New figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have revealed that more nurses and midwives are leaving the profession in the UK than joining it for the first time on record, with the number departing having risen by 51% in just four years. Earlier this year the Health Service Journal reported that 96% of hospitals […]
“Doctors are not border patrol,” Dr Paquita de Zulueta stresses, “nor are we the Home Office.” Such distinctions – no matter how forceful – do not always put refugees in the UK at ease when they need healthcare. Refugees often do not access treatment because they fear being reported. Sometimes, they are denied primary healthcare because […]
Today three million woman in the UK are diagnosed with so-called brittle bone disease, but back in the 1960s, it was poorly understood. Old ladies were told they had widow’s hump which was considered a normal part of ageing. Few hospital consultants had a good knowledge of osteoporosis and a recognised definition was not produced […]
What killed so many of the residents of the Grenfell Tower? In the weeks after the tragedy in London, it’s becoming clear that it was more than simply toxic fumes and flammable cladding. These marginalised and oppressed people were not listened to as they campaigned for improved fire safety. Two residents in particular, Mariam Elgwahry and […]
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Technology should be used to boost empathy-based medicine, according to a new paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Existing digital technologies must be exploited to enable a paradigm shift in current healthcare delivery which focuses on tests, treatments and targets rather than the therapeutic benefits of empathy. Dr Jeremy Howick […]
Surgeons often operate in the dark. They have a limited view of the surface of the organ, and can typically not see what lies hidden inside. Quality images can routinely be taken prior to the surgery, but as soon as the operation begins, the position of the surgeon’s target and risky areas he must avoid, […]
Music therapy is not widely known amongst healthcare professionals but it is widely used in clinical settings, often alongside conventional treatments to improve wellbeing for people in various environments, whether it is the elderly, secure hospital units or schools. Music is a universal tool for helping to change and lift mood. In public places, such […]
One in every two people is going to get cancer in the UK so it’s a story that concerns every one of us. Journalists are so important because they interpret the facts and inform the wider public about cancer. It’s difficult sometimes for journalists to weigh up validity of evidence. For example, at the recent […]
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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 first students have been accepted to a new course that gives the most promising secondary pupils from rural areas and less advantaged backgrounds a unique opportunity to study medicine in Aberdeen. Places are still available on the course, which is a joint initiative by the University of Aberdeen and North East Scotland College (NESCOL). […]
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