Last night BBC One’s Panorama: Behind Closed Doors was the latest in its series of programmes on appalling care for frail older people. For someone like me, who works day in […]
Columnists
Neal Maskrey: Learning the patterns to unlock decision making
The hardest of hearts must have been softened by the improvement in Anglo-Irish relations in recent years. The Queen’s speech in 2011 at the state dinner in Dublin Castle, with […]
Richard Smith: Why doesn’t the obvious happen?
It’s obvious to me that all scientific research should be available free to everybody everywhere, the polypill to prevent heart attacks and strokes should be offered to all those over […]
Richard Smith: Do sexual abuse of children and research misconduct have something in common?
Every so often I hear stories of people prominent in medical research who are suspected of research misconduct—or research fraud, as it was once more bluntly called. Could the stories […]
Desmond O’Neill: Expanding the imaginarium of ageing
My most formative experience in gerontology was a student gap year in Marseille. A volunteer with Les Petits Frères des Pauvres, a charmingly radical organisation dedicated to improving life for […]
William Cayley: Is primary care in the US really the future?
Is primary care really the future? I’d like to say “Yes,” but I’m not so sure… (at least in the USA). There has been much talk and writing about the […]
Julian Sheather: Time to debate the ethics of robot care?
We take it for granted that compassion is at the heart of good care. But what if the hand that reaches out to yours is a robot’s? What if the […]
Jim Murray: Abbvie withdraw case against European Medicines Agency
AbbVie have withdrawn their legal challenge against the release of certain company documents on Humira (adalimunab) by the EMA. This followed an offer by the agency to redact parts of […]
David Oliver: How real life stories can help us understand the challenges of care for older people
On television we can often tell more from peoples’ words or reactions than from any scripted voiceover. In “Protecting our Parents”—a three part BBC 2 documentary, due to be screened […]
Billy Boland: Why criticism can be helpful
When we formed our Self Managed Learning (SML) group at the NHS Leadership Academy, I made it clear to the others that I wanted them to push me and be […]