National Health Executive Podcast National Health Executive

In episode 42 of the National Health Executive podcast we were joined by Steve Gulati who is an associate professor at the University of Birmingham as well as director of healthcare leadership at the university’s Health Services Management Centre.
During the podcast, we discussed the difference between leadership when he first joined the NHS in the 90s and to now, plus the main levers for these changes. Steve also highlighted the ‘well-known truths’ about NHS leadership which are seldom voiced as well as what changes he would like to see in the future.
“Leadership in those days was almost synonymous with management – it certainly wasn’t [like] the nuanced distinctions that you get today,” said Steve. “Allied to that, there was a concept that was more prominent of what I would call ‘stewardship’ rather than leadership.”

In episode 41 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Dr Angela Smith, research fellow at Bournemouth University, and Andy Oakey, research fellow at the University of Southampton, to discuss the viability of drones within the NHS transport system.
Angela and Andy talked about some of the misinformation about drones and suggested that drone travel is not quite ready for the NHS yet.
Angela said: “The eDrone project has been focused on NHS case studies, but what we have found is that the reporting around these case studies – the trials in particular – has led to some misconceptions about what the trials are achieving and the future benefits of drones.”
Andy explained: “If you actually look back at our project bids, we were sucked into this rhetoric of drones being the next big thing. The original idea was to look at where’s best to use them [drones], with a positive spin, but as we have gone into it we have learnt more and understood how there is a lot more than meets the eye.”

In episode 40 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Lee Carpenter, who is the head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB).
During the podcast, Lee explained what the UK Stem Cell Bank is and the significance of its work, what its future holds and some of the opportunities in the world of stem cell research.
Speaking on how big a role automation will play in the future of the stem cell field, Lee said: “I think it is going to be fairly critical. We can see the manufacturing of stem cells is hugely labour-intensive, it is expensive too.”
Lee goes onto explain how automation can widen patient access and eliminate human errors. Listen to the full podcast to hear more of Lee’s thoughts on the future of stem cells.

In episode 39 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Anthony Painter, who is the director of policy at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), to discuss all things management within the UK health sector and NHS.
During the podcast, Anthony shared some of the recent research CMI conducted in partnership with the Social Market Foundation, which centred around the state of management and leadership within the NHS.
Anthony said: “One thing that was found [in the report] was that 27% of managers in the NHS think that the leadership in their organisation is not effective.
This is obviously very worrying, according to Anthony – especially because “research shows that, if you have above average leadership and management in your organisation, you’re far more likely, or three times more likely, to be a highly performing NHS organisation than if you have a less than average level”.
Anthony also discusses some of the calls for regulation of managers within the NHS, what makes a good NHS manager, and how senior leaders can go about recruiting the right way.

In episode 38 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by divisional director at Rental+, Jon Steward, to discuss one of the foundational elements of any good health setting.
Rental+ offers the NHS cutting-edge foodservice and refrigeration equipment using a unique rental model.
Elaborating on the differences between this model and a typical procurement process, Jon explained: “First of all you just pay a monthly fee for the equipment; second of all, it is inclusive of service and maintenance – this is why the NHS loves this solution, because it reduces their capital outlay and gives them a fixed cost.”
This gives senior health leaders the peace of mind that sudden or hidden expenditures won’t wreak havoc with pre-determined budgets. A third point is that Rental+ guarantee the equipment will be working all the time.
Jon went onto say: “For healthcare executives considering Rental+, my key advice would be to view this as, not just a service, but as a partnership. We’ve worked with the NHS for so long – we’re not just a solution provider, we’re an extension of the trusts that we work with.”
Listen to the full podcast episode to hear more about how the NHS can benefit.

In episode 37 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by the former chair of the National Institute for Health and Car Excellence, Sir David Haslam, to discuss the current state of the NHS and whether it needs to be rebooted.
During the podcast, David discussed the piece he and David Pendleton, professor of leadership at Henley Business School, authored for the National Health Executive magazine, where he argues that the UK health sector needs to focus its financial support on bolstering primary care and community care on the one side, and social care on the other.
David said: “We came up with this vision: if you think of the health system like a bookshelf, you’ve got the hospitals as the big books on the shelf, but if your bookends aren’t working effectively then everything tumbles down. And the bookends at one end are primary care; the other end is social care.
“If both of those aren’t supported then the whole system is going to fall apart.”
Listen to the full podcast to hear David’s thoughts on prevention, the UK’s health spending and more about how leaders can rebalance the NHS for the future.