Podcasts
Podcasts
SARD’s podcast, SARDisms covers the ever- changing healthcare and IT industry. This podcast is essentially our proverbial mountaintop and we’re here to share all that’s going on
SARDisms 01 - Lucie Nash
Bio
Starting out in teaching (!), Lucie decided to change her career track and join us here at SARD – and we’re thrilled! She has become one of our star software developers and brings her creativity, razor-sharp logic and love of puzzles to everything she builds.
Episode summary
In our first ever episode, we asked Lucie to join us to help us dive into the developer’s viewpoint, get a sneak-peek at her upcoming projects and explore her views on current trends in health and tech.
SARDisms 02 - Kevin Monk and Phil Bottle
Bio
Kevin and Phil met in an unusual way, but quickly realised they had common goals. Their conversation led to founding SARD together, creating systems to improve the NHS.
Kevin always had an interest in engineering, even as a young lad. Phil’s career started in learning and development and he has always had an interest in making things better. With the duo working side by side, SARD has grown from strength to strength.
Episode summary
In this episode, Kevin and Phil discuss SARD’s conception. They debate how to scale the NHS Interoperability Mountain and explain the equipment SARD is packing to reach the peak first. From recruitment to procurement woes, there’s a lot to consider in this episode!
SARDisms 03 - Andrew Sandford
Bio
As the founder of We are Lean and Agile, Andy’s main goal is to make continuous improvement easy for organisations. With 20 years in the public and private sector, Andy has huge experience in delivering lean process modelling for the digital age.
He’s also a big fan of NHS Hack Days which is where he met SARD’s Managing Director, Kevin Monk.
Episode summary
In this episode, Andy chats to Kevin Monk and Mariah Young about his experiences of working across local government to streamline processes.
You’ll definitely want to hear all about his Lego Serious Play workshops – we can’t wait to try one!
SARDisms 05 - Chase Clemons
Bio
Chase Clemons has been a Support Pro at Basecamp for the past 14 years and leads their customer support team. He’s always held some form of customer service role, but at Basecamp, has found the perfect place to share his support expertise with the wider world.
Episode summary
Join us in hearing Chase’s personal thoughts on how great customer service should shape an organisation internally and the positive impact it will have on the way you support your own clients.
Great customer service is at the forefront of everything we do at SARD and we’ve taken much of our inspiration from Basecamp’s ethos.
SARDisms 06 - Marcus Baw
Bio
Marcus describes himself as UK NHS General Hacktitioner, locum GP and Emergency Physician. He is also Chair of the RCGP Health Informatics Group. Over the years, he’s taken an interest in coding and has built up a fairly unusual portfolio career as a doctor/developer hybrid.
Marcus is a big advocate of open-source and is on a mission to improve the NHS through the power of tech.
Episode summary
In this episode, we get a chance to speak with Marcus about his passion for harnessing tech to improve the NHS. He has a shared mission with SARD’s MD Kevin Monk which is to increase the use of good open-source platforms within healthcare.
He also shares his thoughts on ‘why meetings must die’ and recommends his favourite brand of fingerless gloves!
SARDisms 07 - Peter McGraw
Bio
A behavioral economist and global expert in the scientific study of humour, Dr Peter McGraw is a busy man. He runs two podcasts, has co-authored several books and released his own bestseller ‘Shtick to Business’ in April 2020. He’s also a sought-after speaker and professor who teaches MBA courses at the University of Colorado Boulder, University of California San Diego, and London Business School.
Episode summary
Should all organisations embrace comedy in their workforce? How about hospitals?
During this episode, we chat with Peter about what we can learn from the process of how a comedian creates humour, how techniques such as ‘reversal’ and ‘benign violation’ can be adapted to build success in any workplace and how you will never please anyone by serving lukewarm tea!
Our MD Kevin Monk also shares his own ideas around the ‘doggy play bow’ and how he believes it helps provide a safe, encouraging and engaging work environment at SARD.
SARDisms 08 - Megan Holmes
Bio
After graduating university and following a stint as a customer experience rep, Megan joined SARD and has quickly progressed to the role of Customer Service Director. Megan loves working with people and helping solve their problems. She brings a lot of empathy to her role and encourages her team to help users in any way possible.
