HSJ Health Check

We talk staff, racism, the funding squeeze, and trust groups, on the HSJ Health Check live from the NHS Confederation conference in Manchester.
NHS Alliance CEO Ciarán Devane, who took up post two months ago, and University Hospital Tees CEO Stacey Hunter, join HSJ deputy editor Dave West.
Guests discuss the challenges of growing racism against staff, including how it can mean some minority ethnic staff don't want to work in particular parts of the country.
We also cover wider pressure on staff, as funding is squeezed and services restructure to cut costs.
And we talk about the dilemmas of the wave of trusts sharing leaders, one of whom is Stacey as CEO of two Tees foundation trusts.

Hundreds of non-British NHS England staff face losing their jobs because their nationality prevents them working in the civil service.
We discuss why this threat  – that seems to fly in the face of NHS values – has come about, and what it says about the wider restructure process. 
Also this week - the first ‘advanced foundation trusts’ have been confirmed so we cover who made the cut and the benefits this could bring for the chosen few. 
And on the subject of reorganisation, we discuss whether government will take the leap and overhaul primary care networks for the neighbourhood health era.

On this week's podcast, with increasing examples of staff accessing patient records inappropriately, we ask how widespread this practice really is - and whether regulators need to do more. 

And we dig into the NHS's elective recovery figures, which show a dramatic improvement in the final month of the year helped the service meet its headline government target by the narrowest of margins.

This week we talk more about the government’s plans for a new “single patient record” - the legislation for which was in last week’s Health Bill - and why primary care could be a stumbling block.
It was hoped the Bill would provide clarity on how the new data sharing requirements would be achieved but there remain many unanswered questions. 
On the subject of primary care, we cover why the latest collective action being taken by the the GPs’ union may in fact help pave the way for sorting out data sharing.

We discuss Wes Streeting’s tumultuous 22 months in charge – and analyse the Health Bill he has left in his wake, which was published on Thursday.
The bill will give ministers sweeping new powers, as well as abolishing NHS England, and make important changes affecting foundation trusts, integrated care boards, and councils. 
The HSJ Health Check podcast welcomes Hugh Alderwick, Health Foundation director of policy and research, to help unpick the 200-page legislation and what it will mean for the service.