Reading the latest House of Commons analysis of NHS spending, a familiar pattern emerges. The debate centres on funding levels — who was generous, who was austere, whether current plans represent continuity or change. For those governing NHS organisations, this framing is increasingly unhelpful. The real question is not how much money the system receives, […]
Latest articles
The global medical community must have all eyes on Iran. By Rammina Yassaie
Hospitals in Iran have been overwhelmed by the scale of casualties inflicted on Iranian people by Iran’s security forces, as protestors have flocked to the streets over recent weeks, demanding an end to the oppressive Islamic Republic regime.1 While the regime’s deliberate internet blackouts (engineered to mask its own violence, shielding it from global disgrace) has […]
Quality management and clinical audit: Integrating clinical audit and quality improvement to deliver impact for patients. By Iain Smith
Fit-for-the-Future, the ten-year plan for the English NHS, envisages a focus on quality and improvement driven by data.1 The plan acknowledges the wealth of data available nationally – including through clinical audits.1 Furthermore, new best practice guidance from NHS England argues for clinical audit contributing to a wider quality management approach.2 Historically, clinical audit is […]
Leadership in the Mirror: Working With Disability in Surgery When the Framework Does Not Exist. By Najeeb Aftab
Disability has been discussed in surgical training for years, yet the gap between interest and actual understanding remains wide. Commentary has questioned whether surgical training has ever meaningfully created space for surgeons with physical disabilities [1]. While others have warned that awareness alone is no longer enough and that the profession must move beyond acknowledgement […]
Health Care in the Information Society (Volumes 1 & 2) – A Book Review from the NHS operating theatres of a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. By Kanthan Theivendran
As an NHS consultant with two decades of experience, I have lived through what David Ingram aptly describes as the “anarchy of transition”. We have moved from paper notes which are fragmented but tangible, to digital systems that promise the world but often deliver disjointed, burdensome silos of data. Ingram’s two volume magnum opus […]
When “More Data” Feels Safe but Increases Risk: A Boardroom Paradox. By Vsevolod Shabad
Analysing cyber governance across the NHS, a recurring pattern emerges. A warning is raised — perhaps a signal about supplier fragility, a shift in cyber threat patterns, or early indicators of workforce burnout. The risk is not yet a full incident, but the signal is clear enough to create unease. The immediate response from the […]
Believing in the Power of Platforms: A Young Leader’s Journey. By Germaine Tan Jia Hui
Four years ago, I was a clueless first-year undergraduate navigating an entirely new academic structure during a global pandemic. It was 2021, and classes were conducted entirely online due to COVID-19. At the National University of Singapore, I was part of the newly established College of Humanities and Sciences, born from the merger of the […]
Creating a culture of compassionate truth telling in life limiting illness. By Natalie Harrison
Kindness, compassion and authenticity are important now more than ever in our overwhelmed healthcare systems. This story demonstrates how important these values are no matter how difficult the subject matter. Introducing a young girl who is shy and serious. Never seen without a book in her hands. Her most treasured volume about ‘hospitals’ A 1970s […]
Empowering Resident Doctors: The Role of Effective Leadership in Driving Sustainable Change. By Nicola Johnstone
Introduction Resident doctors’ frontline experience makes them uniquely positioned to shape the future of healthcare. Despite working under unprecedented clinical pressures, they are required to conduct QI initiatives which are essential for GMC revalidation and career progression. With QI methodology rarely taught in undergraduate medical curricula, are we setting up our doctors of the future […]
Misinformation amidst HPV vaccination in Pakistan: Insights for leaders. By Salima Khowaja
Pakistan can join the global efforts towards eliminating Cervical Cancer if we vaccinate our young girls against HPV, offering them lifelong protection and reducing the number of maternal orphans. According to the Globocan International Agency for Research (IARC) data of 2022, Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer among women in Pakistan, accounting for […]