🏥 The "ticking time bomb" in the North's hospitals 🛡️ Turning Scarborough into a Cyber Security HQ

With all the attention on drama at the top of government and what it could mean for our economy, the parlous state of the NHS looks like it's barely registering on the news agenda.Speaking in Parliament this week, new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised, among other things, a stronger NHS. But Covid backlogs, record waiting periods in A&E, and unprecedented pressures on ambulance services are just some of the challenges facing the Government, amid fears health service leaders will be asked to make further savings to plug the gaping holes in the public finances.Nowhere are the pressures on the NHS more acute than in Greater Manchester. Rob Parsons speaks to Helena Vesty, the Manchester Evening News' health correspondent, to bring us up to date on how things are in the North's hospitals at the moment.And when most people think of the borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, they probably conjure up images like: the famous beach, fishing, penny arcades and maybe Whitby Abbey - the inspiration for Bram Stoker' Dracula.But there's some very exciting work going on turn the area into one of the country's leading areas for cyber-security - which if successful could bring the high-skilled job and opportunity it need to thrive. And it might do something to turn the tide in a borough where educational outcomes are among the worst in the country. Liz Colling, who is Cabinet Member Inclusive Growth at Scarborough borough council, tells the podcast how she wants to turn the area into a "cyber cluster".The Northern Agenda is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Rob Parsons, and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin.You can subscribe to the daily Northern Agenda newsletter here: http://www.thenorthernagenda.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices