The Health Foundation podcast

The UK is becoming more ethnically diverse: nearly 20% of the population reports being from a minority ethnic background and projections suggest growing diversity is the future. People from minority backgrounds in the UK experience a variety of inequalities. But what is the latest evidence telling us?   A comprehensive analysis of race and ethnicity, recently published as part of The IFS Deaton Review of inequality, finds no single story of advantage or disadvantage across ethnicities. Instead, it presents a complex picture of inequality across and within ethnic minority groups. The findings highlight entrenched inequalities – including access to the building blocks of health such as a good education, stable employment, secure housing and fair pay.  So what do we know about the groups that experience inequalities, what drives these – and how do they relate to health? And what do policymakers need to understand to respond effectively?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Heidi Safia Mirza, Emeritus Professor of Equalities Studies in Education at IOE (UCL Institute of Education) and co-author of the race and ethnic inequalities chapter of the Deaton Review. Shabna Begum, Chief Executive Officer, Runnymede Trust, a charitable think tank working to reduce racial inequality in the UK. Show notes Oxford Open Economics (2024). Dimensions of Inequality: The IFS Deaton Review.   Mirza H S, Warwick R (2024). Race and ethnic inequalities.  Runnymede Trust (2022). Broken Ladders.  Runnymede Trust (2020).  Colour of Money.  The King’s Fund (2023). The health of people from ethnic minority groups in England.  Runnymede Trust (2024). Health Foundation supported report on ethnic inequalities and the wider determinants of health. (Forthcoming.) 

Since the early 1990s, there’s been a concerning uptick in cancer incidence among adults younger than 50 years. Scientists are racing to understand what’s driving these trends. Some evidence points to roles for established risk factors – including smoking and obesity. But some research is also exploring environmental exposures – such as microplastics and forever chemicals – and asking if these could be changing the microbiome and potentially causing inflammation within the body.  So what do these trends mean for cancer research, for health services and national policy? And faced with such stark trends, where are there grounds for hope?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Kimmie Ng, specialist in oncology and Director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Centre at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  Charles Swanton, Deputy Clinical Director at Francis Crick Institute, Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK, and a consultant oncologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Show notes Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology (2022). Is early-onset cancer an emerging global epidemic? Current evidence and future implications. BMJ Oncology (2023). Global trends in incidence, death, burden and risk factors of early-onset cancer from 1990 to 2019. Gupta S et al (2023). Birth Cohort Colorectal Cancer (CRC): Implications for research and practice. Financial Times (2023). The unexplained rise of cancer among millennials.The New England Journal of Medicine (2024). Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. Cancer Grand Challenges. Team OPTIMISTICC: Opportunity to investigate the microbiome’s impact on science and treatment in colorectal cancer. The Health Foundation (2023). How chronic stress weathers our health.  The Health Foundation (2024). Rising cancer incidence in younger adults: what is going on?  (Forthcoming)

There’s a new Prime Minister in Downing Street and a new political reality in the UK. But what does it all mean for health and care? The incoming government faces a range of complex policy challenges – many of them linked to health and care – and a daunting fiscal inheritance.  While the public might show patience for a few months, they will expect to see some results quickly – and health is a top priority for voters. So how is the new government going to navigate these tensions? What will being ‘mission-led’ mean in practice? And where is the money going to come from? To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Hannah White, Director and CEO of the Institute for Government.  John McTernan, Senior Adviser at BCW Global. John was formerly director of political operations for the Labour government from 2005 to 2007.

