Share

The New Statesman: politics and culture
How do we solve the NHS productivity puzzle? | Sponsored
The NHS is facing the most difficult period in its history. Just days into office, the new government declared the official position of the Department for Health and Social Care is that the NHS is “broken”.
While there’s evidence NHS productivity has been growing at a faster rate than other public sectors over the last decade, major barriers still remain. The latest Office for National Statistics figures show NHS productivity in 2021/2022 was still 6.6% below pre-pandemic levels.
Emerging trends reveal productivity in healthcare is a complex issue with no single solution.
In this episode host Emma Haslett is joined by PwC’s Health Services Sector Leader Julian Hunt, CEO of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sir Jim Mackey and CEO of The King’s Fund Sarah Woolnough.
They discuss the impact of the pandemic, the role of digital solutions and the importance of including staff and patients as new systems are introduced and changes are made.
This New Statesman podcast episode is sponsored by PwC.
LISTEN AD-FREE:
📱Download the New Statesman app
MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:
❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday
⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning
✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday
JOIN US:
⭐️ Get full access to all our reporting and analysis with a print + digital subscription
More episodes
View all episodes
 - England's most deprived areas revealed23:53|Which are the most deprived neighbourhoods in England and how might this map onto voter intent?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by senior data journalist Ben Walker, to discuss what we can learn from the English Indices of Deprivation.
 - Abolish the rotten monarchy46:40|Another bad week for Prince Andrew. You could say the man hasn’t had a good week since 2011. Although, actually, he does live in a 30-bedroom mansion in Windsor and enjoyed a million quid a year from his mum.In this week's cover story Will Lloyd makes the case for abolishing the monarchy, and that the Windsors have always been more involved with British politics than we know. He speaks to Oli Dugmore in this episode.
 - Can Labour afford to raise taxes?24:50|With the Autumn budget looming, the government has some tough decisions to make. Rachel Reeves has to find a predicted £30bn in extra revenue to meet her self-imposed fiscal rules.But as part of its manifesto pledges, Labour promised not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.And after a crushing defeat in Wales last week, what can the government actually get away with without angering the public further?Anoosh Chakelian is joined by polling analyst Steve Akehurst.Read: Just Raise Tax by Will DunnRead: Least worst options: understanding voter attitudes in the run up to the 2025 Budget
 - Should Labour sack Starmer to beat Reform?25:58|The Caerphilly by-election proves Reform can be beaten. But is Keir Starmer the man to do it?Last week voters in Caerphilly confounded pundits by electing their first Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd (MS). Reform UK had expected to be the party to overturn Labour's 100 year dominance in the Welsh seat - but they were wrong.The loss was a disaster for Labour, but came with a glimmer of hope: Reform UK can be beaten.Now the party needs to ask whether their current leader, Keir Starmer, is the man to do it.Back in Westminster, Lucy Powell has been elected deputy leader of the Labour Party - and she's not the winner Keir Starmer had hoped for.In this episode, Harry Clarke-Eziddio and George Eaton join Anoosh Chakelian to analyse what the Caerphilly loss and the new deputy leader mean for the future of the Labour Party.LISTEN NEXT: The death of Welsh Labour
 - Two decades later, Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai returns45:45|With only her second novel The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai won the 2006 Booker Prize, the leading literary prize in the global Anglosphere, becoming - at the time - the youngest person ever to do so. She was thirty-five. Then: silence. 19 years of it, before another novel emerged - this year. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. It, too, has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Will Desai win it again?
 - The death of Welsh Labour29:15|Is Welsh Labour dead?Plaid Cymru won a historic victory in the by-election, trouncing Labour who had been dominant for over 100 years.The "middle child" as Plaid's new MS describes them, also beat Reform, who pollsters expected to win the seat.In this episode, Harry Clarke-Ezzidio reports from Caerphilly to analyse the results of the election. He speaks to Rhun ap Iorwerth, Huw Irranca-Davies, Llyr Powell, and Dan Evans.
 - Labour loses Caerphilly for first time in over 100 years16:37|After 14 attempts, Lindsay Whittle has won the Caerphilly seat in South Wales for Plaid Cymru. Reform came in second with over a third of the vote, and Labour trailed in third with 11%. A devastating loss for the party.Harry Clarke-Ezzidio is joined by Ben Walker in Caerphilly Leisure Centre.
 - Andrew Marr: Keir Starmer is failing Britain45:34|Andrew Marr says he thought Labour would fix everything, but: "I was wrong".--Andrew Marr is stepping down as political editor of the New Statesman. In this, his last regular podcast appearance (he'll be back, don't worry!) he reflects on the last three years in politics - and where we're heading next.He admits committing "the journalistic sin" of optimism when Keir Starmer was elected, and addresses criticism he's faced from media colleagues on both the left and right of the political divide. He explains why he believes the Labour party is failing the country.Speaking to Tom McTague, Marr also looks to the future and explores the likelihood of a Nigel Farage-led Reform government, the rise of Zack Polanski's Green Party and whether a coalition could be on the cards for the next election.READ: I thought Labour would fix everything. I was wrong.https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/10/i-thought-labour-would-fix-everything-i-was-wrong
 - Why the Trump-Putin summit fell apart31:58|Donald Trump's planned summit with Vladimir Putin is cancelled. Here's why.--Less than a week after Donald Trump offered to meet Vladimir Putin in Budapest, the proposed summit has already fallen apart.Officially, "there's no need" for the two presidents to meet, since their respective foreign ministers are conducting conversations.But what's really behind the cancellation?And what on earth is Donald Trump up to in Venezuela? Seven extra-judicial attacks on civilian boats, dozens dead without trial, and now massing troops and weaponry in the Caribbean. Is this really about "narco-terrorism", or is something more sinister afoot?Katie Stallard and Freddie Hayward discuss Trump's foreign policy on the New Statesman podcast.