Episode summary
What does your granny and her smart phone have to do with customer support?
In this episode Megan chats about how SARD has grown since she joined, how she motivates her team to keep going and the unique customer service experience that she champions across the company.
SARDism 09 - Kent Medway Medical School
Bio
Professor Chris Holland and Professor Debra Towse are two of the founding forces behind Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS), a joint venture between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. They both bring vast personal knowledge and experience to the school and look forward to educating the future doctors of Kent and beyond.
Professor Chris Holland is the Founding Dean of KMMS. He has an extensive career in medicine and medical education, working with the national education bodies, the General Medical Council and Local Enterprise Partnerships.
He has joined KMMS from the University of Surrey where he was a Professorial Teaching Fellow and Director of Learning and Teaching for medicine. He is also a Consultant in General Adult Intensive Care Medicine at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
Professor Debra Towse is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Medical Education Development) and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Canterbury Christ Church University. She has had a comprehensive career as a nurse and now brings that expertise to higher education.
Debra played a pivotal role in creating the proposal for KMMS and is helping lead the school from idea into reality.
Episode summary
A brand new medical school has opened in East Kent. What does that mean for the future of the NHS?
In this episode, we chat with Dr Chris Holland and Professor Debra Towse about the recent opening of the KMMS, what it has been like to open a new medical school during a global pandemic and their hopes for educating the future doctors of Kent and beyond.
SARDisms 10 - Naomi Liddle
Bio
Naomi started her career in theatre facilities management before finding her way to SARD. She is the ultimate multi-tasker and the silent steward that helps steer the SARD Ship. No two days are the same in her role as Operations Director, and that’s just how Naomi likes it.
Episode summary
“The way you know you’re doing [Operations] well is if nobody really notices what you’re doing.” – Naomi Liddle, Operations Director
In this episode, we speak with Naomi about her role as the quiet force that keeps SARD on operational track and why, although we have tried more than once to write her a job description, it still seems to be an impossible task!
SARDisms 12 - Douglas Hamandishe
Bio
As a practicing mental health nurse with 12 years experience working in both inpatient and community settings, Douglas has successfully combined clinical experience with expertise in both engineering and technology to provide strong transformational leadership across both the health and private sectors.
Douglas is driven by delivering better patient care and improving the working lives of healthcare professionals through technology. His passion for patient empowerment has resulted in publication of a chapter on collaboration between patients and carers in Mental Health & Psychiatry 3rd Edition. He is also an honorary lecturer at Kingston University, delivering a module on Recovery Focused Care Planning to pre-registration nurses.
Episode summary
In this episode, we speak with Douglas about his personal experience of delivering transformational change, his thoughts on leadership and his plans to support organisations in harnessing the power of digital media through his new venture – Centric Health Media.
SARDisms 13 - Rory Sutherland
Bio
Rory Sutherland is the Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy Group UK and writes The Spectator’s Wiki Man column. He is also a best-selling author of ‘Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense’. Rory is widely known for his unique perspectives and brings a wealth of knowledge to the world of behavioural science.
Episode summary
“Everything is interesting when you’re curious.”
Rory joins us for an informative chat covering a full gamut of topics. From the woes of procurement, to High Speed 2 scepticism, to the impact that ergodicity plays in our everyday lives, Rory and Kevin Monk have a lot to discuss in this rollercoaster of an episode. Grab your pen ready for the inevitable ‘mind quakes’ to come.
SARDisms 15 - Dr Umesh Prabhu
Bio
Dr Umesh Prabhu completed his medical degree in India and came to the UK to enhance his career whilst immersing himself in another culture.
He’s excelled throughout his career from junior doctor to consultant through to Medical Director. His passions are patient safety and leadership culture, as he works to understand the reasons behind why doctors make mistakes.
Dr Prabhu was invited to meet the Queen to mark his contribution to the NHS and was twice voted as one of the top 50 BME pioneering leaders of the NHS.
