89: HealthTech Hour with Steve Roest - Episode 8989: HealthTech Hour with Steve Roest - Episode 89
UK Health Radio Podcast
Steve Roost talks with Deloitte’s Sara Siegel about NHS-focused health technology, data-driven change, AI in clinical care and the realities of regulation. The conversation blends policy detail with personal reflections on why healthcare work still feels meaningful and hopeful.
50:27•3 Nov 2026
Sara Siegel on Data, AI and Why She Still Loves the NHS
Episode Overview
- Consulting can provide short-term specialist skills and capacity for big healthcare projects that organisations can’t staff internally.
- The UK’s approach to branded drug payments focuses on profit caps rather than fixed prices, aiming to save taxpayers money while funding areas like paediatric and ultra-orphan drugs.
- Sara views the NHS as remarkably valuable compared with the US system, while still seeing a clear need for modernisation and better use of data.
- AI tools such as ambient voice technology and post-discharge calling avatars are already reducing admin burden, improving patient experience and cutting readmissions.
- Effective regulation and clearer partnerships with big tech are crucial to let AI-driven health solutions grow safely without freezing innovation.
“Whenever I'm in a really tough situation, I think of the other tough situations that I have weathered… and I just tell myself, you did that, you can do this.”
Ever wondered what it looks like when big consulting meets real-world healthcare problems? This episode of UK Health Radio’s HealthTech Hour brings together host Steve Roost and Sara Siegel, Global Health Care Sector Leader at Deloitte, for a wide-ranging chat that mixes policy geekery, tech optimism and very human stories.
You’ll hear Sara explain how she stumbled into healthcare after a miserable stint pricing sheet glass in a Pennsylvania basement, then suddenly found herself helping the UK government reshape how the NHS pays for branded prescription drugs. She describes that project as “hugely valuable”, combining complex analytics with saving money for taxpayers and improving care for millions. A big chunk of the conversation looks at why Sara remains “completely enamoured” of the NHS, even while acknowledging its frustrations.
She contrasts the UK system with the US, where healthcare costs are a major cause of personal bankruptcy, and argues that modernising services through data and technology is a worthy mission. From single patient records and regional data platforms in London and Greater Manchester to AI tools like ambient voice technology, Sara and Steve talk through practical examples of tech making life easier for clinicians and patients.
There’s a striking story from Canada, where an AI avatar now calls elderly patients after discharge, reducing readmissions and even improving reported wellbeing. They don’t shy away from the thorny bits either: regulation for AI, data sovereignty, and how the NHS can work with big tech players without feeling its data is being held captive.
Sara sees a near future where patients manage appointments, results and even shared care records through one slick app, backed by clearer data on clinical outcomes. The conversation ends on a personal note, with Sara’s simple self-talk for hard times: “You did that, you can do this.” If you’re curious how healthcare systems might actually get better instead of just busier, this chat might give you some fresh questions to ask about your own care journey.
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