England is going to train an extra 1,500 doctors a year, but where shall we find them and how shall we select them? I believe that we can find them from communities that are under-represented in medicine and should select them for their values, first and foremost. Universities were able to bid for 1,000 new […]
Category: Guest writers
Margaret Evans: Perinatal pathologists have a vital role in stillbirth review
The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has recently called for coroners to be granted special powers to investigate stillbirths to reduce the number of baby deaths and injuries in childbirth in England. The extent of these special powers has yet to be clarified and though there is a recognised need for the coroner […]
Sadaf Karim Sulaiman: Do you debrief?
Traumatic events–including major and minor incidents, near misses, death, and major disability–prompt strong emotional stress responses in healthcare professionals [1]. Following its success in military services, debriefing among healthcare teams is being used more and more frequently in emergency departments and intensive care units after traumatic events. Unfortunately, despite the potential advantages to patient safety […]
Tom Jefferson: The UK turns to Witty, Vallance, and Van Tam for leadership: revolving doors?
Revolving doors are used to facilitate entry or exit into a building. The trick with using these doors is always to get your timing right. Too fast or too slow and you get stuck. The analogy seems apposite for a brace of recent announcements of important pharmaceutical industry figures taking over parts of UK operations […]
Jen Gosling: “Difficult” is a difficult word
“They keep saying I’m difficult”, the patient wept. “I feel so guilty; I worry that they think I’m not co-operating”. It was the second time in a week that we had met. Both times, after multiple unsuccessful attempts at cannulation, the patient had been told that the anaesthetist would be along “to have a go”. […]
Ruth Campbell: How can we make sure that immigration detainees’ health-related human rights are protected?
The UK opened its first “detention unit” in 1970—in a converted road research laboratory near Heathrow Airport. The Immigration Appeals Act 1969 had just been passed, and the UK was struggling to manage the citizenship appeals of people arriving from its former colonies. This first centre had room for 44 people. There are now 11 […]
Clare Reeder: “Screen and Treat”—helping the victims of the fire at Grenfell Tower
On 24 June 2017, the 24-floor Grenfell Tower, a social housing block in west London, was destroyed by a fire. Months later, its former residents are still having to deal with the consequences. Some are still living in hotels as they are waiting for new accommodation. Others are going through emotional turmoil as they attend […]
Sadie Mullin: Instant messaging in the workplace is no substitute for a professional conversation
Instant messaging poses a significant threat to effective communication in the workplace. NHS England’s stance on use of instant messaging to discuss patients is clear. Due to the inherent risk to confidential data, it is currently banned. However, recent research shows that it is widely used amongst professionals. Most medical and surgical firms now communicate […]
Dharani Yerrakalva: “I know it’s not your fault doctor, but …”
This week I have dealt with more consultations starting with what I call, “I know it’s not your fault doctor, but…” openings than not. My patients can’t ever get an appointment to see me, they tell me. They phone every morning at 8am expectantly, hoping to win the same-day-appointment lottery. Although British people famously like to queue, […]
Jangu Banatvala: Undergraduate pathology teaching needs resuscitation
Pathology underpins all branches of medical practice. It provides the core of medicine and is key to understanding the mechanisms by which disease is produced and progresses. Medicine cannot be learnt, understood, and practised without sufficient undergraduate exposure to pathology. Undergraduates need a solid understanding of pathology to embrace major advances during their medical careers, […]