“With covid many patients have died and many have lost jobs and many families are suffering. Now that covid vaccine has started hopefully 2021 will be a great year.” – Dr Umesh Prabhu
Episode summary
“Be proud of our amazing NHS. Be proud of our great nation. Together we can build a great nation and the most wonderful NHS.” – Dr Umesh Prabhu
In this episode, Kevin Monk and Mariah Young speak with Dr Umesh Prabhu about the challenges he’s faced and what he’s learned along the way.
As a former Medical Director, Dr Prabhu has seen many changes in the NHS over the years. He’s worked diligently to make sure that safety of all patients remains paramount regardless of who, what, where or when. Dr Prabhu has a clear mission and has no problem challenging others to ensure the welfare of all of those who benefit from the NHS retains top priority.
SARDisms 16 - Emma Stewart MBE
Bio
Emma Stewart MBE is the Co-Founder and Development Director at Timewise UK, a flexible working consultancy. She has contributed to numerous government task-forces, reports and initiatives, focusing on how to encourage more people who need to work flexibly into the workplace, shape the labour markets of the future and raise family living standards. Prior to co-founding Timewise and Women Like Us, Emma worked in a range of development roles across the private, civic society and social enterprise sectors and within documentary television.
Episode summary
How will flexible working impact the future of businesses?
On this episode, we speak with Emma Stewart MBE, Co-Founder and Development Director at Timewise UK. Along with Kevin Monk and Mariah Young, Emma discusses what flexible working means and how businesses can really benefit from providing this type of supportive environment. Having two-way flexibility can not only enhance performance but helps to create a partnership between employee and the company. This episode is pack full of excellent advice for not only businesses, but for employees to not be afraid to have these discussions with their employer.
SARDisms 17 - Joe McDonald, CCIO
Bio
Joe is the recently retired CCIO of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust with 30 years of experience in child psychiatry. He has quite the digital legacy, having helped create the Great North Care Record which sets the bar for sharing health records in the UK. Joe might have been hoping for a quiet life but a serendipitous conversation on his first day of retirement has led to him joining forces with SARD to deliver an execution plan to deliver the NHS Tech Vision.
Episode summary
The NHS Tech Vision created by Matt Hancock is beautiful, but needs help ensuring its execution. So, how can SARD and other invested individuals make sure this happens?
Joe McDonald joins us on this episode of SARDisms to discuss his reignited hope that the vision can be brought to fruition. There’s a lot to think about in this episode, with Joe sharing the Professor Margunn Aanestad video that changed his life, several great book recommendations and a little nod to Simon Sinek’s leadership advice on becoming the ‘dancing man’.
SARDisms 18 - Giles Paley-Phillips
Bio
After spending a significant time touring the UK’s music scene, Giles Paley-Phillips found a passion as an author when his first son was born. He’s written several children’s books and, upon having his own bout of writer’s block, decided to start a podcast with his friend Jim Daly covering these exact kinds of moments with celebrities and well-known people. Crossing over the 100th episode mark, Giles and Jim have spoken to many influential people and they have used their podcast experiences to write a new book ‘Blank’ due out in April 2021.
Episode summary
Have you ever experienced a blank moment? Most people have.
This week we’re joined by Giles Paley-Phillips, award-winning author and co-host of the Blank Podcast where he and Jim Daly speak to well-known people who share their personal moments of ‘blankness’ from writer’s block, social anxiety, frustration and beyond. In this episode, Kevin Monk and Mariah Young chat with Giles about gratitude, compassion and how we’re all human and can experience similar anxieties regardless of status or fame.
SARDisms 19 - Marc Cox
Bio
Marc Cox began his career in the advertising industry and has worked with a variety of companies across sectors. The most common thread amongst his clients is the attitude of the ‘boss’ – each is curious and open-minded with a deep thirst for learning.
Marc set up The Company Spirit to help support good leadership that seeks to involve all employees. This led him to write his book The Business Case for Love which outlines six ‘best in class’ principles to help organisations succeed.
