Wars are, without doubt, public health emergencies. They have lasting implications on the physical and psychological wellbeing of those affected. The extensive health harms from conflicts are notably exacerbated when essential infrastructure is (either intentionally or unintentionally) destroyed during conflict, risking civilian access to healthcare, energy, food supplies and more.1 As such, the Iran war […]
Latest articles
When silence becomes the default: what the Kent meningitis outbreak reveals about outbreak governance. By Vsevolod Shabad
Two young people died in Canterbury this month. Fifteen cases of invasive meningococcal disease have now been confirmed. UKHSA issued a public alert on 16 March, directing anyone who had visited a Canterbury nightclub in early March to seek antibiotics. Elective procedures were disrupted. Antibiotic supplies were mobilised. Staff were redeployed. The public controversy focused […]
The Hidden Leaders: Supporting Early Career Professionals to Thrive in Healthcare Leadership. By Alessandra Ucheoma
During the pandemic, Early Career Professionals (ECPs) worked on the frontline, navigating high-pressure, resource-limited environments to deliver patient-centred care (1). For many, this involved stepping into unexpected leadership roles to make critical decisions, coordinate teams, and support colleagues to deliver quality care. This demonstrates that leadership can emerge at all levels of the workforce. As […]
Equity Talks: Unlocking Doors – Ensuring Access to Appropriate Assistive Technology and Empowering Parents for Children with Cerebral Palsy in Ethiopia. By Zelalem Dessalegn Demeke
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity brings together health professionals from around the world and across disciplines to build leaders, combat disparities and create community. Its mission is to develop global leaders who not only understand the roots of health inequities but also have the skills and courage to create more equitable organizations and communities. Each […]
Leading from Sickness to Prevention: Maximising the Potential of Allied Health Professionals in Neighbourhoods. By Julie Lowe
Health and care systems in England and across the world face growing pressure from an ageing population, rising multimorbidity, workforce shortages, and increasing public expectations. Reliance on reactive, episodic models of care has contributed to long waiting times, variation in quality, and persistent inequalities in health outcomes. These challenges strengthen the case for prevention as […]
Why the NHS cybersecurity culture cannot be audited into existence. By Vsevolod Shabad
In June 2024, a ransomware attack on Synnovis — the pathology firm jointly owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital foundation trusts — left blood testing services across south east London inoperable for months. More than a thousand operations were cancelled. London’s blood stocks were depleted to the point where a national […]
Clinicians as inventors: what microsurgery teaches us about NHS innovation. By Allan Ponniah
Microsurgery is not a niche specialism. It underpins cancer reconstruction, trauma care, and the treatment of conditions affecting patients across every demographic. Every day, surgeons perform one of the most technically demanding procedures in modern medicine: repairing blood vessels smaller than a matchstick head, under a microscope, by hand, with sutures finer than human hair. […]
Moving from Burnout to Leadership: A ‘Six Rs’ Roadmap for Physician Well-Being. By Alexios-Fotios A. Mentis
Physicians worldwide face relentless clinical demands, balancing critically ill patients, distressed families, and administrative burdens.1,2 Many of us recognize this daily tension. Paradoxically, though, society expects physicians to safeguard public health, even while workforce shortages, bureaucracy, and documentation undermine our own well-being, leadership, and autonomy. It is no surprise that morale collapses under chronic stress, […]
Environmental Physiotherapy and practice-based learning. By Danielle Munford, Christie Robinson, Alex Holly, Richard Harper and Jaimie Osborne
Due to the interconnections between climate change and worsening human health, it is essential that Physiotherapy graduates are equipped to manage the effect on patients. Meanwhile, healthcare is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and it is essential that physiotherapists lead environmentally informed clinical practice (Li et al, 2024). Internationally, there is an urgent need […]
Mandating a research-focused Non-Executive Director on every NHS Board has transformed research visibility in Wales – it also offers a model others can adopt. By Felicity Waters
During the pandemic the value of research shot to the top of Boardroom agendas. But as the impact of Covid-19 receded and priorities shifted to address different but equally seismic challenges, the role that research could be playing to drive wider quality and improvement, started to slip off the radar. Board-level visibility of research as […]