The antibiotic group of medication has undoubtedly been responsible for relieving suffering and saving more lives than any other collective of drugs. How ironic, then, that these drugs now have the capability of potentially creating an apocalyptic plague due to bacteria becoming resistant to even the most powerful antimicrobials. Exposure of bacteria to antibiotics leads […]
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On 2 February 2018, a rogue doctor Sudip Sarker was found guilty of fraud by false representations. Three days later he was sentenced to 6 years in prison. In 2011, Sarker applied for the position of Consultant General Surgeon with specialist experience in key hole surgery at the Worcester Acute Hospital Trust. Sarker doctored his […]
Testing cancer drugs on miniature replicas of a patient’s tumour could help doctors tell in advance which treatments will work, a major new study reports. The exciting new technique involves growing ‘mini tumours’ from biopsy samples – and could help end reliance on trial and error in selecting cancer treatments for patients where genetic tests […]
Many more people are living longer in the UK, which is great news, but also means we have to look carefully at health care, social care and how we integrate older and younger people in society. The one-day conference at the Royal Society of Medicine, at which I will be speaking, is looking at Successful […]
Scientists have discovered crucial new information about how a foetus develops which could explain why very premature babies suffer low blood pressure and other health problems. It is well-known that babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy often suffer from dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and even death in some cases. The team found […]
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I’m happy to be open about the fact that I have incurable lung cancer and I’m also the medical director of Public Health England. I can’t entirely separate the two but this blog is more about my personal take on living and dying and I’m not speaking on behalf of PHE. I’m 54 years old […]
Surgeons are treating patients with a new type of hip implant that could lead to better outcomes for younger, more active people requiring surgery. Fifteen patients have so far been treated with a novel ceramic hip resurfacing implant in a new trial at Imperial College London. Early results suggest patients can return to physical activities […]
In December 2014, Dr Myles Bradbury, a Consultant Paedicatrian, was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment (reduced to 16 on appeal) for abusing 18 children at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. He would abuse his victims and secretly film what he did using a “spy pen”. Often the parents would be in the same room but behind […]
Everyone is talking about digital health, but what sorts of things does it include? Telemedicine is the real time interactions between patient and doctors using digital communications, and also remote peer to peer consultations on medical topics. Telehealth covers patient monitoring, for example patients using blood pressure monitors which relay data into secure systems which […]
In nursing there are many ways of saying goodbye when the therapeutic relationship ends. Some patients bid a cheery goodbye, cherishing their restored health, even prematurely self-discharging; for others, adieu is agony since it is a wrench to leave the ward routine and regain independence. Sometimes the farewell feels forced in the face of escalating […]