HSJ Health Check

After seemingly endless delays, the fate of the ‘40 new hospitals’ has finally been revealed by the government.
With eight key schemes pushed back until the next decade, the programme set to receive £10bn less than requested and funding subject to “future spending reviews”, we cover the immediate reaction and what’s next for NHP trusts. 
Also - more on Labour’s vision for the NHS if they win next year’s election.

The government’s 40 “new hospitals” has dominated headlines - and decisions - over NHS capital funding in recent years, but this week HSJ revealed dozens of trusts are still waiting for money promised by the previous big capital programme.

We discuss why over £1bn is yet to be received for capital schemes announced in 2017 and 2018 and what impact this has had on services.

Also this week, an update on the latest chapter in The Christie Foundation Trust’s whistleblowing saga, after the publication of a CQC report that downgraded the trust's treasured ‘outstanding’ rating. 

This week bureau chief Ben Clover stands in for Annabelle Collins and introduces two important stories, one that got national coverage and one that HSJ broke. Deputy editor Dave West takes us through the strange delay of some community diagnostic centres, which some suspect is politically-motivated as the government looks to what it can deliver before an election next year. Correspondent Mimi Launder then takes us behind the announcements on the primary care recovery plan. This received a lot of national attention earlier this week but HSJ obtained internal documentation showing just how patchy the roll-out is of some of the technology the government is counting on.

On this week’s episode Alastair reveals why NHS England’s elective recovery director Jim Mackey is replacing David Sloman as national operations lead later this year.

We also discuss why Tim Ferris was the right man for the national transformation job, but arrived at the wrong time.

Also this week: what’s next for the Agenda for Change pay deal and concerns raised about the poor care experienced by eating disorder patients in acute hospitals.

NHS leaders are being told they must prioritise balancing the books above all else, with some trusts even being asked to keep staff numbers down to save money. 

We discuss the tricky relationship between ‘productivity’ and recruitment and the impact an intensified focus on finance could have on other important priorities.

A consortium of British companies have been knocked out of the hotly contested competition to win a £480m contract to provide the NHS with a new data platform. 

We discuss who is left in the running, including a number of American tech firms with little or no experience of working with the NHS. 

Also this week - an update on how the NHS has coped with the junior doctors’ strikes this week, and a quick look at the latest performance data, which for the first time has revealed the extent of the 12 hours waits in A&E.

Patricia Hewitt’s much-anticipated review of ICS autonomy was published this week. We discuss its recommendations, the politics behind it, and what meaningful, lasting impact it could have.

With Alastair McLellan, James Illman and Annabelle Collins.

NHS Blood and Transplant has been embroiled in allegations of racism that stretch back several years.

On this episode Annabelle is joined by Lawrence Dunhill who has been reporting on the agency’s failure to address these systemic problems. 

The story spans secret recordings, a bitter employment tribunal and high profile resignations, with the organisation seriously struggling with blood stocks and staff shortages.

This week we discuss a quirk in last week’s pay deal between health unions and the government, which could see staff at the top of Agenda for Change paid more than senior managers.

We also dig into the “shameful” planned cuts to social care budgets to the tune of £550m, as revealed by HSJ last week.

This week we analyse the Spring Budget and what it means for the NHS, in particular the pensions tax overhaul.

We cover why Jeremy Hunt has gone for such an expensive fix and what impact it will have on the health service and its ability to retain experienced doctors.

Also this week, our insights into three days of junior doctors’ strikes and more on the ongoing BMA ‘rate card’ controversy.

This year’s NHS staff survey results have landed, so on this episode, we bring you the need-to-know findings and insights into how the NHS workforce are feeling.

Our team is joined by Chris Graham, the chief executive of the Picker Institute –  the charity that organises the survey – and we discuss everything from the worrying drop in staff feeling safe to report clinical errors, to the shocking results once again reported by ambulance trusts.

Also with Annabelle Collins, Alison Moore and Emily Townsend.

Could foundation trusts be hindering the success of integrated care systems? Chair of Bolton FT Donna Hall thinks so, and argues its time to scrap them.

We discuss the merits of this and also whether integrated care systems’ strategies are too much “motherhood and apple pie” and not enough substance.

Also this week, an update on ICS finances, after its revealed 14 systems are now in the red.

Fresh from starting work as NHS Providers' new chief executive, Sir Julian Hartley joins HSJ Health Check to talk about collaboration, strikes, reform and more.
We ask the former Leeds Hospitals chief why he moved to a national role, and what building a successful provider collaborative looks like in practice. He also discusses the long haul of improvement facing the service, arguments for fundamental reform, and why we need NHS Providers.
With HSJ's Annabelle Collins, Dave West and Ben Clover.

Many NHS technology programmes are facing an uncertain future following revelations NHS England’s tech budget is being drastically cut.

This week we discuss the impact these funding cuts could have on NHS trusts’ ambitions and whether the sector has the leadership to guide it through this tricky patch.

Also this week, a major pathology merger in Lancashire has effectively been scrapped following years of work and millions of pounds spent, after being left in limbo by those who encouraged the project in the first place.

This week bureau chief Ben Clover fills in for Annabelle Collins. Ben is joined by mental health correspondent Emily Townsend and HSJ's urgent care lead Matt Discombe to discuss new targets (and the lack of them), discharge and how involved the police should be in mental health services.

The debate over single patient rooms has raged for many years, but emerging news from Liverpool’s new hospital suggests it could be a game-changer for cutting patients’ length of stay. We discuss the impact of the much-maligned city trust’s new hospital on patient flow.

Also this week – we hear about the growing frustration in Manchester over the delay to the New Hospitals Programme, and we analyse our exclusive interview with the CEO of scandal-hit Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.

Featuring Lawrence Dunhill, Nicholas Carding, Zoe Tidman and Emily Townsend.

An HSJ Investigation has revealed trusts are denying staff employed by their wholly owned subsidiary companies the pay and conditions offered to other staff. We discuss more about how and why this forgotten group of the workforce are missing out.

Also this week – the trust that sacked a whistleblower who warned them about potential patient harm has been told to pay out more than £200,000. We talk in more detail about this case and the questions it raises about whistleblowing in the NHS.

Bids are open for NHS England’s new £480m national data platform – will it make the NHS better connected and more efficient, or is it a national vanity project? We also discuss who the successful bidders might be.

And in recent weeks the NHS has been given its marching orders for the next financial year, in the form of the planning guidance and integrated care systems’ financial allocations. We discuss what this tells us about ministerial ambitions for the health service and how the guidance connects with the ongoing Hewitt Review.

Featuring Nick Carding, Dave West and Annabelle Collins.

NHS trusts have been given 20 days by NHS England to book in all patients who have been waiting longer than 78 weeks for their elective appointment.

We discuss the thinking behind this and how trusts might tackle this new challenge without any more money or resources.

Also we unpack the latest performance data, which confirmed December was the worst on record for multiple key measures.

The HSJ team make their predictions for what the New Year could bring for the health service, including a return to deficits, tough times for the hospital building programme and a big year for mental health reform.

Thanks for listening to the Health Check podcast this year and Happy Holidays from all at HSJ.What 2023 has in store for the NHS

This week we bring you the latest on the hospital building programme, including confirmation that all new buildings must have single patient rooms. We discuss the staffing and safety challenges this will bring for trusts.

Also this week, more on NHS England’s plans to cut £1bn from maternity, cancer and primary care funds, plus Steve Barclay’s latest “attack” on NHS managers in the form of organograms.

“Rubbish” communications have been blamed by senior NHS leaders for causing a flood of people going to A&E with Group Strep A concerns, with calls to NHS 111 hitting record levels so far this winter.

We discuss the impact this is having on access to treatment and medicines and what should have been done to stop it.

Also we talk more about the creation of an elective recovery taskforce and a bigger role for the private sector in taking NHS patients. Plus, the latest on nursing and ambulance staff strikes due to start next week.

Hosted by Annabelle Collins and featuring Ben Clover and Nick Kituno.