As the general election approaches, what are the main parties planning on health and will it make a difference? Polling day is rapidly approaching and all the main party manifestos have now been published. But when it comes to health and care, do we know what we’re voting for? Many commentators have expressed deep frustration at the opacity of the political debate – not just about the state we are in, but on the plans to get out of it. This matters because whoever wins the election faces a daunting series of challenges. Not least cratering public satisfaction with NHS services, an elective care waiting list standing at 7.6 million, rising levels of ill health among working-age people, and an economy growing too slowly to support the funding and investment public services will require. So what are the main parties promising on health, are their pledges in tune with the public mood, and are their plans equal to the scale of the challenges?   To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Sam Freedman, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government and former Senior Policy Adviser to Michael Gove at the Department for Education.  Paul Corrigan, Management Consultant and former Special Adviser to Alan Milburn and Tony Blair under New Labour. Paul is currently advising the Labour Party on health policy. Show notes The Health Foundation (2024). General election 2024 collection.  The Health Foundation (2024). What's in the party manifestos on health and care? The Health Foundation (2024). Do the manifestos cut it on health? Institute For Government (2023). The NHS productivity puzzle: Why has hospital activity not increased in line with funding and staffing? Institute For Government and CIPFA (2023). Performance Tracker 2023: Hospitals.  Timmins, N (2021). The Health Foundation. The most expensive breakfast in history: revisiting the Wanless review 20 years on. The Health Foundation. 

More long-term, mission-led policymaking is sorely needed, but how best to do it? The Sure Start programme was set up with the aim of giving young children the best possible start in life, narrowing gaps in outcomes for disadvantaged children. First announced by the New Labour government in 1998, it has evolved regularly over the past two decades. Recent evaluations have found early versions of Sure Start delivered positive impacts for children – supporting improved educational attainment, employment outcomes and long-term health.    So what lessons does Sure Start hold for long-term policymaking? How can national policymakers drive long-term change in social outcomes, what pitfalls need to be avoided, and where should any new government be looking if they want to improve children’s lives and health today?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Naomi Eisenstadt, former director for Sure Start and current Chair of Northamptonshire integrated care board (ICB). Donna Molloy, Deputy Chief Executive at Foundations – What Works Centre for Children & Families. Show notes IFS (2021). The health impacts of Sure Start.  IFS (2024). The short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on educational outcomes.  Eisenstadt (2022). Sure Start Review, The Therapeutic Journal.  The Health Foundation (2024). Sure Start shows that to improve health, governments must keep the faith (blog).  Molloy & Asmussen (2021). Worth the wait: new evaluation data shows positive impacts of Family Nurse Partnership, EIF/WWCSC Hadley et al (2016). Implementing the UK's teenage pregnancy strategy for England. Reproductive Health. 

Improving NHS productivity is a key national priority. But what’s behind the slowdown and can it be reversed?  Over the past few years, amid the turmoil of COVID-19, the NHS has seen substantial growth in funding and clinical staffing levels. Yet the numbers of patients treated haven’t risen in step – suggesting services, particularly NHS acute hospitals, have become less productive.  Government has announced a wide-ranging review of public sector productivity and asked services to develop plans to recover productivity performance. At the Spring Budget 2024, £3.4bn in capital funding was announced to support digital and technology projects intended to boost NHS productivity.  So why have activity levels not been keeping pace with recent increases in NHS funding and staffing, what can be done, and is implementing new technologies a solution worth banking on?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Anita Charlesworth, Chief Economist and Director of the REAL Centre at the Health Foundation. Neil Sebire, Professor of Pathology and Chief Research Information Officer at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust.  Show notes Institute for Government (2023). The NHS productivity puzzle.  Institute for Fiscal Studies (2023). Is there really an NHS productivity crisis?  Health Foundation (2023). The unsustainable is not sustained: why productivity is fundamental to the future of the NHS.  Bennett Institute (2021). Productivity in UK healthcare during and after COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor’s speech on productivity growth (2023).  Centre for Health Economics (2024). Productivity of the English National Health Service: 2021/22 update. 

