🎙️ Wild Card - Whose Shoes? Podcast 🎙️
🎉 Episode 63: Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp! 🎉

Join us for a festive and heartfelt episode as we celebrate a decade of the groundbreaking #MatExp campaign, born from the Whose Shoes? co-production movement!

This special Christmas edition revisits the vibrant energy of our 10-year anniversary event held on October 17th, 2024, blending highlights from the session with moving testimonials, joyful moments, and powerful reflections.

🍋💡🍋 Why listen?

• The Evidence Base: Hear live testimonials and stories that showcase the real impact #MatExp has had on maternity care, as shared by parents, healthcare professionals, and changemakers during the celebration.
• Moments to Remember: From lithotomy challenges and Mexican waves to the iconic #MatExp the Musical, we relive the creativity, courage, and co-production that have defined this journey.
• Hope for the Future: Reflect on the challenges facing maternity services today and the enduring hope for change, inspired by our community's dedication and innovation.
• Interactive Fun: Experience the joy of reconnection through breakout room anecdotes, graphic visuals, musical interludes - and even a live rap!

🍼 Special shoutouts to the incredible #MatExp community who’ve co-created resources, challenged traditional hierachies, and sparked “lemon lightbulb moments” that continue to improve maternity experiences worldwide.

🎄 Whether you’re a Whose Shoes “addict” or discovering us for the first time, this episode is an inspiring celebration of what’s been achieved—and what’s still to come. Together, let’s keep the #MatExp banner flying high!

✨ Listen now and feel the festive spirit of co-production in action! ✨

Links to some resources mentioned in the podcast:
🍋 Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp - highly visual. Watch on Youtube!
🍋 Whose Shoes comes to Brighton - song and dance and CAKE!
🍋 The Robin Hood midwives in Sherwood Forest
🍋 #FabObs Flo's TED talk
🍋 Nottingham Whose Shoes event
🍋 The new neonatal unit being built at Alder Hey
🍋 Jo Minford and Mary Salama #IntentionalCoffee
🍋 Young parents - Birmingham Families - Whose Shoes event
🍋 #MatExp the Musical
🍋 Fab NHS Stuff - #MatExp collection
🍋 Whose News? - our #MPFTWhoseShoes project - children and families

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

Bonus episode!
Dr. George Winder and I pick up from our impactful “Don’t Medicalise Poverty” conversation (Episode 58, Universal Healthcare mini-series).

George’s work is refreshing. It goes beyond prescriptions and appointments.
It makes healthcare about relationships, community and plain common sense.
More human and a lot more doable!

We dive into stories that show the true power of social connection – from walking groups that tackle loneliness to blood pressure checks held away from GP practice walls. George opens up about the realities of community-based health: the greatest successes come from local ownership and the simple yet profound impact of listening to people

We explore the "why" behind the data, the risks of inactivity, the courage it takes to start where you are, gradually building networks and trust

The stories show that healthcare is a team effort – a team that includes everyone.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Walking for Wellbeing – A simple walk, a friendly coffee, and a bit of music can do wonders
The best healthcare can start with bringing people together, not with prescriptions
🍋 Loneliness as a Health Crisis – Research shows that meaningful social interactions can be as important as vaccinations
Community activities like “move to music” and chair-based yoga aren't just exercise; they’re lifelines
🍋 Scaling vs. Staying Local – Not everything is meant for mass production.
True community-based health relies on local ownership, where the community shapes what they need most
🍋 The Power of Passion – Real change happens when people lead with passion. A retired teacher running a children’s reading group from a car park during Covid19 is a reminder that enthusiasm can surmount setbacks!
🍋 Inactivity Is a Risk – George nails it with “inactivity can be as dangerous as activity.” When fear of risk paralyzes action, community needs get sidelined.
Vital support can be lost.
🍋 Meeting People Where They Are – Health isn’t always in the clinic.
By bringing blood pressure checks to community spaces, George’s team is reaching those who might never go to a GP
🍋 The Pitfall of Opt-in Systems – bureaucracy often leaves behind people in vulnerable situations. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it can mean missing critical care
🍋 The elephant in the room - honesty re NHS Resources and prioritisation can help people understand the real cost and impact of services
🍋 Trust in the Team – Multidisciplinary work means no organisational walls. George’s weekly team check-ins are open and flexible, with colleagues calling in from the real world – creating a 'team hug' that’s both supportive and effective
🍋 Healthcare needs kindness and connection at its core
George’s 'team hug' and Gill’s kindness conversations remind us that sometimes simply listening and showing empathy can transform BOTH patient and practitioner experiences

Links
George Winder – Don’t medicalise poverty
Altogether Better
Bob Klaber - kindness matters
Alvanley Famil

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

In this final episode of our mini-series on universal healthcare, in collaboration with LSBU and the Universal Healthcare Network, we bring it full circle with Prof. Becky Malby, who commissioned this enlightening journey.

Over recent episodes, we've delved into stories from remarkable guests who are making universal healthcare real in their communities – from children’s services to outreach for those experiencing homelessness. Together, they’ve shown us the power of curiosity, collaboration, and plain humanity in health care.

Becky reflects on their stories and challenges us with a bold question:
If they can do it, why can’t everyone?

Why aren’t these inspiring, people-centered approaches the norm?

It’s a call to reimagine healthcare beyond the appointment system and break down walls that hinder access for the most vulnerable.

We discuss everything from the need for team support in complex care, to the irreplaceable role of storytelling, which has shone brightly throughout the series.

This episode is an inspiring wrap-up and a rallying cry to make healthcare universal in every sense.

Whether you’re in healthcare, policy, or simply curious about a fairer system, this series has laid out the path forward – and it’s one we’ll need to walk together. Thank you for joining us in this exploration.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 The Outliers' Challenge – If these guys can create truly universal healthcare, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Stop treating these stories as “exceptions”, start making them the norm.

🍋 Beyond the Appointment Factory – The NHS is more than an endless round of appointments.
Bring care to people; don't just wait for them to show up.

🍋 Break Down the Barriers – A phone call to get an appointment can be Everest for those without easy access or trust in the system.
Meet people where they are: in a clinic, on the street, or anywhere that works

🍋 Curiosity Is the Key – The best hcps aren’t the “know-it-alls”
Join the magic, curious people who keep asking, “Who else could help?” and “What’s the full picture here?”

🍋 Teamwork - it’s lighter with friends.
From school nurses to team huddles, complex care works better (and is way more fun) when you have support

🍋 Stories Over Stats – what are the stories behind the data?
George helped V get to China - shows the human impact in a way data never could

🍋 Start somewhere
Don’t overthink. Just start. Get moving. Small actions can spark big changes

🍋 Reignite the creative Pandemic Spirit – Remember the “VacciTaxies” bringing care to where people needed it?
Let's ditch the bureaucracy & reignite our drive to make healthcare accessible.

🍋 Universal healthcare is possible - it’s up to all of us to carry this momentum forward

Links:
EPISODES 56-61 in this series!
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.