Got a question for our expert team? Let us know on Twitter @HSJAnnabelle and we’ll answer it next week.

NHS England’s protracted bid to scrap the four-hour A&E target has finally been shelved by ministers, as we exclusively revealed last week.

Now the dust has settled, we unpick what happened, why it matters and whether there is still hope for reform in the future.

Also - why ICSs will have to wait until 2024 to receive commissioning budgets worth billions of pounds, amid concerns about financial risk.

Former Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt has been charged with reviewing the role of integrated care systems by Jeremy Hunt.

Alastair McLellan predicts what changes the Hewitt review could bring and why its so important.

Also this week, Jack Serle explains how the NHS supply chain is failing staff and patients, a problem that has escalated this week with a joint letter sent from procurement chiefs to NHS England.

This week we bring you our reaction to Steve Barclay’s first major speech since returning as health and social care secretary, during which HSJ questioned him about his view on NHS funding. 
Mr Barclay struck a more conciliatory tone than in the past, but he dismissed the health unions’ pay asks as “not realistic”. We also discuss the difficult decisions some trusts leaders could face in the coming weeks if staff go on strike, and two important appointments for NHS England’s leadership team.

This week Annabelle and Dave are joined by Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, and we discuss what could be in store for the NHS in next week’s spending review.

We cover the huge financial and performance challenges facing leaders and politicians this winter and also how disinvestment in other public services is having a knock-on effect on the NHS.

Also - our thoughts on how Steve Barclay could - or should - approach his second stint as health secretary.

The fate of the “40 new hospitals” hangs in the balance with trusts hoping for a decision on funding by the end of the year.

This week we discuss the impact of the delays to the programme on the day-to-day running of NHS hospitals, and what chiefs must do to persuade the Treasury to allocate enough funding for all the planned projects.

We also take a closer look at the newly-built hospital in Liverpool and how its design is contributing to emergency care problems in the city.

New health secretary Steve Barclay is back, and he joins the NHS at a time when the health service faces its worst funding squeeze in many decades.

We discuss Mr Barclay’s initial priorities – which he revealed in his first stint as health secretary just two months ago – amid a worsening financial backdrop.

Also this week – a senior procurement chief claims life has never been this hard for his colleagues despite the pandemic having abated significantly. Is he right?

Featuring Nick Carding, Henry Anderson and Jack Serle.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt is now the most powerful person in the country. We discuss what some of his mini-budget reversals mean for the NHS and if the health service is safe in his hands.

Also this week – the NHS faces £7bn in additional inflation costs and something has got to give. But what?

Featuring Alastair McLellan, Ben Clover and Annabelle Collins.

Two out of three integrated care systems are already reporting sizeable deficits in their first year of existence.

On this episode we discuss why so many systems are behind on their budget plans. We also cover other financial woes facing the NHS including tighter government controls on spending and the pressures of inflation.

Also this week we discuss revelations that patients face being removed from the NHS waiting list if they decline two dates offered to them for their treatment, with experts warning if used poorly it could see patients “banished to waiting list purgatory”.

On this week’s episode we bring you the highlights from the Tory party conference, where the NHS felt like a “sideshow”.

We discuss whether Therese Coffey can pull off being a part-time health secretary and whether there was any substance to the latest dose of manager-bashing.

Also this week, ambulance response times have deteriorated dramatically over the last week, with staff across the country sounding the alarm over the pressures. We talk about what this could mean for the winter ahead.

With warnings the public sector could be forced to bear the brunt of last week’s tax cuts, we discuss the dire impact this will have on the NHS’ finances, its ability to retain staff and deal with the covid backlog.

Also, an update from this year’s Labour Party Conference, during which shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to fund “one of the largest NHS workforce expansions in history”.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Dave West and Lawrence Dunhill.

Amid four “inadequate” ratings and a new leadership inspection, is the writing on the wall for one of the NHS’ worst performing trusts over the last decade?

We discuss what the latest inspection of Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust means for the organisation’s future, and whether the trust will survive in its current guise with two local MPs now in charge of the government.

Also on this episode, we discuss the growing in-tray awaiting the new CEO of under pressure Tavistock and Portman FT and hear the curious tale of how one NHS provider earned a tenth of its income from Kuwait – and why it matters to the rest of the NHS.

NHS trusts have more than £18bn in covid cash reserves, but how helpful is this extra money?

We cover why cash levels are three times higher than before the pandemic, whether this money will help trusts cope with final pressures and the “technical accounting” measures being used to keep the bottom line healthy.

Also on this episode, just a few weeks before its move to a new, smaller building, Royal Liverpool Hospital declared it was at full capacity. We discuss staff concerns about the move and the inflexibility of NHS planning.

Annabelle is joined by Lawrence Dunhill and Henry Anderson.

The NHS has been told by the government to cut management consultancy spend and completely freeze recruitment at a national level.

Is this Steve Barclay’s first - and maybe last - move to force the NHS be more efficient?

Also this week we discuss the dire impact midwife shortages are having on the quality of maternity services and how these shortages have threatened the roll-out of an NHS England-backed model of care.

Annabelle is joined by Lawrence Dunhill and Henry Anderson.

This week HSJ revealed the final trusts added to the ‘new hospital’ programme, which are also thought to have some of the most dangerous estates in the NHS.

We discuss why only now they are in line for an upgrade and also what the perfect ‘new’ hospital might look like.

Also this week - what do we know so far about the NHS winter plan? We ask whether it is radical enough to contend with the troubled winter ahead

Significant tensions between a mental health trust and an ICS have prompted the trust’s chief executive to resign.

We discuss how things escalated to become quite this bad and whether we could see more power struggles as ICBs find their feet.

Also this week, the government is investigating a surge in excess deaths in England and we ask what’s causing this rise, plus warnings from an A&E department in Wigan that deaths are becoming “increasingly common”.

This week we revisit the thorny subject of A&E standards, following calls for a new six-hour target to be introduced.

This aligns with clinical evidence about patient harm but it is at odds with NHS England’s plans to replace the four-hour standard with ‘a basket’ of ten new metrics, which does not include a six-hour target.

Also this week - we discuss news that more trusts have started publishing data showing thousands of 12-hour waits in their emergency departments, representing a huge difference to the numbers published nationally, for which the clock starts from a later point in the patient’s journey.

Annabelle is joined by Matt Discombe and James Illman.

Hospital leaders have warned there is a lack of accountability in the NHS, warning this could undermine public and political trust in the service.

In a roundtable hosted by HSJ, the most well-respected chief executives have spoken candidly about the slow pace of reform, why talking about how tired the workforce is doesn’t always help and why command and control leadership has its place.

Also in 2019, £250m was awarded to the shiny new NHS AI-lab, but a government watchdog has recently given it a damning review. We ask, what went wrong?

On Monday night all ambulance services in England declared the highest level of alert.

We discuss why the NHS is under such terrible pressure in July and the dangerous impact this is having on patients, staff and services.

Also more discussion about major job cuts announced within NHS England - is this a necessary change or will it consume too much time at a crucial moment for the NHS?

Tough times are ahead for the NHS, with a “nightmare” new health and social care secretary appointed and performance spiralling. On this episode we discuss the shocking true extent of the cancer care backlog after leaked figures revealed there are now over 10,000 people waiting over 104 days following a cancer referral.

Also this week, disappointing elective activity has forced NHS England to look at watering down elective financial targets, while one trust starts using “social value judgements” to decide who gets treatment first.

The NHS is facing a major reorganisation this year, including within NHS England itself.

On this episode we discuss the challenges and power struggles that lie ahead and who has the toughest job of all; the newly appointed chief workforce officer.

Annabelle is joined by HSJ editor Alastair McLellan.

Race and racism in NHS leadership and workforce, and health inequalities, are the subject of this week’s HSJ Health Check podcast.

We look back to some of the debates on the issues at – and around – last week’s NHS ConfedExpo conference. We explore the prospects for progress, and important context including diversity in integrated care system leadership and NHS England’s leadership.

