The Placemat
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Top 10 The Placemat Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Placemat episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Placemat for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Placemat episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/27/21 • 34 min
Anyone of a sensitive disposition should avoid this episode, which features some very unlikely characters (AKA the usual presenting team), some spectacularly bad acting and some genuinely unforgivable regional accents.
We don't just debate the hot topics of the moment, on The Placemat we come up with practical solutions. How do we help the British public to overcome its distaste for government corruption and cronyism? The answer that's been staring us in the face is to celebrate it properly with a National Dido Harding Day. Also guaranteed to improve the nation's wellbeing is our proposal for an updated version of It's a Royal Knockout with a special guest appearance from HRH Prince Andrew - probably not suitable listening for teenage girls.
We also start a serious debate about primary care networks (PCNs), but luckily we run out of time before it has a chance to get underway.
Our special guest this week is one of the country's most highly respected GPs Dame Clare Gerada, who tells us why general practice needs to be more sexy, gets a bit cross with Julian and shares her recipe for spaghetti omelettes, the comfort food that ICSs everywhere are talking about.
Plus all your favourite regular features, including Dr Pete Turton, who tells us about his personal struggle with electoral dysfunction and, of course, another very fine Virtue Signal of the Week.
And however tempting it is to stop listening after the first few minutes, hang on until the end for the return of our talented house rapper, Hurricane Ceasar (sic) who has produced another musical gem for your listening pleasure.
RISE Part 1 - My friend Craig
The Placemat
01/27/24 • 17 min
In the first episode of our Rise special episodes, a good friend Craig Gould shares the earth-shattering moment of his cancer diagnosis, its impact on his family, and the life-altering discussions with his wife. This episode not only explores their challenging journey through the NHS but also Craig’s near-death experiences and the flicker of hope that sustained them. This sets the stage for upcoming episodes, where Craig will delve into his treatments, personal battles, the power of support systems, and the invaluable lessons learned throughout his extraordinary 12-year journey.
The Kyran Bracken Variant
The Placemat
03/31/21 • 36 min
What does the former England rugby captain Kyran Bracken know about the NHS? Refreshingly little as it turns out, but he does have some painfully funny experiences of urgent care to share. They'll have you in stitches.
In a packed episode we also find out why leading doctors are accusing Covid-19 of xenophobia and why new variants of Public Health England threaten to overwhelm the NHS.
Plus we apologise to Matt Hancock for failing to recognise that speed trumps perfection and try out his irreversible roadmap.
Brought to you by the reliably silly presenting team of Dr Mike Smith, John Bennett and Julian Patterson, with expert help from Andy Cowper and proper doctor Pete Turton (he works in a hospital).
Oh, and if you're wondering why it's called The Placemat, we finally find out this time.
Superduperforecasters
The Placemat
08/15/21 • 17 min
The Placemat has a long history of correctly predicting the major events in the NHS and beyond.
In this special bonus episode we showcase some of our finest and most prescient moments, from the resignation of Simon Stevens and the appointment of Amanda Pritchard, to the results of the Euro 2020 competition, the Covid pandemic, the outbreak of the first world war and Judas' betrayal of Jesus.
We confidently predict that we'll be back for another season of The Placemat later in the year.
The Placemat - forecasting with compassion since 3600 BC.
12/14/21 • 44 min
So the boys are back in town with a brand new season of the Placemat.
What have they learned during the hiatus? Well, not an awful lot to be honest.
Is the new CEO of NHS England worth investing in or should you wait for the next update?
Find out who Ed Waller and Ian Dodge are and the safeguards NHSE has to stop the magic being ruined in Skipton House.
Find out how and if GPs would ever strike and how they might organise themselves, as long as they get backfill for it.
And finally listen to Chris Hopson talk candidly about the NHS, GPs and how he once chained himself to a railing.
Benny Hill, Goat Curry and Isabel Oakeshott
The Placemat
08/03/21 • 38 min
In the last Placemat of the season, the boys join Simon Stevens and the Financial Times for a good lunch in one of London’s grittiest districts before celebrating all that’s bravest and best about NHS chief executives. Thank you for all you do, you modest people. And thank you for letting the HSJ write about it so that we all know how unassuming you are. What would Benny Hill make of it all? We cover that too.
Our resident junior doctor, Pete Turton, strikes a serious note about striking doctors. Why are they so bad at saying what they want, what they really, really want?
As if all that wasn’t enough, our special guest is the outspoken journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who brings more than a touch of glamour to the proceedings. She’s not afraid to say what she thinks about the NHS either, which means you’ll all hate her. Fortunately, she doesn’t care what you think. That’s why we asked her on.
Did we mention that this is the last show of the season? An exclusive account of how sad we feel about that will appear in next week’s HSJ. We’ll be back of course.
A nice cup of tea and a slice of Jeremy Hunt
The Placemat
06/25/21 • 41 min
By the time you listen to this we may have a new secretary of state for health and social care, so hurry and grab a tasty chunk of what could be the very last Matt Hancock Time. It will be heart-breaking to say goodbye to that catchy little number, which is probably how the minister feels about his advisor.
Will he cling on to take the blame for everything or will he have to take the blame for everything after he's been sacked? Who knows, but we don't let serial attention seeker and sausage wrangler Matt Hancock overshadow our other talking point of the week, the identity of the next NHS CEO. Could it be the safe but boring candidate, Amanda Pritchard, the controversial diminutive jockey and mobile phone saleswoman Dido Harding, or rank outsider and chart-topper Sir Cliff Richard?
You're going to have to listen to find out.
There's more of course. We have an interview with the man who looks likely to hang on to his record as the NHS's longest serving health secretary - at least for now - the right honourable Jeremy Hunt. Mr Hunt turns out to be right charming too, though he declines to be drawn on the subject of hopelessness.
We also find out about the latest plan by NHS comms to celebrate our wonderful health service and say thank you to doctors and nurses for going to work and doing their jobs. And thank you NHS comms for all your warm, brown ideas.
Finally, you won't want to miss the latest monologue from the laconic and deeply humble Dr Pete Turton. Thank you for everything you do, Pete.
And thank you for pressing play. We love you all, but you'll forgive us if we're less demonstrative than Mr Hancock. We need to keep it legal and safe.
Danny Finkelstein, Anti-Vaxxers & Revengay
The Placemat
06/08/21 • 35 min
Remember that film with Bill and Jeff? You know the one, the gay revenge drama set in a U-boat. No? Never mind.
In the latest episode, the boys consider whether Dominic Cummings was right to compare the government’s handling of the pandemic to sci-fi movie Independence Day, if Rosemary West would have done a good job of promoting the vaccine programme and what sort of health secretary Priti Patel would make.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Baroness Harding makes a welcome return as theoretical NHS chief executive Dido Harding, and Baron Finkelstein of Pinner, the journalist and political commentator better known as Danny Finkelstein, is our special guest.
Plus all your usual favourites, including Virtue Signal of the Week and Pete Turton’s mum’s second favourite hospital doctor, Pete Turton, with an in-depth investigation into the issues that really matter to clinicians.
Younger, groovier fans will be delighted to hear that the talented rapper and health policy analyst Hurricane Ceasar is back with another musical reflection on the state of the NHS. We think it’s his best work since the Five Year Forward View.
Warning: Contains scenes of poor taste, swearing and Andy Cowper.
05/18/21 • 37 min
In the latest episode of the NHS's most influential and serious podcast, hosts Mike, Julian and The Other Guy take the burning issues of the day and attempt to run with them, like three inept athletes at the start of a very bad olympic games.
What has forced rhubarb got to do with integrated care in west Yorkshire? Should patient directors be allowed to run airlines and railways? Why has John got an erection in the garden and should we have one in London to honour nurses?
Find out the answers to all these questions and - if you can bear it - listen to our moving appeal for adoptive homes for GPs who used to work in clinical commissioning groups. Who will pat them, untangle their cardigans and toilet train them now?
On a lighter note, our special guest is Baroness Tanni Grey-Thomspon the multiple gold medal winning paralympian wheelchair racer and cross-bench peer. She tells us why she has a particular reason to be grateful to the NHS and what she has tattooed on her foot.
Plus, we reveal the amazing reason why Pete Turton is still better known as a doctor than a comedian, another heartwarming Virtue Signal of the Week and a premature musical farewell to everyone's favourite five year forward viewer from everyone's favourite South African rapper, Hurricane Caesar.
Seagulls, Gangsta Rap and Dr Mark Porter
The Placemat
04/14/21 • 33 min
This week's episode of the NHS's favourite podcast finds Sir Simon Stevens rooting through your bins. No the head of NHS England hasn't fallen on hard times, but he is keen to keep you out of hospital by checking you are doing everything you can to stay healthy.
Talking of rubbish, we also take the lid off integrated care systems: what are they and more importantly why are they? To help us explore this important topic we're joined once again by Andy Cowper.
And if that weren't enough, we talk to the charming and handsome Dr Mark Porter about the NHS, his work on TV and radio and why he has signed off Twitter for the last time.
Plus all your regular favourites including Virtue Signal of the Week and everyone's second favourite media doctor, Pete Turton.
This weeks show also features a musical treat designed to increase our appeal to younger audiences.
WARNING: May contain some bad accents, terrible acting and puerile humour.
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Placemat have?
The Placemat currently has 16 episodes available.
What topics does The Placemat cover?
The podcast is about Doctor, Health & Fitness, Comedy, Podcasts, Pandemic and Healthcare.
What is the most popular episode on The Placemat?
The episode title 'Chris Hopson, Amanda Pritchard 1.0 and The Magic Kingdom' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Placemat?
The average episode length on The Placemat is 31 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Placemat released?
Episodes of The Placemat are typically released every 14 days, 8 hours.
When was the first episode of The Placemat?
The first episode of The Placemat was released on Feb 21, 2021.
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