What's happened to our economy and what does it mean for our health? Many developed economies have been growing more slowly since around 2008, but the UK economy has been struggling more than most. Wages haven't risen since 2008 leaving the average worker £14,000 worse off. Productivity growth – vital to rising living standards – has stalled. Regional inequalities are unusually large, and economic hardship is widespread with 2.8 million people reporting not working because of long-term sickness. So what’s driving this economic stagnation, how is it connected to our health, and what can politicians do to address the challenges? To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and Co-Director of the Bennett Institute. Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation. Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). The unsustainable is not sustained: why productivity is fundamental to the future of the NHS.  The Resolution Foundation (2023). Ending stagnation: a new economic strategy for Britain.  The Health Foundation (2023). What we know about the UK’s working-age health challenge. Coyle D and Muhtar A (2022). Contemporary Social Science. Levelling up policies and the failure to learn. Bennett Institute for Public Policy (2023). A Universal Basic Infrastructure for the UK.  The Resolution Foundation (2024) (funded by the Health Foundation). We’ve only just begun: action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment.

Given the huge pressures on the NHS it's perhaps inevitable people ask, what's the future of it? The NHS and social care are struggling to deliver care and support to people who need it. With services so stretched, waiting times at record highs, public satisfaction falling and a demoralised workforce, is now the time to ask some fundamental questions about the NHS? In the past month, two independent commissions on the future of the NHS have reported – the Times Commission in early February, and the first of several papers from the BMJ Commission at the end of January. We speak to the commission chairs about what they found out and what they’d like to see future governments prioritise on health. And given the tight squeeze on public funds, what will it take to truly put the NHS on a sustainable footing? To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Rachel Sylvester, political columnist at The Times, and chair of the Times Health Commission. Parveen Kumar, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Education at Queen Mary, University of London, and co-chair of the BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS. 

About a fifth of us of working age – just under 9 million people in the UK – are not looking for or are not able to work. Recently the biggest growth has been among those reporting long-term illness, now at a record high of around 2.7 million. This decline in working-age health is causing concern among employers, politicians and policymakers. Earlier this month the Health Foundation launched an independent Commission for Healthier Working Lives to build consensus around the kind of action needed. So what’s going on, and what do the solutions look like both at a local and national level?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Sacha Romanovitch, Chief Executive of Fair4All Finance. Sacha is a member of the government’s levelling up Advisory Council, and Chair of the Commission for Healthier Working Lives, which is supported by the Health Foundation. Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire. Oliver was elected as the Labour Co-op mayoral candidate in May 2022. Oliver sits on a commission led by Alan Milburn, former Secretary of State for Health, investigating economic activity in Barnsley. 

Join us as we look back at the pick of the pod in 2023.  It's been a turbulent year: the NHS under pressure, the health of the population not improving as fast as we’d like and economic inactivity remaining stubbornly high, especially among working-age people.  But it's not all gloom. To some surprise, we saw government ditch its nanny state objections and take bold action on tobacco. And there have been breath-taking advances in technology, not least in artificial intelligence. A reminder that innovation and politics can open up new possibilities and hope for the future.  Join our Chief Executive Dr Jennifer Dixon as we reflect with guests who appeared on the podcast in 2023. Show notes Jeanelle de Gruchy and Kevin Fenton, Our health in 2040: are we getting sicker?  Alice Wiseman and Clare Bambra, Low life expectancy in the north east, and what to do about it Michelle Kelly-Irving and Nish Chaturvedi, How chronic stress weathers our health  Sarah Neville and Hettie O’Brien, Going private: what’s happening and is it a bad thing?  Rachel Wolf and Stephen Bush, What do the main political parties really have in store for health? Jagjit Chadha and Anita Charlesworth, NHS at 75: What are we up against? John Bell and Axel Heitmueller, AI in health care: hope or hype? Ashish Jha, Keeping up with AI in health care: what we need to do next Navina Evans and Penny Pereira, NHS at 75: The huge promise of technology Jane Dacre, Nikita Kanani and Gabrielle Mathews, International Women’s Day: Voices in health care Rachel Wolf and Stephen Bush, What do the main political parties really have in store for health?  Alan Milburn and Stephen Dorrell, NHS at 75: Is political leadership up to the challenge?