With HSJ equality, diversity and inclusion correspondent Nick Kituno, finance correspondent Henry Anderson, and deputy editor Dave West.

This week the news team bring you the podcast from the NHS Confed/Expo conference in Liverpool.

Annabelle Collins, Lawrence Dunhill and Dave West are joined by guest Charlotte Augst, chief executive of charity National Voices.

We cover the biggest talking points from this year’s conference, including Amanda Pritchard’s debut NHS Confed speech as NHSE CEO, the health secretary’s vision for ‘reform trusts’  and the continued uncertainty around ICS development.

The chief executives of Sandwell and West Birmingham, Countess of Chester, King's College and Croydon hospitals trusts - some of the worst affected through the covid pandemic - discuss what lessons can be learned, including more sharing of waiting lists and staff, developing critical care, addressing unequal resources, the resource gap, fast decision making and local leadership.

Part two of two.

See hsj.co.uk for analysis on the trusts hit hardest by covid.

The chief executives of Sandwell and West Birmingham, Countess of Chester, King's College and Croydon hospitals trusts - some of the worst affected through the covid pandemic - reflect on how they dealt with the fear and uncertainty of wave one, and the impact on staff then and now.

Part one of two.

See hsj.co.uk for analysis on the trusts hit hardest by covid.

This week our focus is on new ways of delivering care in the NHS.

We discuss why the NHS is not on trajectory to meet its virtual ward ambitions and what needs to be done to gain the confidence of clinicians.

Also an update on digital health service provider Babylon and why this major player is cautious about further NHS expansion. Plus our insight on virtual versus face-to-face GP appointment trends.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, James Illman and Shruti Trivedi.

On this week’s episode we discuss NHS England’s own staff survey results, which reveals the best and worst performing departments and regions and delivers a particularly worrying verdict on the People Directorate.

We also turn again to integrated care systems, and this time focus on why in some areas a power struggle could emerge between ‘place’ and the system-wide leadership.

Also, an update on two-year waiters in the NHS, a closer look at the trusts with the longest backlogs and why for some key performance targets will likely be missed.

The NHS has been told to scale back infection control measures, but what will this mean for staff and patients?

We talk about the risks healthcare leaders will have to balance over the coming weeks and the reaction from clinicians.

Also on the subject of cancer recovery, we discuss the good and the very bad news.

NHS England have asked systems to ensure their financial plans break even this year - but easier said than done when many face deficits of over £100m.

This week, we discuss why systems are pushing back and how this could play out.

Also, the latest race equality data has been published and we analyse what it says about leadership diversity in NHS trusts.

On this week’s episode we explore the pressure points hindering the NHS’s recovery this Spring.

We  draw on an interview given last week by NHS elective recovery chief Sir  Jim Mackey – he backed calls for infection control guidance to be  relaxed and warned meeting cost efficiency targets may not be possible.

Also  we discuss what trusts and systems are doing to ease the pressure,  including digital outpatients and out-of-area elective treatments.

Featuring Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins and James Illman.

We pick out the main findings from the Ockendon Review  into maternity failures at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and  discuss what the most important lessons are for the NHS going forward.

Also  this week: The NHS Staff Survey has been published and there is more  bad news than good news. We find out just how much staff attitudes have  changed after two years of working in a pandemic, and what the key  responses have been to the survey.

Featuring Nick Carding, Emily Townsend, and Nick Kituno.

NHS spending is being scrutinised more than ever, with trusts asked to double the amount of annual efficiency savings they make. 

We discuss why more is being asked of the NHS when times are still tough and what this week’s Spring budget had in store for the health service.

Also this week: violence against NHS staff has rocketed to “dangerous levels”, according to NHS leaders who have published an open message to the public. Why have things got so bad?

As war rages in Ukraine, we discuss the impact of the West’s response against the Kremlin on NHS trusts with supply chains linked to Russia.

We also analyse the heavily-anticipated speech on NHS reform by health secretary Sajid Javid this week, which left several important questions unanswered.

NHS England has introduced significant changes to the mechanism that is used to pay hospitals, with the era of covid “block-contracts” finally coming to an end.

This week we discuss what the new national payment system means for trusts and why there are concerns it could leave services underfunded.

Also an update on the progress of ‘virtual wards’ and more on why clinicians still aren’t too happy about them.

NHS trusts are getting better – that’s the view of the Care Quality Commission, at least, which now rates only a single organisation as “inadequate”, and two-thirds as “good” or “outstanding”, a big shift from five years ago.

But how does it square with the terrible state of elective and emergency care waiting times, along with pandemic pressures?

We focus on three trusts very recently taken out of special measures and discuss why the CQC wants to see the best leaders taking jobs at the most challenging trusts.

Also, this week we discuss the potential creation of £2bn group of Liverpool hospitals and the pros and cons this can bring for trusts and patients.

The man in charge of elective recovery in the NHS has said the health service faces more scrutiny from ministers, and from the public, than ever before. But is the NHS ready to respond?

We discuss the in-depth interview given by Sir Jim Mackey, following the publication of the elective recovery plan.

Also, following news that an NHS trust was forced to apologise to a patient after denying a sexual assault happened, we ask what is being done to support victims in the NHS.

After weeks of wrangling over the elective recovery plan a compromise has been reached and on this week’s episode we get stuck into the politics surrounding it and of course what is means for NHS leaders.

Also the latest on integrated care systems - have they become more complicated than ever?

Two very different trusts are under the spotlight after concerns were raised by whistleblowers about poor culture and behaviour.

We discuss the outcome of the separate external reviews, which looked into The Christie FT and Walsall Healthcare Trust and ask whether they might instigate positive change.

Also, more on the mandatory staff vaccine U-turn and how some chief executives are relieved, while others fear for permanently damaged staff relationships.

Three national NHS England directors have announced their departures over the last few days, so on this week’s episode we discuss why this is significant and the impact it could have on future policy making.

Also, cancer performance in England is said to be hitting “new lows” and we discuss which specialties are struggling the most and why hidden referrals could be even more of a worry over the coming months.

This week we discuss the politics around the elective recovery plan, following suggestions it could be announced imminently to distract from the goings on at Number 10.

We also cover the prospect of ‘academy-style’ trusts and ask whether comments briefed to The Times signal genuine intention or just a spot of kite-flying.

Plus an update on how staff mandatory vaccination is progressing, with just two weeks to go until the deadline. Featuring James Illman, Dave West and Annabelle Collins.

NHS trusts will soon be forced to redeploy or dismiss staff members who have not had their covid jab and this week we discuss what this could mean for the safe running of the health service.

We focus on a London trust, which has warned its maternity service could be threatened by the dismissal of unvaccinated midwives.

Also this week we discuss the latest NHS operational and performance data.

On this week’s HSJ podcast, we explain what the latest planning guidance from NHS England – published over Christmas – means for the service and its patients.

The planning guidance sets out how the NHS’s money will be used and what the service will be asked to provide in 2022-23.

HSJ’s Annabelle Collins, James Illman and Dave West translate the key themes on this week’s HSJ Health Check.

In the final episode of the year, we make our predictions for what 2022 could hold for the health service, including staff vaccination woes, spades in the ground for some ‘new hospitals’ and further delays for ICSs.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Nick Carding, Dave West and guest Rebecca Thomas from The Independent.

Record covid cases are being recorded and the NHS must decide how to prepare for another potential wave in late December or January.

We discuss what chief execs are doing right now to keep services afloat and as many staff working as safely possible.

Also notable points from recent government briefings and an update on the operational challenges facing the booster campaign.

This week we dig into the latest NHS performance data, including the first detailed snapshot into how the NHS is coping this winter.

The figures reveal performance has never been worse and we discuss the severe harm this is having on the public, with trusts warning its becoming unavoidable.

Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins, Matt Discombe and Alison Moore.

NHS staff are facing the prospect of another difficult winter. The Omicron variant, an accelerated booster campaign and expectations of elective recovery will be an immense challenge for a completely exhausted workforce. We discuss how staff and leaders will cope.

