Prevention is the New Cure

In this episode of Prevention is the New Cure, former Health Ministers Steve Brine and Lord James Bethell join from around the world: James from Blackpool and Steve from North Macedonia.They dive into the looming GP contract ballot and the threat of industrial action, the "quiet war" on air pollution, and the surprising health outcomes of North Macedonia. James shares a personal announcement regarding his future in the House of Lords and his decision to step away from the hereditary peerage to focus on health innovation.Stay tuned until the end to hear about the "Pigs in Space" of medicine: manufacturing cancer drugs in microgravity.In this episode, we discuss:The health disparity between Blackpool and Notting Hill.The BMA GP contract referendum: Is a "work to rule" coming?Why Lord Bethell is leaving the House of Lords.Air quality: From "dirty air denier" to clean air evangelist.Bio-Orbit and the future of protein folding and drugs made in space.

The £200bn Question: Why Isn’t the NHS Getting Healthier?In this episode of Prevention is the New Cure, former Health Ministers Steve Brine and James Bethell take analyse the status quo of UK health policy. With NHS spending in England projected to reach £217 billion by 2025/26, the debate isn't about if we have the money, but how we are wasting it.James Bethell argues that the doubling of the NHS budget over the last 17 years has had "zero impact" on the nation's healthy longevity. We dive deep into why the political obsession with "40 New Hospitals" was a strategic blunder and why the future of the NHS depends on a "Cavalier vs. Roundhead" battle over health data and early intervention.Also inside This Episode:The Hospital Trap: Why 80% of funding goes to acute care while community health "puddles" dry up.The Weight-Loss Jab Dilemma: Is paying GPs to prescribe drugs like Monjuro a breakthrough or "pharma capture"?The MAHA Movement: We look across the Atlantic at RFK Jr.’s "Make America Healthy Again" initiative as 18 US states move to ban candy and soda from food stamps.UK Biobank Breakthrough: A major 2026 milestone as 500,000 GP records are finally unlocked for research. Steve Brine reveals the "political fear" that held this back for nearly a decade.Fighting the Silent Killer: We discuss the £2.6m investment in 20 new DEXA bone scanners—a "tiny" spend that could save the NHS billions in fracture care.Join the Conversation: Follow us on LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter) under #PreventionIsTheNewCure.WhatsApp the Show: Leave a voice note at 0333 4046507 to be featured in the next episode.Email: preventionisthenewcurepodcast@gmail.comPrevention is the new cure is produced by Shortbread Media. This week's producer is Calum Macdonald.

Can we "prescribe" our way out of a national health crisis?In this episode, former Health Ministers James Bethell and Steve Brine are joined by Charlotte Refsum (Head of Health at the Tony Blair Institute) to dissect the week's biggest headlines in health policy.In this episode:The Tobacco & Vapes Bill: Why 74 Tories voted against the generational smoking ban.The "Fat Jab" Debate: Should GPs be paid to prescribe GLP-1s, or is there a better way?National Security: Why "Vaccine Sovereignty" is as important as energy or food security.NHS Tech: Why the NHS App feels like it’s built for the system, not the patient.🎧 Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation📩 Email: preventionisthenewcurepodcast@gmail.com📱 WhatsApp the show: 0333 404 6507 Did you know? This podcast is one of the top health and social care podcasts around. Help make us #1 by following our show today. This episode is produced by Shortbread Media; producer, Calum Macdonald.

In this episode of Prevention is the New Cure, former Health Ministers Steve Brine and James Bethell chat to Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund.Sarah Woolnough argues that health is not made in hospitals — it is shaped by housing, education, environment and regulation. The discussion explores whether the UK needs a fundamental shift away from a “sickness service” towards long-term health investment.🔍 Key topics include:Whether Keir Starmer’s proposed social media age limits represent real reform or political signallingThe impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on child protectionA new £20m addiction and gambling prevention fundWhy health tech innovation struggles inside the NHSWhether NICE’s new HealthTech Access Programme could transform adoptionWhy prevention always loses to acute pressures like A&E and GP accessThe political risks of continuing to expand NHS spending without structural reformPlus: why dog ownership may reduce dementia risk by 40%.This episode celebrates the third anniversary of the podcast!Steve and James look back on the different iterations of the show and reflect on three years of the best health and politics podcast around!🎧 Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation📩 Email: preventionisthenewcurepodcast@gmail.com📱 WhatsApp the show: 0333 404 6507 Did you know? This podcast is one of the top health and social care podcasts around. Help make us #1 by following our show today. This episode is produced by Shortbread Media; production Tim Pont / Calum Macdonald.

