a disproportionate impact on ethnic minority communities. So now that we know better, how can we do better?

Anna Charles spoke to Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director for Public Health England London and Regional Director of Public Health for NHS London, to learn more about the findings of the PHE review, his career journey, and his hopes for health and wellbeing in London.

Please note that this episode was recorded on the 21 July, prior to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care that Public Health England would be replaced by a new body, the National Institute for Health Protection. You can read our statement on this on our website.

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• Deaths from Covid-19 (coronavirus): how are they counted and what do they show?
• Covid-19, racism and the roots of health inequality
• Responding in a crisis: reflections of a director of public health

How is Covid-19 repeating patterns of existing health inequalities? What factors are driving the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the health of ethnic minority populations? And what needs to happen next? Helen McKenna sits down with Natalie Creary, Programme Delivery Director at Black Thrive, and James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester.

• Professor David Williams on racism, discrimination and the impact they have on health
• Workforce race inequalities and inclusion in NHS providers
• Time to speak up: some necessary words about racism

1 June marks the start of Volunteer’s Week 2020 and this year, it’s even more poignant given the critical role that volunteers have played in the response to Covid-19. Anna Charles sat down with Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, to find out about volunteering during Covid-19, the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme and how we can ensure that widespread community engagement can last beyond the current crisis and into the long term. 

• Capitalising on the offer of help – volunteering in the Covid-19 crisis
• Find out more about volunteering with The Royal Voluntary Service
• Volunteer placements, rights and expenses (Gov.uk)

What’s it like for clinicians working through the Covid-19 pandemic? And what really happened during the junior doctor dispute in 2015? Anna Charles talks with Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, GP trainee and former chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee.

• Managing your energy
• Heroic leadership: the order of the day?
• Leading through Covid-19

The 22 March marked the first 100 days of the new Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Helen McKenna sat down with Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, Alex Thomas, a programme director at the Institute for Government, and Paul Corrigan CBE, former special adviser to two Secretaries of State for Health, and a former policy adviser to Tony Blair during his time as Prime Minister. Together, they explore what these first few months can tell us about the government’s intentions for health and care, as well as how – in this new political environment – organisations can influence and affect change.

Please note that this episode was recorded on the 10 March. Since then our world has changed dramatically; the Covid-19 outbreak has developed rapidly and has affected us all, but particularly our health and care systems and the incredible people who work in them. We are exploring how we can use future episodes to focus on the impact of the outbreak and the experience of the staff who are working tirelessly across the health and care system to help those affected.

Related reading

• Health and social care: the first 100 days of the new government
• What’s your problem, social care? The eight key areas for reform
• What are health inequalities?

Could prisons be an opportunity to address serious health inequalities? Or do they lead to worse health for people living in prison? Anna Charles explores the health and wellbeing of people living in prison, their access to health and care services, and what happens on release. She’s joined by Dr Jake Hard, Chair of the RCGP Secure Environments Group, Christina Marriott, CEO of Revolving Doors, Chantal Edge, Public Health registrar and NIHR research fellow, and Kate Morrissey, National Implementation Lead for RECONNECT at NHS England and NHS Improvement.

• What are health inequalities?
• What is population health?

What is it like being the Chief Executive of The King’s Fund? Helen McKenna spoke with Richard Murray about his first year in the job, the role of think tanks, the new strategy for The King's Fund and his vision for the health and care system.

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• Our strategic priorities for 2020–24
• Looking ahead to 2020
• Closing the gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce