Equity Charter Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we kick off our deep dive into the 10 principles of the Equity Charter. This principle in many ways is the most important and impactful one in terms of effecting lasting change: our own individual responsibility to actively champion equity. Whilst the episode doesn’t focus on the digital health sector specifically, it takes us through the foundations for change that are universal.

Here to guide us as our experts are Joy Warmington, CEO of brap and Roger Kline, Workforce Consultant and academic researcher at Middlesex University. 

You will hear Joy mention the works of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, and you can also listen to the brap podcast, The Quiet Revolution.

Roger also mentions the report he wrote called  No More Tick Boxes which highlights the inequity in NHS recruitment for those with protected characteristics.

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

Welcome to the introductory episode of the Equity Charter podcast. The Equity Charter is a social movement to promote equity within the digital health sector in order to narrow the health inequality gap. Our Charter consists of 10 principles and some accompanying actions,  for any individuals or organisations working in this space to make tangible change.

In this series we will be doing a deep dive into each principle in turn with a selection of subject matter experts sharing their expertise and perspectives.

In this episode, you’ll meet all three co-founders: Ayesha Rahim, NHS psychiatrist and CCIO, Victoria Betton, Director for Digital, Data and AI, and Hassan Chaudhury, Digital Propositions Lead for Medica, who will tell you why they started the movement and how it all came about. You’ll also hear from our special guest Jon Hoeksma, CEO of Future Health Intelligence who was instrumental in the launch of the Charter in 2024.

And here are some links to some books which we’ve found helpful:

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

White Fragility

So You Want to Talk About Race

Invisible Women

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

In a break from our usual schedule, this week we have a bonus special episode that was recorded at the Digital Health Rewired conference in March 2026. In this episode, co-founder Victoria Betton interviews 3 guests who appeared on the Equity Charter conference panel telling us all about how they’ve embedded equity within their organisations.

You’ll hear from Annie Chamberlain, Head of Service Design and Experience at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust telling us about developing equity personas, and their new Equality Impact Assessment toolkit.

Joe Waller, Director and Founder of Aire Logic talks about his company’s efforts to attract female engineers, in the context of their low-hierarchy organisational structure. 

And Martin McFadyen, Director of Public Sector at Virgin Media O2 Business explains the virtuous circle of telehealth also leading to greener business practices, and how his organisation ensures that all job adverts use gender inclusive language.

We hope you enjoy the chat.

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

In this episode we’ll be examining how leaders can embed equity into their work. Our special guests this week are Monique Carayol, Leadership Coach and founder of Bravery in the Boardroom, and Andy Callow, NHS Chief Digital and Transformation Officer at Nottingham University Hospitals.

Check out the Bravery in the Boardroom podcast here, and you can read Andy’s blog here, where you can also search for his “How not to suck at…” series on NHS job applications.

Other works mentioned include Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed and also the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard and the NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

This week we’ll be doing a deep dive into how and why equity should be embedded into strategy. 

You’ll hear from Hatim Abdulhussein, CEO of Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex who talks about the various areas where a strategic ethos can manifest such as innovation and procurement.

Joan Saddler, Director of Partnerships and Equality, and Co-Chair of the Equality and Diversity Council at the NHS Alliance speaks about the downstream impact of getting strategic equity right (and wrong), and also the importance of partnering with other organisations in achieving this aim.

Also mentioned in the show are two books: 

Decolonizing Healthcare Innovation: Low-Cost Solutions from Low-Income by Matthew Harris

Turning the World Upside Down Again: Global health in a time of pandemics, climate change and political turmoil by Nigel Crisp

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

For this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at equity through a policy lens. With us to navigate this topic is Marie Gabriel DBE - Chair of North East London ICB and Chair of the Race and Health Observatory and Pritesh Mistry, Digital Technologies Fellow at the King’s Fund.

The following resources and documents are mentioned in the show:

Digital Inclusion Framework

Designing Inclusive Digital Health Services With Communities

Seven Anti-Racism Principles and Briefings

Pulse Oximetry and Racial Bias: Recommendations for National Healthcare Regulatory and Research Bodies

The Cost of Racism

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

In this week’s episode we are joined by Natasha Phillips, founder of Future Nurse and former Chief Nursing Information Officer at NHS England, and  Shera Chok, Co-Founder of the Shuri Network and GP. 

They take us through their perspectives on recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce, and the benefits this brings in designing products and services that meet the needs of a diverse society. 

If you’re interested in how you can expand your talent pool, this is the episode for you.

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

In this episode we’ll be exploring the 7th principle of the Equity Charter: “Digital products and services are designed equitably”. Here to help us delve into the fascinating world are Lia Ali, doctor, digital strategist, and design advocate along with Pete Nuckley, Head of User-Centred Design at NHS England.

We’ll hear about the importance of differentiating between design wants and design needs; moving from consultation to co-production; and how Oxo vegetable peelers are a great example of when you design for inclusion, everyone benefits.

Further resources mentioned in the show:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 

NHS digital service manual 

Good Things Foundation 

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

For this week’s episode we are looking at how equity and inequity manifest in the world of innovation and research. 

Our guest experts are MaryAnn Ferreux, Chief Medical Officer at Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, and Jess Morley, Associate Research Fellow at the Yale Digital Ethics Centre.

Our conversation take us through some thought-provoking insights on the concept of “minimal viable datasets”, the role of research funders as a lever for encouraging equity, and importantly, not losing sight of the fact that change for good is still possible.

You can learn more on this topic through the following resources mentioned on the show:

Health inequalities - Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex

Health Equity guide for innovators

Responsible innovation – UKRI

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr 

This week we are delighted to have not two, but three experts to join me on this exploration of the world of procurement and contracting. You will hear Patrick Vernon, Pro-Chancellor for Health at the University of Wolverhampton, and former ICB chair at Birmingham and Solihull talking about a radical new equity-informed approach to contracting in the NHS. Keith Smith, Public Sector Strategy and Market Development Lead for O2 Business highlights government incentives to support SMEs get a foothold in the market. And Dan Brayshaw, Commercial Director at Aire Logic talks about how the social value scrutiny of bids (and the approach by suppliers) has evolved over time.

Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe, and let us know what you think of the show!

Website: www.equitycharter.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equity-charter/ 

Contact: hello@equitycharter.digital 

Shout out to our technical engineer: David Hills Davidoaudio@gmail.com 

Music by Rocket Jr, “High Tech” https://www.instagram.com/itsrocketjr