In June 2017 both the High Court and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) examined situations where doctors had engaged in sexual relationships with patients. In one case the doctor was erased and in the other the doctor received a written warning. In ‘Good Medical Practice,’ the document containing the GMC’s ethical guidance, the regulatory […]
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Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat that is responsible for 25,000 deaths and a loss of €1.5 billion in the EU every year. The EU Commission has just adopted an Action Plan to tackle the problem inderpinned by a One Health approach that addresses resistance in both humans and animals. Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health […]
The dangers of airborne aluminium exposure may yet be felt by the Grenfell survivors and nearby residents of Grenfell Tower. To see why, we need to look back to a recent disastrous case of mass aluminium poisoning. In 1988 twenty tonnes of aluminium sulphate were inadvertently added to the potable water supply serving Camelford in […]
For many years, I have worked with and supported an independent non-governmental organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières, (Doctors Without Borders) which is passionate about what it does, taking medical care to different parts of the world in need. There have been many times when we have felt the need to communicate our message about our work […]
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The Mental Health Act is not perfect. Since 1959, when it first came into being, it has been gradually reformed and refined until we have something which works reasonably well, but still with flaws. What piece of legislation doesn’t? The Royal College of Psychiatrists was among the major mental health organisations to call for a […]
The populist radical right is a threat to core values of medicine and public health, even within a functioning democratic system, according to a commentary published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. In his paper, political scientist Professor Scott Greer, who specialises in researching the politics of health policies of the European Union, attempts to explain what the rising tide […]
To mark Child Safety Week, I wanted to answer concerns from many parents and carers about when exactly it is safe to leave children home alone. The law doesn’t state an age when you can leave a child on their own, but it is an offence to leave a child alone if it places them […]
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The Swiss are worried about the role that antiperspirants, and specifically aluminium salts in antiperspirants, may play in breast cancer, and they have taken steps to do something about it. On Tuesday the 5th of May 2017 their National Council (Conseil National) voted by 126 to 58 to approve a bill (postulat) that the Federal […]
Read More… from Swiss move to ban aluminium in antiperspirants
Should cameras be compulsory in care homes? One firm of solicitors, which specialises in care home negligence claims, is supporting a campaign called ‘Love Our Vulnerable and Elderly’ (LOVE), calling for CCTV systems to be installed in care and residential homes across the country. Their stated aim is to prevent cases of abuse and neglect […]
Working with sex offenders and paedophiles, as a counsellor and psychosexual therapist is challenging because they have harmed others and, unless they stop, they will commit further harm. When I meet a client for the first time, I see a suffering human being who has decided to try and deal with a difficult or troubling […]