In their latest venture In the Loop, Niall and Roy turn to mental health and conduct the first interview with Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s outgoing mental health director since she dramatically resigned earlier this month after nearly ten years on the job. In the podcast, Claire says she quit because she felt she no longer had political support and reveals her dismay at the failure of the new government to maintain the share of NHS spend on mental health. In a strong defence of ...
The latest podcast from Niall and Roy sees a somewhat different take on the current state of the NHS from Dame Jennifer Dixon, the longstanding and respected Chief Executive of the Health Foundation. Jennifer, who once practised in paediatrics before moving into public health, accuses the government of being disrespectful and menacing in its approach as it seeks to reform the service and argues that the system needs to use its principal asset which is human capital. She also questions w...
In this episode of their Podcast In the Loop Niall and Roy step on to new ground in a fascinating discussion with Professor Tas Qureshi. a General and Gastro-intestinal Surgeon at Poole Hospital in Dorset. But Tas has another role – he has made a number of trips to Gaza as a volunteer, giving up his free time to support his fellow surgeons there as they deal with the most horrifying of trauma injuries, as well as helping to train staff in the treatment of cancer. This is a personal stor...
In their latest podcast Niall and Roy invite Penny Dash, the new chair of NHS England, to join them In the Loop. Within weeks of her appointment the secretary of state announced that NHS England was for the chop and that he would subject the NHS to a major reorganisation. But Penny is unphased and says the current system is riddled with complexity and duplication and could not have survived, although she admits with the Department running everything we could well be back to the old challenges...
In their latest podcast Niall Dickson and Roy Lilley are joined by former health secretary, foreign secretary, and chancellor, Sir Jeremy Hunt. In a fascinating insight, reflecting on his years in power, Sir Jeremy reveals how terrified he was to find himself responsible for the NHS knowing nothing much beyond his own constituency issues. Over time he says he learned how to work the system to secure more resources for the NHS from the Treasury. He says being Foreign Secretary was ...
The Convert What happens when a leading banker groomed in the disciplines and attitudes of the private sector finds himself in charge of the NHS in England? Surely he will be highly sceptical at least, suspicious and critical at best? But no - the story of Richard Meddings the outgoing NHS England Chair is of a Damascene conversion. In this podcast with Niall Dickson an Roy Lilley, Richard reveals himself as an arch defender of the NHS at every level including the achievements of the a...
Unmasking Healthcare Funding In this episode Roy and Niall are joined by Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. They uncover the truth behind political claims about healthcare funding and discuss the real challenges ahead for patients and staff.