“We have met the enemy and he is us.” (Pogo) Manica Balasegaram makes a number of excellent points in his recent post, but his conclusion that “the system is broken” […]
Columnists
David Kerr: Data and diabetes – a not-so-quiet revolution
Diabetes teams do not usually perform operations or procedures, and cure is rare indeed, but what they do have in abundance are data. The collection, reporting, and review of data […]
Richard Smith: Teaching medical students online consultation with patients
A first year medical student of today may well still be practising in 2070. We can’t know how medicine will look then, but we can see some clear trends. The […]
David Lock: Do CCGs have the power to pay out for past PCT NHS continuing care errors?
The NHS has paid out vast amounts—probably hundreds of millions of pounds—in recent years as a result of decisions that patients were not entitled to NHS Continuing Care (where the […]
Richard Smith: Will digitisation transform the NHS as it has much else?
Digitisation of the NHS will both save and improve it believe Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for health, and Tim Kelsey, national director for patients and information at NHS England. […]
Billy Boland on quality improvement at the NHS Leadership Academy
The first residential for the NHS Leadership Academy felt barely five minutes ago, so I balked as I realised how much there was to do for the next. The reading […]
Tiago Villanueva: Are vegetarian diets better for health?
One might think that vegetarian diets are better for one’s health, but that is not necessarily the case, as it is possible to be vegetarian and consume predominantly “empty calories” […]
Desmond O’Neill: Transport and health
The Goldfinch, the eagerly awaited third novel of Donna Tartt, featured on many of our Christmas reading lists. As I devoured this wonderful repositioning of the Dickensian novel into the […]
David Lock: Should accident victims who get a payout be entitled to free NHS care?
At a time when NHS bodies are under more financial pressure than ever before there is one anomaly which is worth highlighting. Personal injury victims can be paid damages on […]
William Cayley: It’s not just the patient’s story that matters
Each patient’s story matters. It tells us who the patient is, and how he or she came to the present point or predicament. The story gives nuance, meaning, perspective, and […]