AI technologies are advancing rapidly. Yet when it comes to AI in health care we're still in the early stages. The prize could be big – the question is what will it take to realise the benefits? The applications of AI in health care will be far-reaching and profound, from high-quality personalised treatment advice made instantly available to automated systems that can cut bureaucracy, free up staff time and reduce costs.  All this is exciting and could help with some of the big challenges ahead. But what of the risks? The current emphasis among policymakers is on AI safety – but a range of other considerations will need attention like serving the public interest, inclusion, cost, accountability, autonomy, privacy and more. And how can the NHS and social care rapidly get up to speed with all these developments?  Join our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon on location with expert guests including: Effy Vayena (Professor of Bioethics at the Swiss Institute of Technology); Alastair Denniston (Consultant Ophthalmologist and Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham); Ashish Jha (Dean of Public Health at Brown University) and David Cutler (Professor of Applied Economics at Harvard University). Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). What do technology and AI mean for the future of work in health care? House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee (2023). The governance of artificial intelligence: interim report.  UK government (2023). UK's AI Safety Summit 2023. Institute for Government (2023). How is the UK government approaching regulation of AI? Financial Times (2023). How will AI be regulated? Air Street Capital (2023). State of AI report. OECD. OECD Artificial Intelligence Papers. The White House (2023). Fact Sheet: President Biden Issues Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. 

A general election is expected in 2024 and no party can ignore the NHS − but what do they plan to do on health? The health service regularly tops voter concerns, consumes a growing share of public spending and features daily in the media. The health of the nation is also moving up the agenda, with ill health the main reason why 2.6 million working-age people are economically inactive. So what are the main parties planning as we move towards an election and have the party conferences revealed anything new?  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Rachel Wolf, Partner at Public First, a consultancy specialising in public policy, public opinion and campaign strategy. Stephen Bush, Associate Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times.  Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England.  The Health Foundation (2023). Public perceptions of health and social care: what are the priorities ahead of a general election?  The Health Foundation (2023). What should be at the top of the political agenda for health and care?  The Health Foundation (2023). Health Foundation responds to the Prime Minister’s announcement of smoke-free measures.   The Health Foundation (2023). Social health insurance: be careful what you wish for.   Institute for Government (2023). The NHS productivity puzzle: why has hospital activity not increased in line with funding and staffing?  The Times. Tories as the party of change: that’s a hard sell (2023).   Ipsos. Ipsos issues tracker: July 2023 (2023).  

A record 7.7 million people are now waiting for elective care in England. With so many waiting for NHS care, polls show deep public concern over access to health services and many considering going private. Meantime policymakers are exploring how the independent sector can help get waiting lists down, and private equity investors are making moves in the independent health care provider market. So does this mean we’re slowly sliding towards a mixed model of health care in this country? And if so, is it a good thing or should we be worried? To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Sarah Neville, Global Health Editor at the Financial Times. Hettie O'Brien, Assistant Editor at the Guardian and currently researching a book investigating the role of private equity in the contemporary economy and public services. Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector in delivering orthopaedic and ophthalmic care. The Health Foundation (2023). How the public views the NHS at 75. The Health Foundation (2022). Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector. BMJ (2023). Private providers see surge in demand as PM blames long NHS waiting lists on strikes. PHIN (2023). PHIN Private market update: September 2023. BMJ (2023). Evaluating trends in private equity ownership and impacts on health outcomes, costs, and quality: systematic review. NBER (2023). Owner Incentives and Performance in Healthcare: Private Equity Investment in Nursing Homes. The Guardian (2023). Private equity has its sights on the NHS – and with it our faith in public services altogether. The Financial Times (2023). Private equity groups bet on UK healthcare as NHS waiting lists grow.

