I squirm every time I hear that “increasing patient demand” is driving up costs in the NHS. I squirm because demand, although a standard technical word of economists, sounds so […]
Month: January 2017
David Shaw: The implications of conflicts of interest for informed consent
The General Medical Council (GMC) has detailed guidelines on handling conflicts of interest. These state that “You must not allow any interests you have to affect the way you prescribe […]
Derek Bell: A blame approach will endanger the future of the NHS
Both the news headlines and the staff working in healthcare report real pressures within the NHS. The reasons for this are multifactorial and include recruiting and retaining a high quality workforce, […]
Living with tinnitus and how it’s helped me identify with my patients
My illness presented itself suddenly in the middle of a summer night when tinnitus woke me up like an unwelcome visitor. I waited a few minutes for it to go […]
Miranda Wolpert: We must set realistic expectations for outcomes in child mental health
The secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt, identified Child and Young People’s Mental Health Services as “the biggest single area of weakness in NHS provision at the moment.” Hardly a day […]
Seth Berkley: The new priority in Syria is preventing epidemics
Regardless of how the current ceasefire agreement in Syria came about, it has—to a large extent—brought a welcome halt to hostilities in many parts of the country. But as one […]
Samir Dawlatly: The perfect storm to distract us from a crisis
All over social media recently there has been wailing and gnashing of teeth by GPs, such as myself, at suggestions that the opening hours of general practice are in some way […]
Florence Wilcock: Maternity voices partnerships—“No hierarchy, just people”
“No decision about me without me” has been a key element of NHS rhetoric since 2012. It’s a great idea, however, the current reality is that as a universal principle […]
Reena Aggarwal: Finding a scapegoat for the NHS crisis
A year ago junior doctors in England went on strike for the first time in four decades. Jeremy Hunt, health secretary for England, used statistics on the so called “weekend […]
David Gilbert: “What would a patient led solution to the A+E crisis look like?”
Like many people who spout rhetoric about the NHS, I am guilty of indulging in the blame game. Some professionals and policy makers “blame” patients for “inappropriate attendance” at A&E […]