HealthTech Hour

What would meaningful NHS reform actually look like—and why is it so difficult to discuss?
In this episode of Health Tech Hour, Steve Roest speaks with veteran health journalist Paul Gallagher about the pressures facing the NHS, including waiting-list backlogs, workforce shortages, delayed hospital discharges, social-care gaps and the political sensitivity surrounding reform.
Paul draws on two decades of healthcare reporting to examine why the NHS repeatedly falls into short-term crisis management, how public expectations compare with the amount the UK is willing to spend, and why discussions about restructuring are so often reduced to fears of privatisation.
The conversation also explores the role technology can play in moving care from hospitals into communities, improving prevention and making services easier to access. Steve shares how a single SMS offering an at-home health check generated 80% uptake among previously unresponsive patients, illustrating how service design, not patient apathy, can determine engagement.
They discuss:
Why social-care shortages keep medically fit patients in hospital
How fragmented care and workforce vacancies create system-wide delays
Whether technology can meaningfully reduce pressure on NHS staff
Why convenience matters for preventative-health participation
The difference between private delivery and charging patients
Why NHS reform debates often default to comparisons with the US
What the UK could learn from healthcare systems in Europe and Japan
Whether higher taxation could support better public services
How politics and the media reinforce short-term decision-making
Paul Gallagher is a health journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including a decade as health correspondent at the i Paper and work for publications including The Times, The Telegraph and The Mirror. He is also contributing to an Alzheimer’s Disease International report focused on clinical trials.
Health Tech Hour features the founders, clinicians, journalists and system leaders changing healthcare in the UK and beyond.

The NHS has invested billions in digital records - but what if the real breakthrough isn't more software, it's what sits on top?
In this episode of HealthTech Hour, Tom shares how a naval architecture degree and a chance consultancy project peeling onions for Domino's Pizza led him to co-found DrDoctor in 2012 - and why 13 years later, he believes outpatient care as we know it shouldn't exist.
We explore:
why hospital appointments haven't fundamentally changed since the 1600s, how DrDoctor has powered nearly 200 million NHS appointments for 37 million patients, why 40% of outpatient activity could be delivered at home, how agentic AI is now transforming how patients interact with the NHS, why EPRs alone don't deliver the savings the NHS was promised, the shift from digitisation to optimisation in NHS strategy, why every CEO of a software business needs to embrace AI, the paradox of the most-wanted job being a doctor while most doctors want to leave, how UK health tech founders can build lasting relationships with the NHS
Tom also explains how DrDoctor is becoming the agentic operating system for the NHS — integrating deeply with EPRs, powering the NHS App, and building the AI tools that free up clinicians to focus on patient care.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, founder, investor, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this conversation offers a rare inside view of what really needs to change to make the NHS fit for the future.
#HealthTech #DigitalHealth

The NHS needs thousands more GPs - but what if the solution isn't training more doctors, but reconnecting qualified clinicians already outside the workforce?
In this episode of HealthTech Hour, Julian shares how a personal diagnosis of a bicuspid aortic valve sparked his journey into healthcare and why he believes preventative care should be far more accessible.
We explore:
why the NHS workforce crisis continues to worsen, why thousands of GPs are leaving the profession, how remote UK-qualified doctors can support primary care, the future of global healthcare workforces, why AI won't replace doctors anytime soon, the challenges of building healthtech companies in the UK, the role of prevention in reducing long-term healthcare costs, what the NHS 10-Year Plan means for healthcare innovation
Julian also explains how Asterix Health is helping GP practices manage complex clinical workloads, reduce administrative burden, and improve patient care by reconnecting experienced doctors with the healthcare system.
Whether you're a healthcare professional, founder, investor, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of healthcare, this conversation offers a fascinating look at one of the biggest challenges facing health systems today.
#HealthTech #DigitalHealth

This week on HealthTech Hour, Steve sits down with Demi Radeva, CEO and co-founder of Across, who is helping UK health tech founders enter and succeed in the United States.
With nearly 20 years of experience spanning the world's largest US payer, the London School of Economics, and a teaching role at the University of Minnesota, Demi brings a rare dual perspective - she's lived inside both health systems, studied how they finance themselves, and built and co-founded multiple digital health ventures of her own.
Demi is particularly passionate about helping founders follow the money - understanding reimbursement, structuring ROI, and accessing the right buyers across the 1,100 decision-making bodies that shape US healthcare. We get into what that looks like in practice - why UK health tech consistently brings stronger evidence to the table, how to access programmatic spend when no billing code exists, and why making your customer money beats saving them money every time.
Outside of work, Demi is shaped by her own immigration journey from Bulgaria to the US, an experience that informs how she thinks about culture, incentives, and what it actually takes to move between two very different systems.
A sharp, practical conversation with one of the leading voices helping UK health tech founders take their first serious step into the American market.
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This week on HealthTech Hour, Steve sits down with Sam Fay, CEO of SISU Health, who is leading the mission to make preventative health more accessible across the UK.
With 25 years of experience in strategic transformation and senior leadership, Sam has a strong track record of scaling organisations and delivering measurable impact - and she brings that operator's lens to one of the biggest challenges in healthcare today: shifting the system from treating illness to preventing it.
Sam is particularly passionate about using innovation and data to tackle health inequalities and improve outcomes at scale, and we get into what that looks like in practice - what's actually working, where the system gets stuck, and how SISU is building for reach rather than just reach for those who already engage with healthcare.
Outside of work, Sam is a keen outdoor adventurer - long walks with her Ridgeback, skiing, and coastal escapes when the diary allows.
A practical, grounded conversation with one of the leaders putting preventative health within reach of the people who need it most.
Follow HealthTech Hour for more conversations with the founders, operators and builders shaping the future of UK health and tech.