Medstars Podcast channel

In this episode we look into one of the most influential but least understood institutions in British healthcare: NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. We are joined by Dr Raju Reddy, Chair of one of NICE’s Technology Appraisal Committee. A consultant anaesthetist by training and MBA-qualified, Dr Reddy sits at the heart of decisions that affect billions of pounds in NHS spending — and, crucially, where that money is spent

Professor Elizabeth Dick is a Consultant Radiologist and Professor of Practice at Imperial College London.A former President of both the British and European Societies of Emergency Radiology, she is also a passionate educator and advocate for social mobility in medicine. Her award-winning ‘Getting into Medicine’ and Virtual Work Experience programmes at Imperial College NHS Trust have opened pathways for thousands of 16–18-year-olds from non-selective state schools. In 2025, Elizabeth and her team and received the UK Social Mobility Gold Award at the national SOMOs, which honour leaders creating tangible change in access, opportunity and inclusion across the UK workforce.

Alan has worked as lead consultant psychotherapist to major private manufacturing businesses and emergency services. He has spoken at the World Congress in CBT regrading mental health and work. His specialist interest in burn-out has developed over the last 5 years. In this episode we’re delving into something most of us spend our lives avoiding – our awareness of mortality. How does the knowledge that life is finite shape the way we live, love, and work? Alan is also a Medstars champion

Today we’re taking a closer look at a part of healthcare that quietly supports millions of us — yet often operates behind the scenes: Occupational Health.Whether you’re someone navigating a return to work, facing long-term illness, or just wondering what happens when “work and health” collide — this episode is for you.Medstars Founder Dr Barry Lambert is joined by Dr Jay Desai — a GP and Occupational Health Physician. Dr Desai has spent years walking the tightrope between the needs of employers, the rights of employees, and the realities of complex health conditions.Click here for more information about Dr Jay Desai.

We are delighted to share a very different kind of episode. We’re not here to speak with a clinician, but with someone whose life was profoundly changed by personal loss—and who responded with compassion, strength, and action.Rachel Ollerenshaw is the founder of Molly Olly’s Wishes, a charity inspired by her daughter Molly, who sadly died at the age of 8 from a rare kidney cancer. In the years since Molly’s passing, Rachel and her family have built an organisation that has helped more than 16,000 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families across the UK—granting wishes, funding therapies, and supporting emotional wellbeing.Molly Olly's: https://mollyolly.co.uk/

Dr Sophie Tomlin is a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Barberry Centre, part of the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. She leads a team that provides specialist treatment for people with eating disorders—and she’s here to help us cut through the myths, stigma, and silence that still surround these illnesses.LINKS: Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder by Janet Treasure: https://amzn.eu/d/ci0CbBHHealth At Every Size by Linda Bacon: https://amzn.eu/d/6T5SnG3Beat Charity: www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/