Also, an update on who will be leading the new integrated care systems and why some key systems have still failed to recruit.

We discuss the NHS’ performance against emergency, elective and  cancer care targets with new figures this week showing performance is  worsening despite efforts to reverse this. We also hear about national  leaders’ concerns that long waiting times are creating a worrying shift  in attitude from the public, and examine an unusual financial dispute  between two NHS bodies which harks back to the days of the internal  market.

Featuring Nick Carding, Ben Clover and James Illman.

This week we track the progress of the Health and Care Bill as the tricky April 2022 deadline closes in.

We discuss why the House of Lords could be the most challenging bit of its journey so far and delve into the power-struggle between strong provider trust collaboratives and fledging systems.

With Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

HSJ revealed NHS England has written to all trusts and integrated care systems this week telling them to stop ambulance handover delays “immediately” after serious patient safety concerns.

This is far easier said than done and we discuss the reaction to the letter and more on what is fuelling some of the worst ambulance pressures ever experienced by the health service.

Also the outcome of the spending review and which bits of the NHS have got lucky, and which have missed out.

The health service is clearly in a jam in the wake of covid - so why have Sajid Javid’s plans for ‘a year of reform’ antagonised some managers, GPs and other staff?’

We get into some of the challenges faced by the health secretary, how to balance ambition with NHS recovery and why the NHS doesn’t want to go back to how things were before covid hit.

This week Annabelle and Dave are joined by Helen Buckingham, director of strategy at the Nuffield Trust, Richard Sloggett, programme director of the Future Health Research Centre.

Health inequalities for those with a mental illness, learning disability or autism have existed for decades and the coronavirus pandemic has made them even worse.

We dedicate this episode to talk about why patients in this group have worse global health outcomes than the rest of the population, why “sticking-plaster solutions” don’t cut it anymore and if the move towards integrated care is a reason to feel positive.

Annabelle Collins and Rebecca Thomas are joined by Andy Bell, deputy chief executive of the charity ’Centre for Mental Health’.

We discuss Sajid Javid’s first Tory conference as health secretary and try and pin down the “fundamental and far-reaching reforms” he pledged to make.

Also – the biggest review of NHS leadership in 40 years has been announced by the government. We discuss why now, when healthcare leaders are under more pressure than ever,  what it hopes to achieve and why managers are an easy target.

On the podcast this week we look ahead to winter and ask whether NHS England’s ten-point A&E action plan could prevent a crisis.

We also discuss important changes to infection control guidance and whether this could make a difference to the ever-growing elective backlog.

This week’s HSJ Health Check podcast discusses the warnings made by a Greater Manchester coroner over the risks of remote GP appointments, following the deaths of five people. Is it fair to blame general practice for the safety concerns?

We also talked about the government’s big health and care funding announcement and what it means for the NHS. Featuring Lawrence Dunhill, Jasmine Rapson and Rebecca Thomas.

This week’s HSJ Health Check podcast discusses the government comms “playbook” which, as revealed by HSJ, told trusts they should describe new wings, units and refurbishments as “new hospitals” — which they are not.

We also talk about NHS England’s framework contract for salary advance schemes for NHS staff, similar to the proposal from now-collapsed Earnd. Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

With seven months to go we discuss what ICSs have to do before they become statute on 1 April, amid brewing rows over who might sit on the board.

We also discuss mental health provider collaboratives, which will soon be taking on budgets and ask: what can ICSs learn from them?

And with yet more news of private providers being rated inadequate, we ask who is keeping a grip on care quality.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Rebecca Thomas and Annabelle Collins.

An HSJ investigation revealed this week that coroners have raised multiple concerns pandemic hospital visiting restrictions may have had a damaging effect on patient care.

We discuss how vulnerable patients have been adversely affected by these covid rules and how trusts are still having to balance patient visiting with reducing the spread of covid.

Also this episode- trust leaders have spoken of fears that specialised services could become fragmented under Health Bill reforms. We cover why new delegated budgets could result in ICS’ going their own way.

Featuring Hayley Kirton, Jack Serle and Annabelle Collins.

Waits in NHS accident and emergency departments have risen to an all-time high, according to the latest national data, while there has been a surge in the number of people calling ambulances for the most serious types of incidents.

We try and unpick why the health service is under such extreme pressure in the middle of summer.

Also the ongoing international blood collection tube shortage rumbles on and we discuss the impact this is having on patients and service providers.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Alison Moore and Jack Serle

This week’s NHS Health Check podcast is dedicated to all matters staffing. We discuss the implications of the pay review and where the NHS will find the money to fund it since the government said it must come from the NHS’s own budgets; who should be paid more, chief executives of trusts or integrated care systems; and why shielding NHS staff were not given risk assessments before they returned to work as initially promised by NHS England.

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Annabelle Collins, Nick Kituno and Sharon Brennan

In a leaked letter obtained by HSJ the government has told eight of the most advanced ‘40 new hospitals’ trusts to put together cheaper plans for their new buildings.

Trusts are scrambling to get their new plans in by Monday and we dissect what impact this could have on the future of these crucial rebuilding schemes.

We also discuss the recent announcement of 25 permanent chairs for the new integrated care boards, and of course, the appointment of new NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Nick Carding and Annabelle Collins.

The sharp increase in shared NHS trust chairs and CEOs has been notable in recent months, with more key appointments made in London and the North West just this week.

We discuss why the appointment of joint chairs matters, how boards cope when overseeing more organisations and what this means for the integration agenda.

Also, this week NHS England has sent a striking letter to trusts in the Midlands warning them they may be entering the most difficult period of the pandemic for more than a year.

We ask why this region has specifically been warned, when many parts of the country are under pressure, and what the next few weeks holds for the NHS.

Featuring Lawrence Dunhill, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

Trusts received an unpleasant surprise last Friday when they were told they must do more elective procedures to receive money from the national £1bn ‘elective recovery fund’.

The demand for more activity comes with pressure on providers rising as covid levels soar. We discuss how local systems feel the move has left their elective recovery plans in tatters and the politics behind the row.

Also, trusts in the north east have told staff contacted by the covid app they do not need to self-isolate. Will this become a countrywide trend considering NHS staff shortages?

The NHS Health Bill has finally been published. We discuss the most eye-catching measures and the controversies surrounding what was supposed to be straight-forward legislation.

We also look into what it all means for integrated care systems and why a lot still needs to be thrashed out if the bill is to be enshrined in law by April 2022 as planned.

And we update listeners on what is proving to be a worryingly busy summer for the NHS.

With a new health secretary appointed days before the Health Bill was due to be published, we discuss what’s next for the legislation.

We analyse the impact on the NHS if Sajid Javid decides to delay, amend or go ahead with it as it is, and why so much about the new health secretary’s modus operandi is still unknown.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Alastair McLellan and Annabelle Collins.

Harnessing an opportunity to use the ‘full power of data’ to improve patient care, or a worrying ‘data grab’?

The government has published its draft data strategy and we discuss what this could mean for transparency, care quality and how it links to the ongoing GP record-sharing debacle.

Also, the latest and most significant integrated care system legislation updates, including more on the ICS design framework and how ongoing boundary disputes are limiting some systems’ progress.

Featuring Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

Monday marked the deadline for applicants wanting to be the next NHS England CEO to throw their hat in the ring. In this podcast HSJ editor Alastair McLellan talks to the former health secretary and current chair of Commons Health and Social Care committee about how the most powerful person in the NHS will be chosen.

Dr Waheed Arian escaped from Afghanistan and came to the UK as a child refugee in 1999. Since then, he has become an A&E doctor and founded global telemedicine charity ‘Arian Teleheal’.

In this episode Annabelle Collins is joined by Dr Arian, who discusses why simplicity was key when it came to launching a successful telemedicine charity, how his formative experiences in Afghanistan inspired its creation and why the NHS must do more to improve global health inequalities.

We also discuss the impact of the pandemic on the NHS workforce and why it is ill-equipped to deal with staff suffering from PTSD – a condition Dr Arian has personal experiences recovering from.

