Episode 51: Backstage with Paul Corrigan, strategic adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Next GenCastShow Notes
In this episode of Next Gen Cast, Dr Nish Manek speaks with Paul Corrigan, one of the most influential figures in modern UK health policy.
From advising Tony Blair inside No.10 to shaping the NHS 10-Year Plan today, Paul brings rare institutional memory and sharp insight into leadership, reform, and why meaningful change in healthcare is so hard to deliver.
Together, we explore what leaders get wrong, why policy alone never works, how clinicians can step into system leadership, and why neighbourhoods, patient agency, and proactive care are central to the NHS’s future.
A candid, wide-ranging conversation for clinicians who want to understand - and shape - what comes next.
✨ Episode Show Notes
00:00 – From academia to No.10 05:00 – Inside Downing Street 08:30 – Do leaders understand the NHS? 12:00 – Clinicians as leaders 17:00 – Risk and standing still 22:30 – What makes a good Secretary of State 27:30 – Returning to DHSC at 75 32:30 – Why reform keeps failing 36:30 – Technology and patient agency 40:30 – “No money” myth 45:30 – Neighbourhood healthcare explained 52:00 – Advice to early-career clinicians
✨ Links/resources:
Paul's book- Shakespeare on Management
✨ Stay in touch with Next Gen GP:
LinkedIn X Monthly bulletin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Next GenCast
Backstage with Rammya Mathew
It was an absolute pleasure to record this conversation live at NHS Confed Expo 2026 with one of the NHS's most respected leaders.
What really happens behind the scenes when NHS policy is made?
In this rare and candid conversation, Dr Nish Manek speaks with Jim Mackey, CEO of NHS England, about leadership at the very top of the NHS.
From sleeping rough at 15 to becoming one of the UK’s youngest female Chief Fire Officers, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton’s story is extraordinary- but this episode goes far beyond inspiration.