There is more than one way to build a career in the NHS. While many people assume university is the only route, work experience and apprenticeships offer powerful alternatives. These pathways help people gain insight, develop confidence, and take meaningful first steps into healthcare. In this episode of The Right Chamber, we explore how these opportunities open doors for students, career-changers, and existing staff alike.

Work experience plays a vital role in helping people understand what working in the NHS actually involves. For some, it confirms an existing ambition. However, for others, it reveals new possibilities they had never considered. Through exposure to real environments and professionals, individuals can make informed decisions about their future. As a result, they avoid committing to paths that may not suit their strengths or interests.

Apprenticeships provide structured, hands-on learning alongside practical experience. Importantly, they create opportunities to enter the NHS at different levels and progress over time. Many people begin in entry-level roles and develop into highly skilled professionals. Furthermore, apprenticeships support career progression for existing staff who want to grow within the organisation.

Career journeys rarely follow a straight line. Instead, people often discover new ambitions through experience, exposure, and support. Whether you are leaving school, considering a career change, or looking to progress in your current role, these pathways offer accessible and flexible options.

Ultimately, this conversation highlights the breadth of opportunity within the NHS and reinforces a simple message: there is a place for everyone. NHS work experience and apprenticeships.

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Produced by the RGUC Digital Media Team – https://iclinical.co.uk/digital-media-links

Music credit: Kalte Ohren (septahelix remix) by septahelix (c) copyright 2019 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/septahelix/59527 Ft: starfrosch

The final episode of our three-part sexual safety mini-series focuses on what happens after awareness and data. Attention shifts to reporting processes, accountability and the practical steps needed to support staff, driving a culture change for safer workplaces.

Guests discuss why clear, transparent reporting pathways matter and how delays or lack of feedback can undermine trust. The episode explores how uncertainty about outcomes often discourages future reporting.

The conversation also addresses accountability, particularly when concerns involve senior staff. No one, regardless of role, should feel beyond challenge or consequence.

Finally, the episode looks forward. Training, leadership responsibility and everyday behaviours all play a role in culture change. The series concludes by reinforcing that sexual safety is a shared responsibility, requiring sustained commitment across teams and organisations.

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#SAAM #SexualViolenceAwareness #SupportSurvivors #ConsentMatters #BreakTheSilence #NHS #speakup #ItsNotOk

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Produced by the RGUC Digital Media Team – https://iclinical.co.uk/digital-media-links

Episode two of this three-part mini series focuses on staff survey findings exploring sexual harassment in the NHS. Rather than presenting numbers alone, the conversation explains what the data reveals about prevalence, experience and reporting.

From there, the discussion moves beneath the surface. Guests explore why reporting rates remain low, including fears around power imbalance, lack of confidence in outcomes, and concerns about not being taken seriously.

Importantly, the episode challenges the idea that low reporting equals low harm. Instead, it highlights how silence often reflects fear, normalisation and uncertainty about what will happen next.

Experiences involving patients are also discussed, adding depth to the findings and reinforcing the complexity of sexual safety in healthcare. Overall, this episode shows why data must be understood in context and used as a tool for improvement, not reassurance.

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#SAAM #SexualViolenceAwareness #SupportSurvivors #ConsentMatters #BreakTheSilence #NHS #speakup #ItsNotOk

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Produced by the RGUC Digital Media Team – https://iclinical.co.uk/digital-media-links

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses topics related to sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, which some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening, and feel free to skip this episode or take a break if you need to.

This first episode of this three-part mini series on sexual safety in the NHS opens a necessary conversation about sexual safety in NHS workplaces. Drawing on lived experience and frontline insight, the discussion explores what sexual harassment can look like in hospital settings, from overt incidents to comments often dismissed as “just banter”.

The conversation then turns to power dynamics and hierarchy, examining how seniority can influence behaviour and silence those affected. Dr Andrea Gait and Dr Maya Patel reflect on why intent is often used to minimise harm, and why the impact of behaviour matters more than how it was meant.

Attention also focuses on the emotional toll of harassment and the barriers staff face when considering whether to speak up. Experiences involving patients are explored, highlighting the additional complexity staff encounter in clinical environments.

By the end of the episode, listeners are encouraged to reflect on everyday language, behaviour and culture at work. This episode sets the foundation for the series by helping audiences recognise the problem and understand why it persists.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, share, and subscribe for more real stories from inside the NHS.

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#SAAM #SexualViolenceAwareness #SupportSurvivors #ConsentMatters #BreakTheSilence #NHS #speakup #ItsNotOk

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Produced by the RGUC Digital Media Team – https://iclinical.co.uk/digital-media-links

Healthcare technology is evolving fast, but progress brings responsibility. In this episode of The Right Chamber, we look beyond the headlines to explore how AI and digital systems are actually being used inside the NHS, and how AI technology must not be a substitute for professional judgement.