Episode summary
“If you want your customers to love what you do as a company, then you need to start with your employees loving what they do.” – Marc Cox, The Business Case for Love
Marc Cox is the founder of The Company Spirit and author of ‘The Business Case for Love’ published in 2020. Kevin Monk and Mariah Young talked shop with Marc around his ideas for success in the current climate – and you guessed it – it starts with happiness in the workforce!
SARDisms 20 - Michelle Kearns
Bio
Michelle Kearns CIO at Caredoc, Ireland joins us to discuss the benefits of using good technology in the healthcare sector. During her 16 years with Caredoc, Michelle has been able to implement significant technological advances to aid doctors, nurses and clinicians. Kevin Monk and Michelle discuss their shared experiences, bugbears and the importance of providing the right kind of systems that help rather than hinder!
Episode summary
Michelle Kearns is the Chief Information Officer at Caredoc which provides healthcare services across Ireland.
Michelle is also Founder and Director of One HealthTech (OHT) and leads this network to help support and promote women and other underrepresented groups in health innovation. OHT supports its members through education, mentorship and promoting the positive effects of inclusion in technology.
With a background in Computer Science, Michelle is passionate about healthcare and how technology can be used to benefit both patients and clinicians.
SARDisms 22 - PMPC, Open-source Mythbusters
Bio
Michelle Kearns CIO at Caredoc, Ireland joins us to discuss the benefits of using good technology in the healthcare sector. During her 16 years with Caredoc, Michelle has been able to implement significant technological advances to aid doctors, nurses and clinicians. Kevin Monk and Michelle discuss their shared experiences, bugbears and the importance of providing the right kind of systems that help rather than hinder!
Episode summary
Michelle Kearns is the Chief Information Officer at Caredoc which provides healthcare services across Ireland.
Michelle is also Founder and Director of One HealthTech (OHT) and leads this network to help support and promote women and other underrepresented groups in health innovation. OHT supports its members through education, mentorship and promoting the positive effects of inclusion in technology.
With a background in Computer Science, Michelle is passionate about healthcare and how technology can be used to benefit both patients and clinicians.
SARDisms 23 - Dr Unwin and Dr Ovadia
Bio
Dr David Unwin, known as the ‘low carb GP’, is an award-winning general practitioner recognised for his innovative low-carb approach and being a strong advocate for lifestyle medicine. His pioneering work has been published in multiple journals and featured on television.
Dr Philip Ovadia is a cardiothoracic surgeon who has seen personal success through the adoption of a low-carb diet. After many years struggling with his weight, he questioned how to set an example for his patients about to undergo surgery. He experimented on himself first, and after seeing great results, he recommended low-carb to his patients in the hope of avoiding surgery in the first place. Since then, Dr Ovadia has opened his own metabolic health clinic in Florida and continues to help his patients to change their lifestyles before going under the knife.
Episode summary
What happens when you put sovereignty together with results? You have happier medical professionals.
On this episode of SARDisms, we chat with Dr David Unwin and Dr Philip Ovadia about how quickly medicine moves and sometimes, how what we think we know isn’t always what is right. We chat about Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered the importance of hand washing only to be mocked and ignored by his peers. The same challenge could be applied to many current medical debates, but this specific discussion is around type two diabetes patients, sentenced to an incurable disease that can only be managed through medication – or can it?
SARDisms 24 - Louise Wilson, NHS Clinical Networks Delivery Leader
Bio
Lou is a Clinical Networks Delivery Manager at the NHS as well as a PhD student at Newcastle University. Lou has several part-time jobs that help keep her on her toes, especially when it comes to health informatics. She is also a recipient of an NHS Bright Ideas in Healthcare Technology award for app development.
Episode summary
In this episode of SARDisms, we welcome Louise (Lou) Wilson who is an informatics enthusiast and an experienced network leader, putting her knowledge to use throughout the healthcare sector. She is also a self-described Hermione Granger and loves order, learning through group collaboration and using storytelling to solve problems.