Dr Arian’s memoir ‘In the wars’ is published on June 17th.

Under the cover of Cummings’ headline-grabbing testimony last week, NHS England gave plans to scrap the landmark 4-hour A&E target the greenlight.

We discuss how the ‘ten metrics’ intended to replace it could work in practice. Will they result in safer patient care or be too unwieldy to work in reality?

Also this week – NHS chief executive Yvonne Ormston has written powerfully about her experience both as an NHS leader and a cancer patient during the pandemic; we compare her frontline view to that of a government insider, as set out by Dominic Cummings last week.

With Cumming’s setting the health select committee on fire, serious allegations were raised about Matt Hancock’s handling of the pandemic.

In this week’s podcast we investigate what the biggest allegations were, what new information was revealed and what it really means for the health secretary’s career.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Lawrence Dunhill and Nick Carding.

HSJ revealed in an investigation this week that serious concerns were raised by patients at a mental health hospital for children in the years before it was rated ‘inadequate’ by the national regulator in March 2021.

We ask why it took so long for action to be taken and whether there is an enduring problem with care quality at private mental health hospitals?

We also shine the spotlight on autism care in South West, where spiralling waiting lists hint at the scale of a national crisis which needs fixing.

Featuring Nick Carding, Rebecca Thomas and Annabelle Collins.

In this week’s podcast we discuss how the government’s health and social care legislation plans are changing — both in substance and in context.

That includes government concessions on some crucial legal details, ministers’ new priorities for the service, getting to grips with implementation, and what the change in NHS England’s chief executive might mean.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Dave West and Annabelle Collins.

Sir Simon Stevens will step down from running the NHS at the end of July, and so the countdown begins; 12 weeks to find a successor.

This week Alastair, Dave and Annabelle discuss the recruitment process, who’s involved and why we could end up with an interim instead.

We discuss the front-runners in more detail and whether someone with a narrower, more operational focus than Sir Simon might be the preference of government.

The NHS – and in indeed the World – has been watching the catastrophic covid surge in India, with almost 400,000 cases recorded in a single day.

This week we are joined by a member of our India office who describes the impact this has had on her family and how “disease and death has become so much a part of the everyday conversation”.

We hear how social media has become an important tool for families desperately searching for a hospital bed.

We also take the discussion closer to home and cover the creeping pressure on primary and secondary care, with some GPs shutting down patient self-referral systems for fear of becoming swamped over the weekend.

At the start of the pandemic, financial services company Greensill launched ‘Earnd’, an advanced payment system, for NHS staff. Some trusts signed up for it and it was given backing from senior figures in the health service.

A year later, both have gone bust, former PM David Cameron is implicated in a lobbying scandal involving Greensill and serious questions are being asked about what exactly happened to the payroll data of the staff who used the app.

We dig into this along with recent revelations that the health secretary omitted to declare his connection to Topwood, a company owned by his close family.

We ask how these governance shortcomings managed to slip through the net and whether public trust has been sorely damaged – or if the successful vaccination scheme is too good a shield for this government?

Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Alison Moore.

Eating disorder services in the NHS are at crisis point, with lockdown making an already pressurised situation even worse.

With both adults’ and children’s admissions rocketing, the number of specialist beds has not kept pace, leaving patients stranded without the care they need on general medical wards.

This week we are joined by two experts in this field who warn unless leaders and managers treat this area as a priority, lives will be at risk.

They argue for ringfenced funding, investment in workforce and proper targets for both adult and child services.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Rebecca Thomas, Dr Agnes Ayton and Dr Ashish Kumar from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

A tale of three regions – what happened next?

After the first covid wave we took a deep dive into three regions in England – now as the third wave ebbs away we have returned once more.

We ask, how did things pan out for them over the rest of last year? And what are the main challenges the health systems will be grappling with over the coming months?

Featuring Rebecca Thomas, Jack Serle, Lawrence Dunhill and Annabelle Collins.

Boris Johnson has appointed a new health adviser, well known to NHS health policy circles. Samantha Jones – former NHS England director and hospital chief – is to leave the private sector and move into the civil service.

We discuss what this could mean for the NHS and whether this is a precursor to an even bigger job.

Along with this we cover more significant people moves in the health service this week and an update on the government’s ‘40 new hospitals’ building plan; with two new builds accelerated we ask what this could mean for the original projects. Can we expect a bun fight for the money?

Featuring Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins, Alison Moore and Dave West.

The NHS has been given its planning guidance for the first half of this year 2020-21 – and it strikes a markedly different tone to previous years. But what else would you expect from 2021?

We break down why it is more about systems than trusts, why activity rather than output is king, and provide some more insight on what its means for the NHS’s finances and workforce.

We also discuss NHS England’s latest intriguing appointment – Timothy Ferris, a primary care physician who leads a non-for-profit medical group in the US. He will soon start in his new position as head of service innovation and transformation, but could an even bigger job be on the cards for him in the not-to-distant future?

Featuring Alastair McLellan, James Illman and Annabelle Collins.

For the first time ever the leader of a mental health trust has been named HSJ’s top chief executive for 2021, and in a surprising turn of events, three former top-table leaders have fallen out of the top 50 altogether. Why their fall from grace?

And was it an act of utter hubris or just plain posturing? We discuss the health secretary’s suggestion the new NHS bill would give him the power to veto senior NHS board appointments. It turns out, this was not quite the case.

We also touch on the swinging pendulum of power between the DHSC and the NHS and why the Chorley reconfiguration row is a red herring.

Also discussed: the ‘lumpy’ vaccine supply and Dominic Cummings turning on the DHSC.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Annabelle Collins, Alastair McLellan and Dave West.

This week has seen the publication of not one but two huge sets of data – the biggest workforce survey in the world and the latest NHS performance stats – and we’ve crunched them both.

We go beyond the headlines and discuss the mixed picture presented in the NHS staff survey data – it might come as a surprise that more staff are recommending their place of work despite being in the middle of a pandemic.

We also discuss the top – and bottom – NHS trusts and why the experience of minority ethnic staff continues to be concerning.

And we dig into the latest NHS performance stats, which revealed a huge rise in the number of patients waiting over a year.

Featuring James Illman, Dave West, Nick Kituno and Annabelle Collins.

In a last minute controversial intervention Matt Hancock has torpedoed plans in Lancashire to consolidate emergency services. This has frustrated local NHS leaders and could potentially stifle future planning and innovation. And raises the question, is he even allowed to do this in the first place?

Plans are also being worked up this spring to get the spiralling elective waiting list under control – we discuss the challenges health service leaders are grappling with right now when trying to get non-covid work back on track.

Featuring James Illman, Lawrence Dunhill and Annabelle Collins.

Reasonable or “unnecessarily hostile”? This week’s HSJ Health Check debates whether its right for a trust to threaten its staff with disciplinary or regulatory action if they try and have their second covid jab early.

University Hospitals Birmingham FT sent an email to its workforce doing just this. Could this have been communicated better?

We also discuss whether mandatory vaccination could be on the cards for health professionals and whether there is a role for the regulators here too.

And it may come as a surprise to some, but data has revealed patient good will towards the health service has dropped sharply since the autumn. A symptom of the continued impact on electives? Or could this change direction considering the success of the vaccine programme?

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Matt Discombe and Rebecca Thomas.

One of the pandemic’s apparent success stories has been  the development and operation of an NHS covid-19 data store. Holding  information on everything from ventilators to vaccinations, the data  store has driven the NHS and government’s decision-making throughout.

However,  privacy campaigners have raised concerns about the way in which  sensitive NHS data could be used by the companies involved in the data  store. And what does the future hold for the data store once the  emergency rules on information-sharing can no longer be justified?

In  this podcast, HSJ’s Nick Carding quizzes the UK head of Palantir – one  of the main companies involved in the data store - about its work on one  of the most important government data projects.

HSJ revealed this week NHSX – the tech agency set up by Matt Hancock not quite two-years ago – is set to merge with NHS England. We ask what this says about the government’s tech ambitions, who could be parachuted in to lead the new directorate and why a separate agency was created in the first place.