AI already supports clinical decision-making, data analysis, and patient flow. However, as adoption accelerates, new risks emerge. Throughout this episode, we examine where technology adds value and where over-reliance can quietly introduce harm.

Next, the discussion moves from theory to practice. We unpack ambient voice technology, digital transformation, and the unseen infrastructure that keeps hospitals running. Along the way, we explore how good design can reduce administrative burden, improve patient experience, and support staff wellbeing.

Crucially, this episode reinforces one key message: technology must remain a tool, not a substitute for professional judgement. AI can assist, streamline, and enhance, yet it still requires human oversight, ethical governance, and accountability.

Finally, the conversation highlights the digital and corporate teams working behind the scenes. Their work often goes unnoticed, but without it, frontline care simply cannot function.

00:00 Introduction to The Right Chamber Podcast

00:49 Meet Ravinder (Ravi) Sota

02:29 The Role of the Digital, Data, and Tech Teams

03:22 Ravi’s Journey: From Finance to the NHS

07:06 Current Projects and Ambient Voice Tech

08:14 How Ambient Voice Tech Works

15:30 AI in Medicine and Triage

16:18 Addressing Bias in AI

18:42 Misconceptions about IT and Digital Transformation

20:11 Governance, Safety, and National Guidelines

26:27 The Importance of Corporate Services in the NHS

30:00 Advice for Aspiring Tech Professionals

34:40 The Power of Innovation and Listening

35:52 Closing Remarks

Discover how the NHS is navigating AI: carefully, collaboratively, and with people at the centre.

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of The Right Chamber dives into one of the most important challenges in modern healthcare: supporting resident doctors in a system under constant pressure. Dr Richard Alleyne, a palliative medicine consultant and Wellbeing Champion for resident doctors, joins Jasprit and Victor to share practical insights on how senior clinicians can create safer, healthier working environments. He explains why resident doctors often hide their struggles, and he describes how simple check-ins can prevent burnout.

Throughout the conversation, Dr Alleyne highlights the enormous impact of small, intentional actions. For example, he shows how asking a second “Are you okay?” can reveal issues that often stay hidden. Moreover, he stresses that meaningful support does not require long meetings. Instead, it can begin with noticing a change, taking a moment to listen, and offering clear guidance.

To help clinicians do this consistently, Dr Alleyne introduces the SHINE Toolkit. Each step—Spot, Hear, Inquire, Nurture, Escalate—offers a practical way to respond when a colleague seems overwhelmed. The framework gives senior staff a structure they can use even on busy wards. Consequently, teams can act early and reduce the risk of bigger problems.

The episode also explores how small acts of kindness shape team culture. Dr Alleyne shares powerful stories showing how supportive behaviour boosts morale, strengthens trust, and improves patient care. Additionally, he reminds listeners that caring for one another is not optional; it is essential for a healthy workplace.

listeners gain clear strategies for spotting distress, opening supportive conversations, offering encouragement, and signposting colleagues to the right help. These insights benefit consultants, trainees, nurses, and anyone working in fast-paced clinical environments. Ultimately, the discussion encourages every listener to help their colleagues shine—and to build a healthcare system grounded in compassion and awareness, ultimately supporting resident doctors in a system under constant pressure.

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hosts Victor and Jasprit sit down with Ruckie Kahlon to explore hospital pharmacy. Ruckie shares her 25-year journey with the Trust, from pre-registration pharmacist to Chief Pharmacist and Medicines Optimisation lead. She explains how pharmacy within the hospital underpins every patient pathway, from prescribing decisions to administration and monitoring of medicines.

Moreover, she outlines her statutory responsibilities, directly delegated from the Chief Executive, for safe, effective medicines use across The Dudley Group. The conversation reveals the structure of the pharmacy directorate, with about 200 staff in 11 specialist teams.

For example, Ruckie breaks down the roles of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, assistants and apprentices, and how they collaborate daily. She highlights how pharmacists increasingly prescribe independently, while pharmacy technicians take on broader clinical duties at the bedside. Meanwhile, digital systems are reshaping practice, from electronic prescribing to robots that pick, store and dispense medicines with precision. These tools reduce errors, speed up supply and free staff to focus on complex, patient-facing clinical work.

Additionally, Ruckie describes the challenge of medicine shortages and the careful planning needed to protect patient safety. Her teams track supply, secure alternatives, and work closely with clinicians to maintain continuity of essential treatments. On controlled drugs, she explains her role as Accountable Officer and the safeguards that prevent diversion and misuse. Robust policies, audits and ward-level checks ensure every dose is recorded, reviewed and used for genuine patient need.

Furthermore, the episode celebrates the close relationships between pharmacists, doctors and nurses on wards and in clinics. Listeners hear how ward pharmacists join rounds, solve prescribing problems and support junior doctors with real-time advice. As a result, pharmacy becomes visible not just as a dispenser, but as a vital clinical partner in care. If you work in healthcare or simply care about patient safety, this conversation is essential listening.

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