58. Dr. George Winder - Don’t medicalise poverty

Wild Card - Whose Shoes?

🎙️ Wildcard Whose Shoes? - “Don’t Medicalise Poverty” with Dr. George Winder, GP in Leeds
In this powerful episode of ‘Wildcard - Whose Shoes?’, host Gill Phillips sits down with Dr. George Winder, a passionate GP from Leeds, to explore a critical issue in healthcare: the medicalisation of poverty. George shares eye-opening stories from his work, revealing how social injustice and poverty affect health and well-being—and why simply prescribing medication isn’t the answer.
Gill and George discuss real-life examples of how local care partnerships and community support networks are making a difference in Leeds. From housing and domestic violence to food hunger, George shares his team’s innovative approaches to tackling the root causes of illness. Listen in to learn how co-produced solutions and third-sector collaboration are transforming lives—like “V,” who went from being dependent on medication to becoming a community leader.
If you’re passionate about social justice, healthcare reform, or community well-being, this conversation will inspire and challenge you.
Tune in and take a walk in someone else’s shoes! 🎧
Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
🍋The NHS is medicalising poverty - we need to address the root causes of health inequalities - the wider determinants of health
🍋 George shares practical examples of how we can work together to create a healthcare system that truly supports those in need
🍋 Use asset-based approaches
🍋 Focus on addressing need
🍋 Go out to where people are, rather than expecting them to come to you
🍋 Storytelling is very powerful in this
🍋 Co-produced solutions and third-sector collaboration are transforming lives
🍋 More resources would mean more people could be helped
Links to earlier episodes in this Universal Healthcare series:
Becky Malby - What is universal healthcare and why does it matter?
Tom Holliday - Children get less
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Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

Capíttulos

1. George Winder and his team in Leeds are leading the way with finding imaginative ways to deliver universal healthcare (00:00:00)

2. George introduces himself and his work and explains the effects poverty can have on people (00:02:16)

3. The wider determinants of health, such as poor housing conditions or food hunger, affect peoples overall well-being and capability (00:04:34)

4. The importance of primary care working with local partners, particularly community groups (00:07:00)

5. Upskilling people so that they know how to respond when they see people experiencing domestic violence or other traumatic events (00:07:19)

6. “It’s about working with people, understanding their unique challenges, but also where the systemic issues are” (00:08:57)

7. So is the NHS medicalising poverty? Yes! (00:09:27)

8. The inspirational story about ‘V’ – who went from having serious mental health problems to becoming a community leader (00:10:09)

9. Funding community partners to go out and offer healthcare checks and screening to people, rather than expecting everyone to come to you (00:14:08)

10. Working with people to understand them and offer real help, rather than just sticking plasters (00:15:33)

11. What resistance has there been and how have you overcome this? Start somewhere, rather than waiting for perfection. (00:16:53)

12. Imaginative solutions can be a VERY effective use of the public purse! (00:19:15)

13. Social prescribing can be transformative, but we need to make sure support reaches those who need it most and not diluted (00:19:35)

14. “ if we have more money and more resource, we could do more” (00:22:20)

15. This conversation is to be continued! (00:22:28)