We also cover the surprising news almost 2 million people have been added to the shielding list and bumped up the vaccination priority groups. Why leave it so late in the pandemic to make such a significant decision?

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Nick Carding and Annabelle Collins.

This week the team analyses what government’s new health plan – the most significant reform of the NHS in nearly a decade – really means.

While giving integrated care systems a statutory footing and axing the NHS tender process, if passed the proposals would give the health secretary far-reaching powers over NHS England, other arm's length bodies and local reconfigurations.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Dave West.

This week the team discuss two major stories, unrelated, but both in the Midlands.

We discuss Rebecca Thomas’ investigation into “heartbreaking” patient safety incidents in University Hospitals Birmingham FT’s haematology services. This was prompted by more whistleblowers than ever before making contact with her.

We also cover University Hospitals of Leicester’s “unprecedented” financial breakdown, after further revelations about the trust's relationship with its external auditors.

And of course, an update on covid pressures too. Although admissions are slowly declining there has been little relief in ICU departments and for staff.

“Resilience requires buffer and buffer can look wasteful until the moment that it isn’t,” Simon Stevens told MPs at a committee hearing in parliament this week. We discuss how the pandemic made the NHS’ approach to running everything to optimum, just-in-time efficiency fall apart.

We also talk about NHS England’s decision to start collecting race and ethnicity date when giving the covid vacation seven weeks after the programme was launched and what impact this could have on health inequalities.

And of course, a vaccine roll-out update, did the NHS miss its care home vaccination target after all?

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Nick Kituno, Jasmine Rapson and Jack Serle

Operational pressures on the NHS because of covid are still high, and although admissions are starting to level off in some places, the usual winter challenge of patient discharge is more troubling than ever.

This week Sharon Brennan, Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins and Dave West reflect on the barriers to covid patient discharge, why funding from the Treasury is too little, too late and why domiciliary care is the real pinch-point.

We also delve into the logistics of vaccine delivery and why high-vaccinating areas of the country are seeing their vaccine supplies halved.

And, a gimmick or sensible worst case scenario planning? We reveal how much the Nightingale hospitals really cost.

Hospitals in the Midlands are being primed to take covid patients from London and the South East, but with the tidal wave of covid admissions sweeping north this seems like a very short term fix.

This week on the podcast the team track how admissions are changing throughout the country, with numbers starting to dip in London for the second day in a row. Things are looking less promising in other regions, with particular concern about the North once again.

We also discuss why the capital appears to be lagging behind on vaccines and why supply rather than manpower is a sticking point.

With Annabelle Collins, Lawrence Dunhill, Jasmine Rapson and Rebecca Thomas.

Amid the covid chaos and ever- climbing cases in England this week, the team try and dissect what’s going on. Our expert journalists discuss what is really means for the NHS to be “overwhelmed”, how the latest surge is affecting intensive care provision and the workforce and whether it’s time to return to the national emergency management approach to keeping the health service on its feet.

There is a silver lining we didn’t have in the spring – the vaccine – so we also discuss how the mass vaccination programme is progressing.

Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins, Matt Discombe and Dave West.

Four HSJ correspondents make their predictions for the NHS in 2021, from the vaccination programme and more reorganisation, through to change at the top, staffing and mental health.

Annabelle Collins, Dave West, Nick Carding and Rebecca Thomas also look back at how our 2020 forecasts panned out. Which was not too terrible, despite the cataclysmic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

This week has seen the first doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine administered in the UK, but the continuing covid pressures on the NHS remain, with concerns raised about the health service being overwhelmed in coming weeks and months.

We explore what impact this would have on care provided and what is being done to mitigate it.

The vaccine programme rumbles on and we discuss the roll out in primary care expected next week and some of the sticking points faced by GPs.

Featuring Alastair McLellan, Annabelle Collins and Jasmine Rapson.

The UK is the first country in the western World to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech covid vaccine and now the baton has been passed to the NHS to successfully deliver it. 

This week on the podcast we unpick this huge piece of news and discuss the incredibly complicated logistics behind rolling out a vaccination programme this big, why its essential the government gets the communication spot on and how the NHS is approaching this challenge.

We also discuss the crucial role primary care could have in getting the country and economy back on track. 

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Jasmine Rapson, Jack Serle and Dave West.

This week has seen a flood of coronavirus related news so the podcast this week discusses two other important happenings, that might have been given more attention in normal times.

First up, we analyse what the Chancellor’s spending review means for the NHS and the day-to-day running of hospitals, the thorny issue of staff pay and an unfulfilled promise on social care.

We also discuss the latest development in the undoing of the 2012 Lansley Reforms and the timeframe for new NHS legislation.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Tom Norton and Dave West.

With delays to promised long-covid support clinics, warnings from the former health secretary and unions about protecting staff pay, and trusts accused of penalising staff during their recovery - we dig into why its crucial the NHS provides adequate support sooner rather than later for this debilitating condition.

We also discuss the enhanced role for the Care Quality Commission over hospital food inspection, following a review of nutrition in the NHS prompted by seven inpatients dying after eating sandwiches. We pick out other recommendations from the report including must-do’s for the board, the creation of “super-kitchens”, and CEOs and patients to eat the same food.

Featuring Sharon Brennan, Nick Carding and Annabelle Collins.

On the podcast this week the team dig into how the NHS is already mobilising to deliver a covid vaccine and some of the hurdles it could face in this enormous task. The stakes are high for the health service and the nation: Eminent vaccine guru Sir John Bell this week said vaccines could get life back to normal by spring – provided the delivery is not “screwed up”.

We also ask if the Test and Trace can really find a firm footing during the lockdown “window”, check in on staff testing, and look at how covid hit the emergency care system in October.

Recorded in the middle of another dramatic week for the NHS, the latest HSJ Health Check takes stock of whether primary care really has seen long-lasting innovation during the pandemic, and debates if a mood-measuring watch for GPs is the answer to burn-out.

We also discuss progress towards the “40 new hospitals” (or thereabouts), and the long-running saga of Chorley emergency department which a local campaign group now wants closed after ten years of campaigning for the opposite.

Featuring Nick Carding, Annabelle Collins, Lawrence Dunhill and Jasmine Rapson.

“Acute trust boards did not always see mental health care as an integral part of patient care”, said the CQC in a new report on mental health that could have easily gone under the radar. We hear from senior correspondent Rebecca Thomas on why this report matters, if true integration between mental health and acute care are some way off, how the pandemic has further damaged this and whether leaving mental health out of the ’40 new hospitals’ capital announcement was significant.

We also share the very latest insights into the impact covid is having on the NHS according to new NHS England data. Also featuring Dave West and Annabelle Collins.

On the podcast this week we try to get to the bottom of the political furore and ensuing confusion engulfing the North West, including a lesson on just how long it takes to heat up Manchester’s Nightingale Hospital.

We also discuss what impact the continued rise in covid-19 admissions could have on non-covid NHS work, and look at new data which shows an unusually high number of excess deaths at home in the South East. Does this mean the NHS needs to fundamentally change the way it delivers palliative care? Featuring Sharon Brennan, Annabelle Collins, Lawrence Dunhill and Alison Moore.

As covid wave two crashes onto the NHS in the north of England, HSJ Health Check discusses the last minute scrambles to try to protect elective care, and mass-test staff.

While covid-19’s second wave appears a little less destructive than the first, it is bringing steeply rising admissions in the areas most affected --- and sparking a somewhat chaotic reaction as health systems try to prepare for it while keeping planned care on track.

With the focus in the summer on restoring elective care while the sun shone; government did not fund the NHS’s request for extra covid step-down are; and there’s now also a scramble to start routine testing of asymptomatic staff.

Featuring HSJ’s North West and North East correspondents – Lawrence Dunhill and Matt Discombe – with deputy editor Dave West.

