The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey Tara Humphrey

I’m incredibly excited to be joined this week by Accurx CEO and Co-Founder Jacob Haddad! For those of you who aren’t familiar with Accurx (where have you been?!) they are a health tech company who specialise in delivery of communications software, primarily (to date) across the general practice landscape. Put simply; if you’ve had a text from your own GP, it’s likely to have been powered by the Accurx solution. 

As Jacob is co-founder of one of the healthcare industry’s fastest growing tech company, it will come as no surprise to our regular listeners that I was keen to quiz him on all things leadership, as well as find out more about the Accurx journey more broadly (and a key shift in their product focus and delivery along the way). 

So, listen now to find out more about: 

Jacob’s leadership style 


His role, responsibilities, and ambitions now (versus when he first started out) 
What a typical week in the life of a health tech CEO looks like and what Jacob enjoys doing most 
Recognising opportunities and how to make the most of the lucky breaks 
Reflecting on mistakes and misjudgements and how they can still positively shape progress 
Accurx company culture, structure, and evolution 


Why maintaining a strong user focus has been fundamental in the Accurx success story 

….and why post-it notes matter when it comes to marketing! 

If you’d like to connect with Jacob, and / or find out more, he is contactable via Twitter or LinkedIn 

 

Work with me    


    

I’m Tara Humphrey and I’m the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 50 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations.  I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.    

   

I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 blogs.    

    

For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.    

Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time     

    

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.    

 

I always work hard to dig a little deeper and deliver raw and honest podcast material, from my own perspective and that of others, and this week’s episode truly does not disappoint.  

I had the total pleasure of interviewing Gus Kennedy; Managing Director of Hero Health, soon to be new Dad, cricket lover and passionate about all things health tech. Inspired by his GP Mum’s continued frustrations about the need for better tech in Primary Care, Gus founded Hero Health in 2017; building and delivering a software solution to streamline the patient booking process, and which is aimed primarily at improving patient experience when booking an appointment with their local practice. 

By Gus’s own admission, realising success in the Primary Care tech space is more than challenging and with this in mind, he and I discussed: 

The Hero product itself; the funding mechanisms used to bring the solution to life, the product journey, the system processes and capabilities, their learning curve, and the Hero vision 
How Hero can add value, particularly when it comes to cross-organisational aspects of scheduling 


Why it’s tough to deliver tech that supports both clinicians and patients, to ensure equal priorities are met 
The challenges of having and maintaining exposure to both digitally savvy PCNs, and those PCNs who are further behind in their awareness of available tech (and in some cases, experiences of hostility when making an approach)  
The flaws of a traditional procurement process for both PCNs and tech providers and a lack of funding when it comes to research and development 
Gus’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who are hoping to penetrate the healthcare space 

 


To find out more about Hero Health; the work they do, and the solution they offer, check out: 

Hero's website 

If you’d like to connect with Gus, you can do so here. 

 

Work with me  

  

I’m Tara Humphrey and I’m the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 50 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations.  I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.  

 

I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 blogs.  

  

For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.  

Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time   

  

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.  

Hey, and welcome back to the Business of Healthcare podcast…. recording from Nashville, Tennessee! 

 

In episode 224 I talked about travel being firmly back on the agenda (since the height of the pandemic has passed) and how 2022 was a big travel year for me both nationally and internationally. 

 

The reason I’m in Nashville is because I’m here on a business retreat with my business coach and mastermind group, and I thought some of you might find my approach to business coaching, consulting, and mentorship helpful. This is equally applicable to you as an employee, or business owner. 

 

In this podcast, I talk about:  

 

What a business coach is and can offer, and why I would recommend hiring one 
The difference between coaching, consulting, and mentorship 


The difference between a group coaching programme and mastermind group 
The benefits of attending a business retreat 
The costs of coaching 

  

For those of you who are keen to listen to the podcasts I’ve mentioned relating to my former and current business coaches: 


 

Biz Chix 

https://bizchix.com/category/podcast/bizchix/  

https://bizchix.com/category/podcast/team/  

  

Eleanor Beaton 

https://eleanorbeaton.com/podcast/  

  

12 Hats Radio 

https://pod.co/12-hats-radio  

  

Diary of a CEO 

https://stevenbartlett.com/the-diary-of-a-ceo-podcast/  

 

  

And finally, further guidance about accessing NHS Coaching can be found via the following two links: 

 

https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk  

  

https://www.england.nhs.uk/supporting-our-nhs-people/support-now/looking-after-you-confidential-coaching-and-support-for-the-primary-care-workforce/looking-after-you-too/  

 
 
Work with me     
I’m Tara Humphrey and I am the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 80 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations. I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.    
I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 Blogs    
For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.     
Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time      
Sign up to receive our free download – click here If you feel your leadership and management meetings are unproductive or you are uncertain of where you should prioritise your focus for the week.      
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.     

It’s International Women’s Day and with this in mind, today’s Business of Healthcare podcast guest really requires no introduction.  

I am extremely proud to feature NHS England Director for Clinical Integration (and deputy lead responsible for the delivery of the Covid vaccination programme), GP, Mum of two and former NHSE first female Medical Director for Primary Care, Dr Nikki Kanani MBE.  

