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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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)