To mark one year of the Health Check podcast we’re joined by special guest Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, who shares his expert insight on the biggest operational, cultural and strategic changes the NHS has gone through during the pandemic. We discuss whether mutual aid and breaking down professional barriers are here to stay and how the growing cancer waiting lists could take the shine off the NHS for the public. Featuring Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and James Illman.

This week the team delves into an exclusive HSJ’s summit interview with NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and weighs up the trade-offs the health service might need to make as covid cases rise, why legislation is still expected next year and why no comment on NHS finances could be significant. We also discuss the latest scandal exposing the abuse of patients at another private hospital for people with learning difficulties and autism. Featuring Rebecca Thomas, Dave West and Annabelle Collins.

The pressure is rising again on the health service but keeping it running smoothly this winter will rely on its workforce. This week the HSJ Health Check focuses on some of the biggest issues facing NHS staff right now, covering ‘trade-offs’ after the spending review, staff testing chaos, and whether risk assessments are actually having an impact for vulnerable staff. Featuring Annabelle Collins, Nick Kituno, Alison Moore and Rebecca Thomas.

Payment by results is being swept away in favour of system funding and block payments, much to the irritation of some NHS hospital chief executives. And is government giving the NHS what it needs to get through covid? The HSJ Health Check team discuss.

This week on the podcast the HSJ team discuss government plans to invest a reported £100bn to expand covid testing, amid thousands of people being denied potentially life-saving cancer screening during the pandemic's peak - according to new statistics. We ask: Could the £100bn be better spent working through the cancer backlog? We also discuss confidential documents - accidentally published - which reveal one CCG's modelling for a second peak and the results of the latest ‘HSJ100’ power-list.

Autumn will bring pivotal funding decisions in the comprehensive spending review, while the NHS battles to "lock in" covid reforms, seek "near normal" capacity, and anticipate a surge in mental health demand. It must also brace itself for whatever coronavirus will bring next.

Five HSJ correspondents explain what the next four months hold across finance, mental health, performance, technology, and the containment or resurgence of coronavirus.

This week our expert team discuss if coronavirus has been the catalyst for permanent reform of the Care Quality Commission, following comments made about the new ‘streamlined’ inspections by its chief executive in an exclusive interview with HSJ.

We also discuss other aspects of the health service that may never revert to ‘normal’ and ask whether, in the face of major service reconfiguration, covid has threatened the social contract between patients and the NHS. Featuring James Illman, Annabelle Collins and Matt Discombe.

This week the team discuss the most tumultuous week in Public Health England’s history.

Editor Alastair McLellan and correspondents Sharon Brennan and Jack Serle discuss what happened  to the embattled agency and where public health might land.

The new NHS People Plan accidentally implied that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer was a disability or long-term condition, sparking outcry. It has been corrected, and some have argued that criticism went too far, amounting to personal criticism of NHS England chief people office Prerana Issar, who has been working to change NHS culture and tackle discrimination. Meanwhile, NHS England has required new action on diversity and health inequalities from local NHS organisations, and a national lead says the NHS should hold its suppliers to account on leadership diversity, too.

With HSJ’s Alastair McLellan, Nick Kituno and Dave West.

Is the NHS and local government set on a collision course, due to  changes around care assessments set out in new central guidance this  week? This week the podcast tackles this question and digs into what the  'phase 3' letter really means for the running of the health service.  Featuring Annabelle Collins, Sharon Brennan, James Illman and Ben  Clover.

(This episode was re-uploaded on August 10)

Matt Hancock set out his post covid vision for health and care in a long, meandering speech this week – HSJ Health Check dissects key themes including staffing, emergency care, digital, system working and social care.

With HSJ’s Dave West, Annabelle Collins, James Illman and Tom Norton.

This week the team dig into what’s going on in East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust – an organisation which has seen well over its fair share of covid-related deaths since the start of June. We discuss the leadership challenges faced by the trust over many years, its ongoing maternity scandal, and how its persisting battle with coronavirus doesn’t fit with the new national narrative of recovery. Featuring Alison Moore, Annabelle Collins and Alastair Mclellan.

This week HSJ Health Check conducts a deep dive on the experience of three regions all affected by the virus in different ways and recovering at different rates. Our expert journalists explore the prospects in the West Midlands, the North West and London over the next six months and what the sticking points might be. Featuring Annabelle Collins, Rebecca Thomas, Ben Clover and Lawrence Dunhill.

Finance became a dirty word in the NHS as it went into covid crisis mode. Reality is slowly returning – but the world of NHS finances has been turned on its head. This week’s HSJ Health Check contemplates what’s changed, and the landscape for the coming months.

With HSJ’s Annabelle Collins, Katherine Hignett, and Dave West.

With pubs reopening, why are many NHS services still closed or restricted? Why aren’t all staff being tested to prevent outbreaks?

This week’s HSJ Health Check explores the latest dilemmas for those running and working in the NHS as they try to operate health services while controlling covid infections, amid the ongoing pandemic.

With HSJ’s Dave West, Annabelle Collins, Nick Carding, and Matt Discombe.

This HSJ Podcast explores the changing relationship between the life sciences industry and the NHS. Forged by the covid crisis, protocols have been set aside and companies have worked with regulatory bodies to accelerate clinical trials and deliver equipment to the NHS front line. The panel reflects on events of the past few months and looks towards the future and with hope of a new style of working together.

HSJ editor Alastair McLellan talks to Hugo Breda, UK & Ireland Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson, Dr Rav Seeruthun, Medical Director, Roche UK, and Chris Hopson, Chief Executive at NHS Providers, about the accelerated pace of change across industry and the NHS. They’ll share insights on:

· how previously transactional relationships are evolving into value-based partnerships, based on greater levels of openness and transparency

· the potential to continue the speed and adoption of innovation

· working together to support the reduction in the backlog of elective waiting lists

· where they see the real opportunities for the future

The week’s podcast explores whether system integration will become central to how the NHS recovers and resets after covid. It explores plans to create system waiting lists, new legislative proposals and asks where staffing and social care fits into these agendas. It is brought to you by senior correspondents, Sharon Brennan and Annabelle Collins and bureau chief Lawrence Dunhill.

The NHS has gone through an enormous reconfiguration in response to the covid-19 pandemic, but as the health service moves into ‘phase three’, what happens next? HSJ’s editor Alastair Mclellan and senior correspondents Annabelle Collins and Nick Carding discuss.

With the focus fixed firmly on coronavirus, there are important and urgent issues in healthcare going under the radar. This week four of HSJ’s expert journalists share the vital developments they think are going unnoticed – from the financial situation in mental health trusts, to problems still being caused by tax changes on medical consultants’ pensions.

With Dave West, Annabelle Collins, Rebecca Thomas and Matt Discombe.

This week our tech reporting team Jasmine Rapson and Nick Carding, along with Dave West and Annabelle Collins, discuss leaked NHSX emails that revealed concerns the Department of Health and Social Care’s tech division is damaging its reputation with “non-compliant” tech. We consider how the covid-19 pandemic has seen some hasty technology procurements, and whether the way patients access healthcare is changing for good.

We also discuss how the pandemic has affected international recruitment & whether critical care capacity is still under strain.

This week HSJ Health Check digs into the latest NHS performance data, revealing how coronavirus affected normal services – taking the weight off emergency departments, but adding millions to the waiting list.

We also discuss the need for scrutiny of how covid-19 is affecting people with mental health, learning disabilities and autism, the covid testing “black hole”, and why pressure is staying higher in the north of England.

Featuring Dave West, Ben Clover, Annabelle Collins and Rebecca Thomas

On this week’s HSJ Health Check podcast we discuss where England’s covid-19 response on three key fronts.

With the government poised to announce some relaxation of lockdown measures bureau chief Ben Clover and three HSJ colleagues look at the testing drive, the new contact tracing app and trends in mortality.

After the government achieved its testing target by fiddling the rules, Nicholas Carding takes us through where the service stands on testing now and what to expect this month.

As the Isle of Wight becomes the laboratory for testing the new contact tracing programme on mobile phones, which the government will soon be encouraging everyone to use, technology reporter Jasmine Rapson brings us up to date with the controversies and use of the app.

