Let’s Talk Health and Care

Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #14: Faces Rebuilt, Lives Restored: The Bristol 3D Medical Centre

Rebuilding Identity: Inside the Bristol 3D Medical Centre with Lead Reconstructive Scientist Amy Davey Imagine losing part of your face, your smile, or even your identity and then meeting a team who can help you rebuild it.  In this remarkable on‑site episode, hosts Marc Griffiths and Peter Brindle take listeners inside the groundbreaking Bristol 3D Medical Centre, the first NHS facility in the UK to bring 3D scanning, digital modelling and 3D printing together under one roof to transform patient rehabilitation. Our guest, Amy Davey, Lead Reconstructive Scientist and Lab Manager, guides us through the full journey: from ultra‑precise facial scanning to digital sculpting, from high‑tech resin and PEEK printing to the traditional hand‑crafting of prosthetics even down to the Singer sewing machine used to tailor bespoke silicone garments. More than a technological deep dive, this episode explores the emotional and therapeutic dimensions of reconstruction. Amy shares powerful patient stories, including individuals rebuilding confidence after cancer treatment, trauma, or congenital differences, and reveals how a prosthesis can do far more than restore appearance it can help restore confidence and someone’s identity. Along the way we discuss: * How the Centre supports patients from infancy to older age * The fusion of artistry, engineering and clinical care in modern prosthetics * The evolution and future of 3D‑printed medical devices in the NHS * The vital psychological aspects of appearance, identity and rehabilitation * The Centre’s growing partnerships with universities and robotics researchers * What ‘brilliant’ looks like for the next five years of innovation This is an inspiring and empowering episode that showcases innovation in practice, delivered with compassion. A must‑listen for anyone interested in health, technology, engineering, patient experience, or the future of personalised medicine. To learn more about the Bristol 3D Medical Centre and explore examples of their work, follow the link in the episode description. https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-services/reconstructive-prosthetics/bristol-3d-medical-centre [https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-services/reconstructive-prosthetics/bristol-3d-medical-centre]

Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #13: The Fragile Lifeline | Reinventing How We Make and Move Blood

In this episode of Let’s Talk Health and Care, Marc Griffiths and Peter Briddle explore the hidden complexities of the blood supply chain and the radical innovations that could transform it. Our guests in this episode, Professor Wendy Phillips, Dean for Research and Enterprise, and Dr Helen Sanderson, Senior Research Fellow, both from the College of Business and Law at UWE Bristol, share insights drawn from a decade of pioneering research into redistributed manufacturing and next‑generation blood products. Together, they discuss: * Why the blood supply chain is far more vulnerable and complex than most people realise * Their work to address battlefield blood supply challenges * Emerging innovations including walk‑in blood banks, freeze‑dried plasma, and lab‑grown red blood cells * Ethical and cultural questions around artificial versus donated blood * How military‑driven innovation could strengthen resilience across the NHS and civilian healthcare * What the next 5–10 years could look like as technology reshapes how and where we manufacture blood This episode offers a fascinating look at the future of life‑saving care, from regulation to innovation pipelines to the possibility of “better‑than‑natural” blood. The Redistributed Manufacturing in Healthcare Network: ⁠www.RiHN.org.uk [https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rihn.org.uk%2F&data=05%7C02%7CMarc.Griffiths%40uwe.ac.uk%7C7787dff26eb543f8528008de76078462%7C07ef1208413c4b5e9cdd64ef305754f0%7C0%7C0%7C639077971813671495%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vtuHYEh3FBqxFzmsD1xQEG8wPovcb%2BX2NfYuiF8TZe4%3D&reserved=0]

Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #12: Meeting young people where they are: The Empire Fighting Chance story

In this powerful episode of Let’s Talk Health and Care, Marc Griffiths and Peter Brindle take listeners inside Empire Fighting Chance, a Bristol-based organisation transforming the lives of young people who have been, in their own words, 'knocked down by life'. Through boxing-inspired therapy, culturally competent support, and deep community connection, Empire Fighting Chance is reshaping how we think about mental health, violence prevention and youth engagement. Marc and Peter speak with Co-Founder Martin Bisp, Mariella and Elaine who share the origins of their unique model, the evidence behind their impact, and what traditional services can learn from meeting young people where they truly are. Together, they explore the challenges of working with young people affected by trauma, the urgent need for systemic change, including calls for an Office of Violence Prevention and the importance of empowering local communities rather than replicating top-down interventions. Listeners will also hear from a box therapist, who brings to life what therapy looks like in the gym environment, and a young person turned staff member, who shares their journey through adversity and how this approach helped them rewrite their story. Marc and Peter close this episode with some reflections on what health and care professionals can take from the Empire model: the value of culturally relevant support, the power of safe non-clinical spaces, and the need to be braver in commissioning innovative approaches for those who need them most. A compelling episode that challenges assumptions, highlights community-led innovation, and offers a hopeful look at what’s possible when we design services with young people, not for them.   Links: Empire Fighting Chance [https://empirefightingchance.org/] Uncovered: Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts | IBMV [https://ibmv.org/]

Let's Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #11: Reflections on the first series

In this special reflective episode, hosts Dr Peter Brindle and Professor Marc Griffiths look back over a remarkable year of Let’s Talk Health and Care, exploring the themes, insights, and powerful human stories uncovered across 10 episodes and 15 inspiring guests. From 3D-printed food and smart socks to social enterprise, restorative justice, and community-led health innovation, this episode weaves together the key patterns that have emerged across conversations, technology with purpose, research with impact, and people at the heart of everything.

Let’s Talk Health and Care Podcast Episode #10: Beyond Hospital Walls: Healthcare in the Heart of the Community

In this episode, we are on location at the For All Health Living Centre in Weston-Super-Mare with Mark Graham (CEO of the For All Healthy Living Centre) and Joanne Poole (Director of Nursing at Weston General Hospital)*  We explore how partnerships between hospitals and communities are redefining what care really means and discuss the mission to move healthcare beyond hospital walls and closer to where people live their lives. Unpacking themes of trust, prevention, and collaboration, highlighting how local relationships and new ways of working can transform health outcomes are all explored. From 'tribal mapping' to re-imagining the workforce of the future, this episode shines a light on how small communities can lead big system change.   *At the time of recording this episode, Joanna Poole was working at Weston General Hospital.  Joanne is currently on a secondment to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust as the Assistant Chief Nurse.     https://www.forallhlc.org/