Whatever we are doing on health, it isn't enough to prepare for the wave of morbidity that is clearly in sight.  Recent Health Foundation modelling estimates 1 in 5 will be living with major illness by 2040, mostly because more of us will be older. But it's not just about age. A record 2.5 million working-age people are already not in work due to ill health. So what can be done to improve the state of nation’s health?   To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Jeanelle de Gruchy, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and lead for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities at the Department of Health and Social Care.   Kevin Fenton, President of the UK Faculty of Public Health. Show notes The Health Foundation (2023). Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England. UK government (2023). Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework. ONS. Rising ill-health and economic inactivity because of long-term sickness, UK: 2019 to 2023. The Health Foundation (2022). Addressing the leading risk factors for ill health. The Health Foundation (2022). Is poor health driving a rise in economic inactivity? The Health Foundation (2022). Health is wealth? Strengthening the UK’s immune system.  UK government (2021). Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2021: health in coastal communities.

In our series marking the NHS’s 75th birthday, we’ve been setting out the big challenges and opportunities ahead for the health service. In this third and final installment, we ask how the potential of technology might be unlocked to benefit patients, the public, staff and the taxpayer. We also share initial reflections on the recently published NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.  To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Navina Evans, Chief Workforce Training and Education Officer at NHS England. Navina is a doctor and a specialist in psychiatry, and was involved in the new NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.  Penny Pereira, Q Managing Director here at the Health Foundation. Penny is an expert in process and system redesign and health care, having worked in these areas for many years, both at the Foundation and previously within the NHS. Show notes The Health Foundation (2020). Understanding and sustaining the health care service shifts accelerated by COVID-19. The Health Foundation (2021). Securing a positive health care technology legacy from COVID-19. The Health Foundation (2023). Five principles for implementing the NHS Impact approach to improvement in England. NHS England (2023). NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re releasing a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This second episode explores the role of political leadership in addressing the big challenges in health care, whether political leadership is up to the task of getting the NHS to its 100th anniversary – and if not, how could it improve?  To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:     Alan Milburn, Labour MP for nearly 20 years to 2010. During the Blair government, Alan held a number of ministerial roles including Secretary of State for Health from 1999 to 2003. Alan currently serves as chair of the Social Mobility Foundation and Chancellor of Lancaster University. Stephen Dorrell, Conservative MP for over three decades to 2015. Stephen served as Secretary of State for Health from 1995 until the 1997 general election, and as chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee from 2010 to 2014. Since leaving parliament, Stephen spent time as chair of NHS Confederation, and joined the Liberal Democrats.  Show notes Institute for Government (2019) Becoming secretary of state   The Health Foundation (2020) Glaziers and window breakers: former health secretaries in their own words  The Health Foundation (2021) The most expensive breakfast in history

The fact the NHS survives by a kind of miracle is one of its endearing British features – so said former health secretary, Kenneth Clarke. Well, can that miracle continue? As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re launching a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This first episode explores current pressures on the NHS, economy and wider society and what the future might hold. What are the questions that policymakers may face as the population’s health and care needs change over the coming decade? How can the UK economy power the investment needed for health services to survive and thrive? And how can more long-term thinking help to foster good health and economic productivity? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Professor Jagjit Chadha, Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and chair of the UK Productivity Commission  Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and the REAL Centre at the Health Foundation. Show notes NIESR (2023). UK economic outlook – Spring 2023  Chadha (2023). ‘Commentary: fixing the mix’. National Institute Economic Review.    Office for National Statistics (2022) National population projections  Health Foundation (2022). How many hospital beds will the NHS need over the coming decade?   Health Foundation (2022). How does UK health spending compare across Europe over the past decade?   Health Foundation (2022). NHS workforce projections 2022   Health Foundation (2022). Health is wealth? Strengthening the UK’s immune system  

