Prevention is the New Cure

Latest Episodes:

119. ADHD, mental health and autism over-diagnosis? Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Few subjects generate more concern, confusion and debate today than the mental health of our children and young people.

In this special episode of Prevention is the new cure we hear about rising demand for ADHD and autism assessments, unprecedented pressure on children's mental health services, and families struggling to get the help they need. But what's really going on? Are we seeing more illness, greater awareness, or a system that has lost its way?

Our guest this week is Professor Peter Fonagy, one of the world's leading experts in child and adolescent mental health, whose prevalence review for Ministers has caused a major stir in health, education and much else besides - including inside government.

Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is produced by Brine Health Ltd and is part of the Acast network.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

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118. Dr Xand Van Tulleken on wellness Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

This week, Steve Brine chats with well-known health broadcaster Dr Xand Van Tulleken.

Xand is one half of the hugely successful What’s Up Docs? podcast he does for the BBC with his twin brother, Chris.

His new book, Make Me Well, takes on the increasingly confusing world of wellness: from supplements and health tests to wearables, DNA testing and the promise of a more personalised route to better health. So, what should we trust—and how do we tell useful advice from a promise that sounds too good to be true? The guys talk about why Xand wrote the book, how it’s been received, and whether he’s encountered pushback from the wellness industry.

They also get into our appetite for quick fixes, the role of health journalism, and touch on the new review into mental health, ADHD and autism through the lens of his recent appearance on the I'm ADHD! No You're Not podcast with Dr Mine Conkbayir and husband, Paul Whitehouse.

Oh and they consider whether Xand (and Steve) have their testosterone levels right.

This is a relaxed conversation about a subject that affects all of us.

Make Me Well is available via Penguin Books.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is produced by Brine Health Ltd and is part of the Acast network.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

117. Kim Leadbeater MP on life (and death) Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Our guestthis week is Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spen.

We discuss why becoming a Member of Parliament was never remotely part of her life plan, what she thought her life was going to be and how, in 2016, what she describes as afairly "normal" life changed forever when her sister - and predecessor, Jo Cox - was murdered.

Steve and Kim talk about their Commission on Loneliness and the why the Healthy Britain work she's pursuing says health isn’t merely what happens when somebody walks through the door of the NHS. The perfect guest for this podcast!

This was an emotional conversation and Kim opens up on why she's still angry and whether she believes in therapy. It's a conversation about life — and inevitably about death — but also about family, loss, resilience, health, politics (tennis) and what comes next.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is produced by Brine Health Ltd and is part of the Acast network.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

116. A national care service? HETT Show LIVE Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

This week Steve Brine and the Prevention is the new cure podcast team bring a live episode from the HETT Show (Healthcare Excellence Through Technology) at ExCeL, London.

Richard Sloggett from Future Health Research and Director of Policy at The King's Fund, Siva Anandaciva, join for a lively discussion as the dust settles on a frenetic week which saw Andy Burnham's first Labour Party Conference as Prime Minister and his major focus on the creation of a National care service.

They consider what's new on this agenda and what it means for the wider Labour health agenda, the three shifts and the Ten Year Plan. They also discuss the National Commission on AI regulation in healthcare given they are located at a show surrounded by people promising that technology will transform healthcare. Is regulation still the problem — or is NHS adoption now the bigger obstacle?

And this episode features the first sponsored "innovation space" interview - with Carl Beech creator of BeachBand.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is engineered for HETT Show by PSP Exhibitions and produced by Brine Health Ltd as part of the Acast network.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

115. MHRA chief Lawrence Tallon Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

For the next of our BIG Autumn interview specials, former Minister Steve Brine speaks with Lawrence Tallon who heads up the powerful MHRA.

They start by discussing what the regulator is for and Steve asks whether there is an inherent tension between being faster and being safer — or is that actually the wrong way of thinking about modern regulation? They get into rare diseases where theMHRA’s proposed framework recognises that conventional development models designed for large populations don’t necessarily work when patient numbers are small. And the pair discuss whether Britain losing clinical trials overseas is yesterday's story or still the case today.