SARDisms 25 - Rachel Murphy, CEO of Difrent
Bio
On this episode we’re speaking with Rachel Murphy CEO of Difrent. Rachel has quite the history with the NHS and since leaving the organisation, she has brought her passion for user needs, service design and actual delivery together for clients across several industries. Rachel Murphy is a public speaker, health tech advisor, and CEO of award-winning digital services company, Difrent. In just 1,000 days, Rachel built and sold Difrent, which has become a diverse workforce delivering national services. Those services include transforming the NHS Jobs platform and building the Covid Home Testing service to get frontline workers back to work during the first stages of the pandemic.
Episode summary
On this episode we’re speaking with Rachel Murphy who is a public speaker, health tech advisor and CEO of the digital service company, Difrent. Rachel has quite the history with the NHS and since leaving the organisation, she has brought her passion for user needs, service design and actual delivery together for clients across several industries.
SARDisms 26 - Declan Green, The SARD Prize winner at KMMS
Episode summary
This week’s episode we speak with Declan Green, a medical student at Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) jointly based at the the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. Declan is the proud recipient of the first annual SARD prize.
Working together, SARD and KMMS created The SARD prize which awards £250 to the student with top results in their first year. This prize will help celebrate those students who really excel in their studies. We were extremely pleased to hear about Declan’s accomplishments in his first year at KMMS.
SARDisms 28 - Tony Yates, Digital Director, Livi
Episode summary
In this episode, we speak with ‘Jack of all trades’ Tony Yates, Digital Director of Livi, who has a wealth of experience creating new software and products for the NHS. Tony played a critical role in building NHS 111 and went on to found VIX.Digital. Tony is self-described as a computer lad who loves to use technology to fix people problems in healthcare.
Follow Tony on Twitter @TonyYates.
SARDisms 29 - Yusef Smith, Propane Fitness
Episode summary
This episode features Dr Yusef Smith, an NHS doctor who ultimately decided to leave. Yusef caught our eye when he tweeted 12 reflections on his time within the NHS. He now is focused on his business, Propane Fitness, where he’s still making an impact on people’s health throughout the world. We discuss a variety of topics including open source; what changes within the NHS might coax Yusef back; and the best tools for a good poo!
Follow Yusef on Twitter @PropaneFitness.
SARDisms 30 - Angela Barnes, Stand-up Comedian
Episode summary
On this episode, we are joined by comedian Angela Barnes, a regular on Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo, The News Quiz. Kevin is joined by SARD’s Marketing Director Francesca to have a chat with their friend who will be hosting an upcoming charity quiz in support of Kent and Medway Medical School at the University of Kent in Canterbury. They touch on Angela’s recent ADHD diagnosis and the implications it’s had for her life.
Bio
After a career in health and social care, Angela Barnes threw caution to the wind and became a comedian. Winning several awards, she has starred in BBC Two’s Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and Hypothetical on Dave. Angela became a regular on The News Quiz as well as hosting. Angela recently was crowned Champion of Champions on the House of Games. Her upcoming show ‘Hot Mess’ will be presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022.
Follow Angela on Twitter @AngelaBarnes.
SARDisms 31 - Alistair Cannon, Psychiatry CT2 Doctor
Episode summary
In this episode, we speak with Alistair Cannon who is a psychiatry CT2 doctor as well as a researcher of various health tech movements amongst other roles. He’s an advocate for improving technology within the NHS which aligns with the ethos of Public Money Public Code.
Follow Alistair on Twitter @alistaircannon.
SARDisms 32 - Brian Jones, Director at Medical Workforce Solutions
Episode summary
In this episode, Brian Jones shares some of his vast experience in workforce management. He’s the director of Medical Workforce Management and a consultant in Team Job Planning systems. Brian is currently working with SARD tech team to develop our newest offering – Team Job Planning.
SARDisms 33 - James Catton, PA Podcast host
Episode summary
In this episode, we speak with James Catton who is a Physician Associate working in both general practice and acute medicine. He also hosts the PA podcast which highlights the world of Physician Associates. Follow his Twitter @PAPodcastUK.
SARDisms 34 - Sam Shah, Chief Medical Strategy Officer
Episode summary
This week we speak with Sam Shah, who is a Chief Medical Strategy Officer amongst other ventures. Sam has an interest in improving access to services, behaviour change and digital care delivery. Follow Sam on Twitter @healthyopinion.