How healthy we are in part depends on the many different exposures we've had over our life – including to physical, psychological and social factors. Chronic exposure to psychosocial stress – for example, poverty or other disadvantage – leads to prolonged strain on the body. This weathering can make us physically ill before our time and prematurely age us. So what is psychosocial stress, how does it harm our health and what can be done about it? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:  Dr Michelle Kelly-Irving, a life course epidemiologist working on health inequalities and the social determinants of health. Michelle is a director at Inserm in Toulouse, part of France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. Professor Nish Chaturvedi, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at University College London and Director of the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing. Show notes Kelly-Irving (2019). Allostatic load: how stress in childhood affects health outcomes. The Health Foundation.   Gustafsson et al (2011). ‘Socioeconomic status over the life course and allostatic load in adulthood: results from the Northern Swedish Cohort.’ Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 65: 986-992.   Guidi et al (2021). ‘Allostatic load and its impact on health: a systematic review.’ Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 90: 11-27.   McEwen & Stellar (1993). ‘Stress and the individual – mechanisms leading to disease’. Archives of Internal Medicine.153: 2093-2101  Tampubolon & Maharani (2018). ‘Trajectories of allostatic load among older American and Britons: longitudinal cohort studies.’ BMC Geriatrics. 255.

News of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. We seem to be on the cusp of a revolution in how the latest AI models will change our lives – and health and care could be at the centre of those changes. AI will transform medicine, AI will allow doctorless screening and personalised prevention, AI will boost productivity, AI will make thousands of jobs redundant – so go all the claims.   But is this hype or real hope? How will AI transform health and care services and the experiences of staff and patients? What’s been the progress so far? And how best to move forward safely? And with growing demand, staff shortages and a public spending squeeze, could AI be a key answer to sustaining the NHS itself? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Professor Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford and an adviser to the government on life sciences strategy, and to Sir Patrick Vallance’s current review of how to regulate emerging technologies.  Dr Axel Heitmueller, Managing Director of Imperial College Health Partners. Axel has also worked as a senior analyst in the Cabinet Officer and Number 10 Downing Street. Show notes European Parliamentary Research Services (2022) AI in healthcare: applications, risks and ethical and societal impacts Health Education England (2022) AI Roadmap: methodology and findings report Health Education England (2019) The Topol Review: Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future The Health Foundation (2021) Switched on: how do we get the best out of automation and AI in health care? HM Government (2021) National AI Strategy HM Government (2018) Artificial intelligence sector deal HM Government (2017) Industrial Strategy: Building a Britain fit for the future

Today, women make up around half of all doctors and two-thirds of all medical students. So, has equality in health care finally been achieved?  When International Women’s Day began in 1909, women were still barred from entering medical school. Today women make up a growing share of the medical workforce and students in the UK. Despite this considerable progress, research indicates that today women in health care are under-represented in leadership roles, are paid less than male colleagues on average, and still all too often encounter sexism and discrimination.  To mark International Women’s Day 2023, we invited three female leaders at different stages of their careers in health care to reflect on the expectations, experiences and challenges that have shaped their professional journeys and what needs to happen to continue building a truly inclusive workforce. To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by: Dame Jane Dacre, emeritus professor at UCL Medical School, chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s expert panel and former president of the Royal College of Physicians Dr Nikita Kanani, director of clinical integration at NHS England and deputy senior responsible officer for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme and a GP in south east London Dr Gabrielle Mathews, NHS Assembly Member (NHS England) and a doctor at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust. Show notes World Health Organisation (2019) Gender equity in the health workforce  World Health Organisation (2019) Delivered by women, led by men: A gender equity analysis of the global health and social workforce  British Medical Association (2021) Sexism in medicine  General Medical Council (2022) The state of medical education and practice in the UK: the workforce report  Royal College of Physicians (2009) Women and medicine: the future The Nuffield Trust (2018) The gender pay gap in the English NHS  Institute for Fiscal Studies (2023) Progress of parents in NHS medical and nursing careers Dacre et al (2020) Independent review into gender pay gaps in medicine