To say I was super excited to do this interview would be an understatement and amongst the many things we managed to cover within our relatively short chat, I was particularly focused on finding out what it’s really like being Dr Nikki Kanani; 

How does Nikki manage her time, day to day, in her professional, and her home life? 
When did Nikki’s career evolve from GP to GP and national leader? 


What does being a celebrity in her field really feel like and what are the practical impacts? 
When is being better good enough versus delivering the very best, across Nikki’s multi-hatted portfolio? 
How does she feel about her work right now? 
Bearing in mind that her role has often involved overseeing the release of (sometimes not well received) policy and, particularly where the vaccination programme is concerned, potentially divisive strategy, how does Nikki deal with conflict and ensure she has ample time for self-care and access to  personal sources of support? 
And of course….I had to ask about the future for PCNs! 


This is a fascinating listen from a truly inspirational female leader…. enjoy! 

 

Work with me   

   

I’m Tara Humphrey and I’m the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 50 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations.  I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.   

  

I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 blogs.   

   

For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.   

Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time    

   

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.   

One reoccurring thought I am having currently is around the concept of over-delivering.
The age-old saying is that “we should under promise and over deliver and then everyone’s happy, but I don’t think this approach in the field of healthcare is sustainable.
Most people just want what you said you would do, and for you to be nice to them during your interactions.
If they get it quicker than what you originally said, then great, but I think the first thought should be what is the minimum high-quality standard we should be working to every single time, and to be consistent with this.
At THC, I used to take pride in overdelivering, only to find ;
·      The additional service or thing we gave went unnoticed or unappreciated
·      The additional service ate into profitability
·      We created an expectation that we then felt we needed to maintain, which became stressful, and sometimes we resented the effort we put in, which was 100% our fault and not theirs
 
I think we do this because:
 
·      We want to be liked
·      We are frightened of saying no
·      We are genuinely trying to be helpful
·      We think it’s good for business
·      We think it will give us that competitive edge
·      Because we don’t value our time
·      We are insecure
 
So, without this turning into a therapy session, look at all the activities in your portfolio ask yourself;
 
1.     What is working well regarding the delivery of your work?
2.     Are there any areas where you feel you are going above and beyond, which is not serving you?
3.     Be really honest and reflect on why you are in this situation, taking radical responsibility for your actions.
4.     Then ask yourself,  what one thing could I do to remedy this situation without making up stories and excuses as to why things can't change
5.     If you are not sure of what is expected of you, then ask your manager or client, or you set the expectation
6.     Finally, put your plan into action.
And remember, most people simply want what you said you were going to do and then be nice to them in your communications.
 
Work with me     
I’m Tara Humphrey and I am the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 80 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations. I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.    
I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 Blogs     
     
For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.     
Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time      
     
Sign up to receive our free download – click here If you feel your leadership and management meetings are unproductive or you are uncertain of where you should prioritise your focus for the week.     
     
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.     

Introducing Dr Juhi Tandon; superstar GP, wife, mother of two, and co-founder and Medical Director of Cognitant Group; a health technology group whose mission is to help people better understand their health by innovating the content and delivery of health information and digital services. 

I had the great pleasure of meeting Juhi over dinner at a MedTech conference in Malta and after hearing more about her passion for preventative medicine, reducing health inequalities and empowering patients to make informed decisions about their care, I was determined to feature her on the Business of Healthcare podcast; to dig deeper into the work of Cognitant Group and Juhi as a medic and entrepreneur, both on a personal and professional level. 

So, listen on to hear more about: 

Juhi’s own journey into the fast paced and evolving world of medical technology; her goals and her altered perspective of the wider healthcare system since stepping outside of her role as a GP 


Cognitant’s co-founders; what a good partnership should look and feel like (and their 10-year vision) 
Identifying your USP and engaging with your target market 
Tackling the fear of failure and being confident in decision-making 
The importance of self-care and staying active, even when you’re under pressure 
Managing the growing pains of a business 


The Cognitant recruitment approach, balancing Cultural Fit and Cultural Add 
What to do when you’re first starting out in business – juggling personal and professional demands, and overcoming personal challenges 

 

Mentions: 

WIRED Health 


Matthew Syed’s Black Box Thinking - Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance 

 

To find out more about Juhi, and Cognitant (and the solutions on offer): 

Juhi's LinkedIn profile 

Cognitant website 

Healthinote 

 

Work with me      

      

I’m Tara Humphrey and I am the founder of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy. I provide project and network management to Primary Care Networks and consulting support to clinical leads. To date, I’ve worked with 11 Training Hubs and supported over 50 Primary Care Networks and 3 GP Federations. I understand and appreciate the complexity of healthcare and what it takes to deliver projects across multiple practices.     

I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sector and have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare. I’m also published in the London Journal of Primary Care and the author of over 250 Blogs      

      

For more weekly insights and advice sign up to my newsletter.      

Improving the Business of Healthcare – One Episode at a Time       

      

Sign up to receive our free download – click here If you feel your leadership and management meetings are unproductive or you are uncertain of where you should prioritise your focus for the week.      

      

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Business of Healthcare Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, leave your honest review, and share your favourite episodes on social media. Find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit our website – THC Primary Care.