Steve and Lawrence also take a deep dive into AI (or SI as President Trump calls it) following the National Commission’s report on AI in healthcare.

The MHRA–NICE aligned pathway comes into the discussion; there’s little point having the fastest regulator in the world if an innovation then spends months waiting somewhere else in the system. They discuss this and, of course, if we really are moving towards a health system built around prediction, prevention and earlier intervention, Steve wants to know what the regulator of the future needs to become.

Oh and they share the misery of being fellow Spurs and it turns out, through Lawrences' work as Founding President with NHS Spurs, there's even a silver lining to that!

You can visit the MHRA here.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is produced by Brine Health Ltd.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast update on Autumn specials Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

A little update on from Steve Brine around the big Autumn specials now underway - and where next for Prevention is the new cure!

Contact the team - podcast@stevebrine.com

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

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114. Keep Britain Working with Sir Charlie Mayfield Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

For the first of our BIG Autumn interview specials, Former Minister Steve Brine speaks with Sir Charlie Mayfield about his landmark Keep Britain Working review.

The former John Lewis boss talks candidly about why he accepted the role, what his initial report says, why he knows Andy Burnham is on-side and insists this is not just another report delivered to Ministers - and forgotten.

The conversation covers young people and the job market, 'masking' at work and why 'presenteeism' is commonplace as well as the impact of his proposed reforms on small employers. They also talk at length about the disability employment gap. Steve also wants to know if Sir Charlie will stick around to see his work through to its conclusion and manages to call him Boris!

You can access the Keep Britain Working pages here.

You can get in touch with this podcast via podcast@stevebrine.com or on all our socials, including X and LinkedIn.

This episode is produced by Brine Health Ltd.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

113. Jeremy Hunt on the future, Burnham and his Whoop Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Former Chancellor and longest-serving Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt joins Steve Brine and James Bethell.

In this episode, Jeremy Hunt breaks down the harsh economic realities facing the NHS, why throwing more money at healthcare won't fix it, and what a future Conservative health strategy must look like under Shadow Health Secretary Damian Hinds. The trio dives into structural reforms, realigning local financial incentives, shifting focus from acute hospital care to prevention, and using AI and single patient electronic records to drive productivity.

Key Topics Covered:

The Fiscal Envelope: Why Labour and Conservatives both face strict spending limits on healthcare.

Fixing Systemic Incentives: Shifting focus from 18-month operational targets to long-term prevention.

The Power of Data: How electronic health records (EPR) and AI can target high-cost care upstream.

Social Care & Political Realities: Andy Burnham’s ambitions vs. fiscal resistance.

Regulating AI in Healthcare: Balancing rapid innovation with patient safety.

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

112. Summer ends, governing begins Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Steve Brine and James Bethell are back, as politics returns to business as usual!

In today's episode, they break down the fiscal reality facing the new government, why OpenAI’s integration with Epic Systems is a watershed moment for health data, and whether high-street cholesterol checks in pharmacies are a game-changer or just a drop in the ocean.

They also tackle the skyrocketing costs of ADHD diagnoses, £343M of mental health funding, and Steve asks James whether he'd rather do exercise or have a nap.

Oh and the guys reveal what their chosen specialist subjects would be in the unlikely event they were ever on Mastermind!

Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

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111. Can AI Save the NHS? | Chief Scientific Adviser Prof. Lucy Chappell Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Is the UK health service moving fast enough on prevention, clinical trials, and AI?

In this summer special episode, James sits down with Professor Lucy Chappell — Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Together, they dive deep into the future of healthcare research, how to bridge the gap between medical breakthroughs and patient delivery, the real role of AI in grant applications and trial management, and why health prevention must become everyone's responsibility.

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"Prevention is the New Cure" is hosted by former health ministers Lord James Bethell and Steve Brine. We explore the big ideas, politics, and innovations shaping the future of healthcare and life sciences in the UK and globally.

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Email: podcast@stevebrine.com

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