This autumn the National Theatre’s repertoire will include a musical about cancer. Be honest. What is your first reaction? Revulsion at the poor taste of those involved? Despair that the […]
Guest writers
John Davies on his first shift as a doctor at the Olympic stadium
I had my first shift at the Olympic Stadium last night and it was my first opportunity to meet my colleagues. The medical service at the stadium is integrated, unlike […]
Hilary Powers: When to take vitamin D supplements
In late July 2016 the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and Public Health England (PHE) announced new recommendations on vitamin D. SACN reviewed the evidence at the request of the Department […]
John Davies: The Olympic Games opening ceremony in an occupied city
Over the weekend, downtown Rio was like an occupied city. Traffic was diverted from whole streets so that military lorries could park en echelon, guarded at each end by squads […]
Richard Smith: What if everyone over 55 was offered a pill to prevent heart attacks and strokes?
The NHS, like other health systems, is facing huge financial pressure. Bold thinking is needed, and the King’s Fund, a British health think tank, has commissioned a series of articles […]
Helen McKenna: The consequences of living within your means
The technicality (or “administrative error” as the National Audit Office described it) that enabled the Department of Health to avoid breaching expenditure controls set by parliament may have spared it […]
Clifford Mann: My biggest career failure
I had spent five years as a senior house officer in the late 1980s and early 1990s trying to decide on a specialty, sitting exams, and changing my mind several […]
John Davies: Getting ready for Rio
As the Olympic Games approach, I’m beginning to make preparations. I’m going there! I got the bug at London 2012. They asked the public to volunteer because no games can happen […]
Sarah Mitchell: It’s time to change end of life conversations for better care
What can we do to improve care for people who are dying? Someone dies every minute in the UK. In healthcare we know we need to improve what we are […]
Collette Isabel Stadler: How poor provision of mental health services adds to the risk burden for children in care
If you are a 65 year old male smoker with hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and a family history of cardiovascular disease, the QRISK calculator informs a physician that your chances of having […]