In this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by two Australian healthcare leaders working at opposite ends of the globe.

Frances Diver is a well-known and respected healthcare executive, having held senior leadership roles for more than 20 years in Victoria, Australia.

She is currently chief executive officer at Barwon Health, a major regional health service in Victoria that includes a tertiary hospital and a wide range of community-based services.

Professor Lesley Dwyer, is chief executive of Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group and has over 30 years of healthcare management experience in Australia and within the NHS.

Together the trio discuss the Australian model of care, how it is more decentralised, and Frances’ work as part of the Health Round Table, a membership organisation of over 200 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand that collects, analyses and publishes extensive data on comparative performance.

Health on the Line is an NHS Confederation podcast, produced by Health Comms Plus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK’s new National Cancer Plan sets out an ambitious vision for improving survival, speeding up diagnosis and transforming patient experience, but what will it take to turn those commitments into reality?

For this episode of Health on the Line, Matthew Taylor is joined by Gemma Peters, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, to discuss what the plan means for people living with cancer now and in the future.

Drawing on Macmillan’s frontline insight, Gemma discusses the rising number of people affected by cancer, the importance of earlier diagnosis, and her enthusiasm for the introduction of personal care plans, which take greater stock of a patient’s needs and wishes.

Together, they explore the opportunities the plan presents, the challenges of delivering more equitable outcomes, and the vital role charities and community organisations play alongside the NHS in cancer care.

We also hear from Chloe Knight, head of EDI communications at the NHS Confederation. She discusses the Confederation’s work in tackling the racial inequalities that continue to negatively shape access, experience and outcomes for NHS staff and patients.

Health on the Line is an NHS Confederation podcast produced by HealthCommsPlus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor is joined by Professor Sir Mike Richards, chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and one of the most influential figures in modern NHS leadership.

Sir Mike reflects on his first year as CQC chair, the challenges of rebuilding confidence in regulation, and how inspection and assessment can better support improvement across health and social care.

The conversation explores CQC reform, defining what good looks like, regulating across systems rather than silos, and the future of integrated and neighbourhood-based care.

Matthew and Sir Mike also discuss early diagnosis and screening, lessons from cancer care, the importance of outcomes and culture, and what it will take for regulation to keep pace with the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

Health on the Line is an NHS Confederation podcast, produced by HealthCommsPlus.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.