Leading Improvement in Health and Care
Leading Improvement in Health and Care is a podcast hosted by Penny Pereira from the Q community, focusing on the experiences and insights of people driving change across health and care systems. Each episode explores practical lessons, challenges, and successes in improvement work, drawing on real-world examples from the NHS and beyond. It aims to support leaders and practitioners in making meaningful, lasting improvements in healthcare delivery.
Episodes
What does NHS England's Quality Strategy mean in practice?
What does high-quality NHS care look and feel like – and how can a national strategy translate into a better experience for patients?In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, Penny Pereira speaks with Professor Frankie Swords, National Medical Director for NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and Sarah Barley-McMullen, strategic lived experience partner for NH
What we can learn from Scotland's approach to change
What does it really take to make change work in the NHS?In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, we explore the Scottish Approach to Change—a system-wide effort to rethink how transformation actually happens across health and social care.Rather than another top-down initiative, Scotland is bringing together quality improvement, service design, strategy, and frontli
Stop fixing and start framing for real improvement leadership
Leaders set the tone for improvement, but what does that actually look like in practice?In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, highlights from NHS Impact 2026 explore how leadership can move improvement beyond isolated projects and into whole health and care systems. From system thinking and co-production to visible leadership, stand
Co-producing change
In this episode we erxplore the role improvment can make in co-production, transforming how clinicians, patients, and healthcare leaders work together to improve outcomes, experience, and system performance.With inshightful firsthand stories from clinicians, patient leaders, and quality improvement experts, this episode features five guests talking about their experiences of co-producing change. O
Population health, prevention and the power of improvement
In this episode, we're looking at how improvement can play a role in population health, with examples from Scotland to London. We hear about the approaches needed to achieve change that spans large systems and addresses inequities in experience and outcomes. Our guests are Dominique Allwood, Director of Population Health at Imperial College Healthcare, and Ruth Glasborrow,
Redesigning complex pathways: improving frailty care
In this episode, we're looking at how improvement approaches can help redesign services for frail older people, taking a whole system approach. We hear practical advice from a national and local perspective on how to inspire and support change that spans different departments and sectors. Our guests are: Dr Tom Downes, consultant geriatrician at Sheffield Teaching Hospi
Lifting the lid on neighbourhood-level improvement
Hosts Matthew Taylor and Penny Pereira explore how improvement practices can help with neighbourhood-level working. Hospital to community is a key part of the governments 10-Year-Plan, and this episode reveals insights into how Improvement approaches have been used to usher in more integrated, community-focused care.Q’s System-wide Change Lead Jen Morgan talks to Heather White (South Ham
How Improvement helps the shift to digital
In this episode we explore how improvement methodologies can enable NHS leaders to implement digital transformation successfully. Hear practical examples of how to better engage staff and communities, really understand problems systemically and target resources effectively, and implement technology in a way that releases time to care. Hosted by Penny Pereira, Managing Director of Q, and Matth
How to resource improvement and transformation
In this episode recorded live at Confed Expo 2025 we are joined by Professor Paul Corrigan CBE and Dr Amar Shar, exploring how to resource improvement and transformation in the NHS.We explore how the NHS of tomorrow can come to the aid of the NHS today. And how the finances and resources available over the next decade can best be used to deliver on the ten-year health plan.What's the role of the i
Mobilising change in the NHS
Welcome back to the second series of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, brought to you by the NHS Confederation, The Q community and The Health Foundation.In this episode we’re exploring how to mobilise change effectively within and between organisations, particularly in relation to the government’s forthcoming Ten Year Plan for the NHS.With unique insights into how effective change has been
Ep 6: Productivity
In Episode 6 we explore different system approaches to improving productivity, with two leaders who have been creative and collaborative in working to successfully reduce waiting times. Our guests are: Dr Peter Scolding, Clinical Director of Stewardship for Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board, on recognising frontline leadership and developing a stewardship model for system workin
Ep 5: Equity
In this episode, we talk to two East London leaders who have been at the forefront of efforts to improve population health, with equity front and centre. Dr Guddi Singh is a paediatric doctor and co-founder of the Wellbeing and Health Action Movement (WHAM) - a powerful project bringing together children’s health professionals to fight poverty in clinical practice. Marie Gabr
Ep 4: Maternity
Black Maternity Matters is a ground-breaking collaboration tackling the inequitable maternity outcomes faced by Black mothers and their babies. They’re working to support maternity systems to offer safer, equitable care for all. In the UK, Black mothers are up to four times more likely to die during pregnancy or in the postnatal period (six weeks after childbirth) than white women. The system
Ep 3: Flow
Flow – the way a patient or a service user moves through different stages in the health care system – is vital for good patient care. In this episode we explore how applying the values and methods that are essential to improving flow, can have a powerful impact on how health and care services can work better for both patients and staff. We hear from three great speakers: David Fillingham
Ep 2: ConfedExpo Live
In this special episode, recorded live at ConfedExpo in June, hosts Penny Pereira (Managing Director of Q at the Health Foundation) and Matthew Taylor (CEO of NHS Confederation) explore how improvement is both a mindset and a method. For it to work well, co-production and the space to reimagine how services work and are organised, are essential. You’ll hear highlights and reflections fr
Announcement: Election Pause
Due to election restrictions, we're taking a very short break - but we'll be back soon.To find out more about our work around the 2024 General Election, head to our websites:Q Community (www.q.health.org.uk)The Health Foundation (www.health.org.uk)NHS Confederation (www.nhsconfed.org)For more information on out Learning and Improving Across Systems Peer Learning Programme, please visit: https://ww
Ep 1: Morale
People are at the heart of improvement. In our first episode, we explore how to improve staff engagement and morale. Director of Patient and Staff Experience at the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Annie Laverty, talks about using data to understand what matters to staff and enhance engagement. We also hear from John Drew, Director of Staff Engagement and Experience, N
