We need to listen to communities of people who have recovered from illness, says Paul Garner I loved my job, had good friends, and felt as high as a […]
Patient and public perspectives
The risk of long covid must be a primary consideration in policy decisions
Dear prime minister, In your address to the nation on 4th January 2021 you said the following regarding the vaccination programme: “By the middle of February … we expect to […]
The way in which the NHS manages patients presenting with possible bowel cancer symptoms is in need of review
The way in which the NHS manages patients presenting with possible bowel cancer symptoms is in need of urgent review. A new article in The BMJ suggests that the evidence […]
The voice of people living with COPD: what I learned from doing qualitative research
As a general respiratory physician, schooled in the clinical world of evidence-based medicine (EBM), I shared a common view that qualitative research was, well, flaky. Where was the science? The […]
James Titcombe: Failing to learn and learning to fail
Last week saw the publication of yet another damning report shining a spot light on the culture of cover up and denial in our healthcare system. Bill Kirkup’s report—”The Life […]
Miles Sibley: We need to change the hierarchy of evidence-based medicine
In July 2020, the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review published a report entitled “First Do No Harm”.1 Also known as the Cumberlege Review, the report set out extensive […]
Roger Wilson: Patients should be involved from the outset in creating plain English summaries of research papers
I am a writer and journalist. I explain things. I listen, I question, I check. I have been involved with cancer research as a patient for 20 years now. One […]
The government’s spending review is an opportunity to commit funding to improve early diagnosis of cancer
Every day in the UK, around 450 people die from cancer. This number doesn’t appear on daily news bulletins. This number is not inevitable. We started volunteering for Cancer Research […]
Speaking up against bullying in the patient community
Patients are not alone—bullying happens in all areas of life Many of us are aware of school campaigns against bullying, protecting school aged children from harmful experiences that pose life-long […]
Emma Doble: What matters for people during covid-19 and beyond
During the pandemic, many patient organisations have grappled to adjust to new ways of working and priorities. National Voices, the coalition of charities that stands for people being in control […]