The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey

Tara Humphrey

Tara Humphrey looks behind the scenes at the business side of healthcare by talking to NHS and private healthcare leaders. Throughout this podcast, she also shares her own leadership insights. Tara has an MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management and is the Founder and CEO of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy.

  1. Jun 24

    #377 Behind the Business: Sponsors, Study, Mentorship and Not Needing to Be the Lead

    In this solo episode, Tara Humphrey opens up on a good day, after recording her last two solo episodes on harder ones. She shares the context that grief continues to give to how she shows up, and reflects on hearing Emilie Kiser on the Jay Shetty podcast speak about navigating work and life after losing her son. Tara wanted to record this episode in the hope it might help someone in her audience who is moving slowly forward too. From there, Tara shares what's going on behind the business, starting with a milestone she's genuinely excited about: the podcast's first ever paid sponsor. About the sponsor, Lexacom Tara is delighted to welcome Lexacom as the first paid sponsor of The Business of Healthcare. She explains why she waited for the right partner rather than taking the first offer. Lexacom has been trusted for more than 25 years and was designed by a GP specifically for healthcare. Its clinical documentation platform brings digital dictation, ambient AI voice technology, speech recognition (Lexacom Echo), customisable workflows and patient messaging into one place, all built to NHS standards with data held securely in the UK. The aim is simple: less admin, more time with patients, across the whole practice team rather than per individual licence. Find out more: https://bit.ly/THCLexacom In this episode, Tara shares: Why she's recording on a good day, and the context grief gives to how she shows up Welcoming Lexacom as the podcast's first paid sponsor, and why she chose them rather than taking the first offer Gary Hughes joining THC Primary Care as an associate writer, bringing the general practice voice alongside Tara's PCN voice, and the ambition to add pharmacy, optometry and dentistry over time Every Move Counts: the friendly movement challenge she runs with Dr Dan Bunstone and Phin Robinson, free on the GoJoe Aapp, with one aim, getting a million health and care professionals moving more Her role as interim business manager at North & East Isle of Wight PCN, why she loves being operational, and the line she keeps coming back to: everyone wants to be a leader, no one wants to be a manager Her interim neighbourhood lead role for CVD on the Isle of Wight, and the challenge of bringing stakeholders together with a compelling why but little time or funding Going back to being a student with a Level 2 certificate in public health, and joining the NHS AI Ambassadors Made in Health: the community Tara started for people building non-clinical, admin and managerial AI tools, and her honest struggle with being looked to as the expert when she just wants to learn Reflections on PCN Plus Live, run in partnership with Ben Gowland, Dr Hussein Gandhi and Dr Andy Foster, including a moment of frustration she regrets Her upcoming keynote at the South London PCN Leaders Conference: "This is where we are now. What are you going to do about it?" Asking Dr Ursula Montgomery to mentor her, the story of how mentorship changed her career, and why being a good mentee means doing the work, not waiting to be led Connect with Tara: THC Primary Care: https://www.thcprimarycare.co.uk/ The Business of Healthcare: https://thebusinessofhealthcare.org/

    24 min
  2. Jun 3

    #375 Both Sides of the Table: An HR Professional on Taking Voluntary Redundancy from the NHS with Sarah Boxall

    What happens when an HR professional finds themselves on the other side of redundancy?   In this episode of The Business of Healthcare Podcast, Tara is joined by Sarah Boxall, HR and recruitment professional with more than 20 years of experience across the private sector, local government, higher education, and the NHS.   Sarah offers a unique perspective on navigating organisational change, career uncertainty, and the realities of looking for work during a period of significant transformation across the health and care system. Sarah shares practical advice for anyone facing change, considering their next career move, or supporting others through workforce transitions.   In this episode, Sarah discusses: What redundancy feels like from the employee perspective, even when the process is handled well The emotional reality of delivering difficult news as an HR professional Why uncertainty can be more challenging than change itself How to approach job searching during periods of organisational disruption The importance of maintaining an up-to-date CV Understanding the "hidden job market" and where opportunities are often found Using LinkedIn effectively to build connections and discover new roles Identifying your non-negotiables when considering your next career move Managing mindset, resilience, and confidence during periods of career transition Why flexibility, purpose, and job satisfaction matter as much as salary   This is an honest and practical conversation for anyone navigating workforce change, supporting colleagues through uncertainty, or considering what comes next in their own career.   Find Sarah on LinkedIn here.

    28 min
  3. May 20

    #374 Community pharmacy and general practice integration with Michael Lennox, National Pharmacy Association

    In this episode of the Business of Healthcare podcast, Tara is joined by pharmacy leader and self-described "serial integrator" Michael Lennox for a passionate conversation about the relationship between community pharmacy and general practice, and why working together is essential for the future of healthcare.     Michael shares how two decades in healthcare leadership shaped his belief that seamless, connected care is healthcare's real superpower. Together, they explore why integration still feels frustratingly out of reach, despite years of reforms, new structures, and ambitious NHS plans.     The conversation covers the tension between independent contractor models and integrated care, the 'Cinderella syndrome' community pharmacy often experiences, and why both pharmacy and general practice are often fighting the same battles without realising it.     Michael & Tara also discuss: Why conferences can create a 'bungee effect' of motivation How to keep momentum alive after inspiration fades Rapid Action Teams and solving problems quickly at a local level The importance of celebrating frontline success stories Why optimism still matters in healthcare leadership     This is an honest, energetic and hopeful conversation about collaboration, leadership and building better systems from the ground up.     Learn more about the conference being held on 21 and 22 June 2026 here.     Email Michael here or find Michael on LinkedIn here.

    40 min

About

Tara Humphrey looks behind the scenes at the business side of healthcare by talking to NHS and private healthcare leaders. Throughout this podcast, she also shares her own leadership insights. Tara has an MBA in Healthcare Leadership and Management and is the Founder and CEO of THC Primary Care, a leading healthcare consultancy.

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