Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Sharon Spooner Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Morale in UK general practice has dropped to a low ebb and a shortage of doctors is blamed for an increasing proportion of practices seeking to avoid accepting new patients. Yet week after week around 40,000 NHS GPs continue to work. Researcher and part-time GP Sharon Spooner explores the nature and significance of what motivates […]
By Neil Pendleton Filed Under: Devo, Featured Posted:
Health and social care delivery needs to change substantially to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by an ageing society, argues Professor Neil Pendleton. Lifespan is increasing and we know that our health and social needs become more complex as we age. We also know this changing demographic is generating huge challenges for our health […]
By Kieran Walshe and Judith Smith Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
The NHS deficit is unprecedented and unsustainable. All eyes are on the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review and on some promising ideas for reform, explain Professor Kieran Walshe and Professor Judith Smith. The first quarter financial returns for the NHS, published just after the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, are the worst ever. Trusts were £930m […]
By Kath Checkland Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
GPs are dealing with increased stress and more are leaving practice. Yet there are signs for optimism, reports Professor Kath Checkland. GPs in the UK are fed up – this much is commonplace. Newspaper headlines and social media alike tell a tale of dissatisfaction, declining morale and intentions to quit. If these reports are to […]
By Yasmin Farooq, Kingsley Purdam, Rob Ford and Aneez Esmail Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Research led by Yasmin Ghazala Farooq with Kingsley Purdam, Aneez Esmail and Rob Ford at the University of Manchester has highlighted the vital contribution overseas trained doctors have made to people’s health and to the NHS in the UK. Given the ongoing debates about immigration control it is important to recognise that Britishness is a […]
By Dame Sally Davies Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
Drug resistance and the lack of new antibiotics are creating a potential medical crisis, the government’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies warned in this year’s University of Manchester Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture. We are in danger of losing modern medicine. Growing drug resistance among bacteria, viruses and other microbes poses a catastrophic threat to […]
By Debbie Smith, Andrew Manley and Dame Tina Lavender Filed Under: Featured Posted:
How can information best be conveyed to influence behaviour? Choosing the right font type is surprisingly important, explain Dr Debbie Smith, Dr Andrew Manley and Professor Dame Tina Lavender. What do you take into account when trying to get your message across? The information to be communicated, of course. How to express it – using […]
The NHS has much that it could learn from integrated mental health and primary care in the Caribbean, explains Dr Dawn Edge. The government has signalled that health and social care providers must move from ‘engagement’ to full ‘integration’. While the details are being worked out, there is some (albeit muted) disquiet that mental healthcare […]
By Peter Coventry Filed Under: All posts Posted:
Multi-morbidity – having more than one long-term health condition, often affecting mental health – is a worsening problem. In the first of two blogs considering the issue, Dr Peter Coventry explains there are ways to improve care. Of the 53 million people living in England, more than 15 million live with a long-term health condition […]
By David Walker Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted:
Just how good a deal is DevoManc? David Walker expresses scepticism. Here are two ways of framing DevoManc. The first is (somewhat breathless) localist enthusiasm. A principal city-region is being offered new power to shape spending and services in health and social care, infrastructure and transport. As important as substance is the theatre: a group […]