A special episode this week of the health and politics podcast, Prevention is the new cure, as Ministers finally publish the National Cancer Plan.Steve & James talk exclusively to NHS National Clinical Director, Professor Peter Johnson, about the ambition which says 75% of people diagnosed from 2035 will survive long term and meeting the 62-days cancer waiting time standard by the end of this Parliament. In a wide-ranging conversation, they also talk wider cancer prevention, multi-cancer detection tests and the cancer workforce.And Professor Johnson responds to today's story that testing menstrual blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a new and accurate way of screening for the disease.In their look at this week's main news in health and politics, the former Ministers consider reports in The Times (£) which claim an 86,000 drop in waiting lists heralded by Ministers was achieved only by removing thousands of patients from the waiting list through a process known as ‘validation'. And they consider the political implications of the BMA's ballot renewal which could see further strike action by Resident Doctors.You can find former episodes via Podfollow and get us on all our social media channel via LinkTr.Please remember to follow our show and thanks for listening!Co-hosts: Steve Brine & James BethellEpisode producer: Calum MacdonaldThis episode is produced as part of the Shortbread Media family of podcasts.

Steve & James return with episode 82 of the health and politics podcast, Prevention is the new cure.This week, to mark Stroke Prevention Day on Thursday, the guys talk to Juliet Bouverie from the Stroke Association about signs, symptoms and red flags.And they look ahead to the long-awaited National Cancer Plan which is expected to be published next week. What can we expect from the first plan since 2018?Also on this episode; the WHO confirms the UK has lost its measles elimination status, James speaking at the counter-fraud conference next month and NHS England is set to significantly enhance its bowel cancer screening programme, aiming to detect thousands more cases at an earlier, more treatable stage.You can access the archive via Podfollow and find us on all social at our LinkTree page.You can email the team - preventionisthenewcurepodcast@gmail.comThanks for listening!

Steve and James return with episode 81 of the health and politics podcast, Prevention is the new cure.They chat just hours after James (Lord Bethell) led the charge on a debate in the House of Lords which saw Peers vote through an amendment which would ban under-16's from social media across the UK.Also, as nearly a quarter of hospitals in England report waiting times have worsened since the government published its plan to tackle the backlog a year ago, the pair discuss whether Ministers have chosen the right path given A&E waits - and corridor care - continue to hit the headlines.And, given the ongoing broader debate around immigration policy as the main parties chase Reform, Steve's Thursday rant focuses on health and care workforce shortages and asks whether we have a race to the bottom healthcare recruitment which is harming the service in the short-term.Finally, in good news corner, Steve and James talk about an international trial that is examining whether a finger-prick blood test called Bio-Hermes-002 could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease. BBC News story link.You can email us : preventionisthenewcurepodcast@gmail.comYou can listen to our archive via Podfollow and find our social media channel via LinkTree. And our You Tube channel is here.Thanks for listening!Love Steve and James

The health and politics podcast reaches its 80th episode! Steve and James discuss Kemi Badenoch's social media ban proposal, the high-wire act of negotiating a new GP contract and what Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, meant when he cited GIRFT (get it right first time) at a major conference this week.Also, this week saw a genuine medical breakthrough as a patient at Manchester Royal Infirmary became the first in the UK to receive a new CAR-T treatment for aggressive blood cancer. The pair discuss what this means.And James owns up to progress on his 'Dry January' efforts this year!We welcome your feedback on our discussions and suggestions for what we might discuss next and who we might interview. You can email preventionisthenewcure@gmail.com or find us on any of our social media channels.You can access our archive via Podfollow.Thanks for listening to our show.Love Steve & James