Jack Serle has been tracking trends in mortality since the government started producing data on covid-19 deaths. On this podcast he discusses the trends and highlights the settings and regions that may not yet have peaked.

On this week’s HSJ Health Check podcast we discuss  warnings over a possible covid-linked condition in children, and Sir  Simon Steven’s new guidance on the next phase of the response for the  NHS.

Children’s intensive care doctors have observed a small but  growing number of cases, and issued warnings to try to ensure cases are  not dismissed. Matt Hancock has ordered further investigation of the  issue and said he is “very worried”.

We also discuss the latest  guidance from the NHS England chief executive on how the health service  will try to return more normal services in the next six weeks – yet  having to continue dealing with the outbreak; and how the protective  equipment shortage will limit what can be done.

Featuring Annabelle Collins, Katherine Hignett, James Illman and Dave West.

This HSJ Health Check podcast special explores the legal rules and risks for the NHS as it tackles coronavirus.

HSJ senior correspondent Sharon Brennan speaks to lawyers Francesca Burfield and Max Duddles — who work for legal training and information specialists Bond Solon —– about the major implications of the covid-19 response in the health and care system; and the government’s sweeping legal changes.

They predict there will be widespread legal challenges to NHS providers and commissioners over their actions during the crisis, and recommend recording details of decisions which are taken.

Our newest episode covers the latest in the NHS’ response to the coronavirus pandemic, including spare beds, controversial death statistics, and what’s happening to ‘normal’ care.

As dealing with coronavirus grips the NHS, we discuss three of the central challenges: kit – including PPE and ventilation equipment; staffing – including PPE and conflicting advice; and the impact on patients who do not have covid-19.

With HSJ’s Annabelle Collins, Sharon Brennan, Dave West and Ben Clover.

Warning: Please forgive some sound drop-outs due to technical problems with remote recording.

The HSJ news team breaks down this week’s essential coronavirus coverage, including warnings from leaders that ICU beds will run out in four days, the transformation of the excel centre into a new hospital and how ICU staffing ratios are being diluted to deal with the surge in patient numbers. We also delve deeper into our chief executive survey.

Featuring James Illman, Lawrencce Dunhill, Annabelle Collins and Rebecca Thomas.

With a coronavirus pandemic declared by WHO and Boris Johnson describing this as the biggest public health challenge in a generation, the HSJ Health Check podcast gets under the skin of the issue. We ask, what does the reconfiguration suggested by the chief medical issue involve and what does this mean for the NHS and patients? Annabelle Collins, Dave West, James Illman and Tom Norton also discuss the outcome of Wednesday’s budget.

This week HSJ Health Check examines the latest developments on the government’s “40 new hospitals” election promise, particularly the brand new £20bn construction framework through which this ambitious target would be taken forward. We also turn our attention to another of this government’s declared health priorities – prevention – including Sir Michael Marmot’s latest findings; and deputy editor Dave West’s dossier on how evidence that life expectancy and mortality rates are faltering go back eight years. Also featuring Annabelle Collins, Nick Carding and Jack Serle.

The annual staff survey has been published and this week our expert team of journalists Sharon Brennan, Rebecca Thomas, Annabelle Collins and Nick Carding dig into some of the troubling findings on rising violence and discrimination in the NHS. We also discuss the health secretary’s new proposals to bar care to abusive patients also how the ‘Rooney rule’ could play a part in health policy.

Also: Nick Carding takes us through his latest exclusive tech story, this time about how the NHS could soon breach patient data sharing rules.

The government is looking to curb NHS England’s powers but on HSJ.co.uk this week deputy editor Dave West has warned against giving more power to ministers. Here we discuss possible solutions to this very complex reorganisation. 

Also – we dissect the hard-fought new GP contract and why primary care cuts in Birmingham could adversely affect minority ethnic patients. Featuring senior correspondent Annabelle Collins, deputy editor Dave West and correspondents Jack Serle and Katie Hignett.

The links between hospitals and social care have got worse not better, poor health services are still being protected and preserved, and quality improvement has been cut. These are among the hard-hitting messages from the outgoing national clinical director for stroke services, Tony Rudd.

In this HSJ Health Check special, Professor Rudd – who previously oversaw the move to hyper-acute stroke services in London, where he was a long-serving consultant – shares six hard-hitting reflections and suggestions from his time at the centre of service reform.

His observations include:

The inquiry on rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, West Suffolk Hospital dropping two ratings; and staff trouble at the Care Quality Commission. We discuss care quality dilemmas past and present on this week's HSJ Health Check podcast.

Plus - the commissioning landscape from April, now final merger plans are in.

This week HSJ deputy editor Dave West is joined by editor Alastair McLellan, and senior correspondents Sharon Brennan and Annabelle Collins.

HSJ bureau chief Ben Clover talks to correspondents, Rebecca Thomas, Jack Serle and James Illman.

The team cover exclusive figures on the prevalence of sexual assault in mental health settings, the A&E crisis and what is happening with PCNs – part of the big plan for overhauling primary care.

HSJ Health Check this week gazes into the crystal ball for predictions for 2020, focusing on three of the biggest issues in 2019: Tech, mental health, and staffing. 

Featuring Dave West, Rebecca Thomas, Annabelle Collins and Nick Carding.

The general election results are in, and on this week’s HSJ Health Check the team gives our early analysis of what the Conservative majority government could mean for health and care policy and funding. Plus – the immediate issues on the NHS’s plate now the voting is out the way – including winter, Brexit, the NHS People Plan, and preparing for 2020-21.

Featuring HSJ deputy editor Dave West, senior correspondent James Illman, and correspondent Annabelle Collins.

This week’s HSJ Health Check is brought to you from the HSJ Mental Health Summit with special guests Sean Duggan, of the NHS Confederation, and Matthew Trainer – Oxleas Foundation Trust chief – joining HSJ correspondents Annabelle Collins and Rebecca Thomas. We discuss whether the politicians still care about mental health, given its low profile in the election campaign so far, and other top issues in the sector at the moment including whether more beds are really the answer.

The political parties’ election manifestos are out, with lots to say about what they would do for health and social care. In this HSJ Health Check manifesto special, the HSJ team examines proposals from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats – looking across the big themes of funding, workforce and reform. Taking part are HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, integration correspondent Sharon Brennan, and bureau chief for efficiency and performance Ben Clover.

Whatever has happened to the trailed solution to the NHS pensions crisis? And what are the long-term consequences of doctors now discovering a work-life balance? 

In other news, we discuss the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity care scandal, and the curious departure of an ex-private sector finance director from a long-strained London hospital trust.

Featuring HSJ deputy editor Dave West, workforce correspondent Annabelle Collins, bureau chief for finance and policy Lawrence Dunhill, and mental health correspondent Rebecca Thomas. 

This week’s HSJ Health Check discusses Labour’s big NHS announcements – and what they say about how it would manage the service. Plus the decision of Greater Manchester’s “devo” health and care chief to quit. With HSJ editor Alastair McLellan, deputy editor Dave West, correspondent Annabelle Collins, and bureau chief Lawrence Dunhill.

This week’s HSJ Health Check takes in the letter sent to the provider sector telling trusts to take urgent steps to counteract the pensions crisis and its disastrous impact on services. Plus, where we are on dropping the A&E target and an analysis of the politics of workfore shortages

What would the prime minister's proposed Brexit deal mean for the NHS?
And are the service and its patients beginning to feel the benefit of the start of the government's £20.5bn extra funding?
We explain in the HSJ Health Check podcast, episode 2.

This  week we feature HSJ deputy editor Dave West, bureau chief for  performance and efficiency Ben Clover, senior correspondent for  performance and Brexit James Illman, and workforce correspondent  Annabelle Collins.

Each week HSJ Health Check will gather a cast from  our team of expert journalists, to explain and debate the most  important news issues right now in NHS policy and leadership. The  podcast will be available on Friday mornings on the HSJ.co.uk website,  and across the major platforms including Spotify, iTunes, and Android  applications.