In our debut episode of the Unprescribed podcast, I welcome Sir David Sloman, who has held significant roles within the NHS over the past 40 years. We discuss his journey from HIV and AIDS coordinator in Camden, to Chief Operating Officer of NHS England. David shares candid and emotional reflections on leading London through COVID-19, balancing urgent demands with long-term transformation, his leadership lessons, digital integration, mentorship, his reasons to stay optimistic about the future of the NHS and more.    (00:00) Introduction to the Unprescribed podcast (03:08) Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic (19:31) Keeping the momentum of change and innovation post-pandemic (30:31) David's proudest moments (37:13) Distilling great leadership (39:59) Failings, mistakes and learnings (43:11) Learnings from the frontline (48:00) Strategic priorities and system challenges (59:20) Reasons to be optimistic     Music: Election Time by Kjartan Abel. This music is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.