Prevention is the New Cure

The social media ban for under-16s is officially here - but can government actually enforce it?

In Episode 102 of the health and politics podcast, Prevention is the new cure, former Health Ministers Steve Brine and James Bethell dive into Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s landmark announcement. From the technical realities of age verification to the political motivations behind the ban, they break down what this means for parents, tech giants like Meta and TikTok, and the future of public health.

Plus, a massive game-changer in the obesity crisis: the MHRA has approved the UK’s first oral GLP-1 tablet (Wegovy pill) for weight loss. Will a daily tablet shift our public psychology away from "medicalised" injections and into a mass-rollout era?

James also reports live from the HLTH conference in Amsterdam on the massive health innovation class divide, what the US-based "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again) movement gets right about food policy, and why an NHS cybersecurity breach is a matter of clinical patient safety—not just an IT glitch.

💡 Prevention is the new cure - every Thursday, we land at the intersection of health, policy, and politics.

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Produced by Calum Macdonald at Shortbread Media.

#KeirStarmer #SocialMediaBan #WegovyPill #NHSCyberSecurity #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #MAHAMovement
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WhatsApp us: 0333 404 6507
Email: hello@preventionisthenewcure.com
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Are we witnessing the collapse of the government's 10-year NHS plan, or are we on the brink of a healthcare revolution?

Live from the NHS ConfedExpo 2026 in Manchester, former health ministers Steve Brine and James Bethel sit down to analyse a seismic period for health and politics. Following the shocking resignation of Wes Streeting and the appointment of James Murray as Secretary of State, we ask: who is steering the ship, and could an Andy Burnham administration be on the horizon?

We also dive into incredible healthcare breakthroughs: the world’s first AI-designed vaccine passing human trials at the University of Cambridge, and game-changing precision therapies doubling advanced pancreatic cancer survival rates.

Plus, special guests Richard Sloggett (Future Health Research) and Lee-Ann Farrell (J&J) join the pod to discuss social care levies, NHS structural changes, and the reality of innovation on the frontline.

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Email: hello@preventionisthenewcure.com
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England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, joins former Health Ministers Steve Brine and James Bethell inside the Department of Health for our landmark 100th episode.

Sir Chris breaks down the data behind the prostate cancer screening decision, why 45% of dementia cases can be delayed, the truth about childhood obesity and air pollution.

In this special episode we sit down with the Government’s Chief Medical Officer to tackle the science of uncertainty. From his pivotal role in the Tobacco and Vapes Act to the rise of localised air pollution from wood-burning stoves in urban environments, Sir Chris Whitty shares a masterclass on individual vs. societal risk. We also explore the future of the treatments over the next 20 years, including the revolutionary impacts of cancer immunotherapy, RNA vaccines, and AI diagnostics.

A co-production by Calum Macdonald at Shortbread Media, and George Cooper at Footwork Media.
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WhatsApp us: 0333 404 6507
Email: hello@preventionisthenewcure.com
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In a week that Tony Blair returned to UK headlines, James Bethell and Steve Brine wonder whether the former Prime Minister is right on healthcare (among other things) and will he have an influence over a potential Labour leadership contest?

This week’s episode also features Professor Adam Fox, Chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group, discussing Britain’s growing allergy crisis, anaphylaxis, food labelling, Owen’s Law, and why allergy care urgently needs reform.

You can find out more about the work of the National Allergy Strategy Group - and read their plan - here.

Also on today's episode:
Why heatwaves are becoming a major NHS challenge
Melanoma skin cancer cases
Ground-breaking lung cancer screening
A “one-and-done” cholesterol injection that could transform prevention
Why GLP-1 drugs are changing healthcare and politics

This episode is produced by Tim Pont and is part of the Shortbread Media family of podcasts.
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WhatsApp us: 0333 404 6507
Email: hello@preventionisthenewcure.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As candidates emerge ahead of a potential Labour leadership contest James Bethell and Steve Brine consider a tale of two health secretaries vying for the top job. How do Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting stack up when it comes healthcare policy?

Is Burnham’s local, social-determinant approach the future of 21st-century healthcare, or does Streeting’s Blairite, target-driven strategy hold the real key to saving the NHS?

In this episode, we also discuss:
The Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: is there cause for concern?
Why This year's Chelsea Flower Show is putting health and wellbeing centre stage
Women’s health, mental health and the social determinants of health
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WhatsApp us: 0333 404 6507
Email: hello@preventionisthenewcure.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.