Given that health is our most precious commodity it is odd that many of us know so little about it. Part of the reason is that we are not used to seeing and thinking about our own health information, for most us don’t get much of it. But things are changing. The NHS has pledged […]
Category: Tessa Richards
Tessa Richards: Schools and health—could do better
To what extent are we sabotaging the future health and wellbeing of our children through ignorance, neglect, and misguided policy? And what can we do to redress this? Discuss. Discuss? The education and public health experts participating in an international cross-sector meeting convened by the Salzburg Global Seminar in Klingenthal, near Strasbourg last week, scarcely […]
Tessa Richards: Who is defining patient-centred care?
If the reality of patient care matched the rhetoric of the average “patient-centred” NHS provider it wouldn’t have been necessary for NICE to produce formal guidance on how to improve the patient’s experience of care, a recent BMJ editorial suggests. Nor would an international literature review of the indicators used to measure patient-centred care have […]
Tessa Richards: Now is the winter of our discontent
Storm clouds hovered above Brussels. Europe’s heads of state battled away, yet again, to try and save the eurozone from collapse. Down the road an international group of clinicians, researchers, and policy makers questioned how Europe’s beleaguered health systems can cope as demand for care soars and workforces shrink. The European Commission warned member states […]
Tessa Richards: Responding to the ageing “crisis”
Is our increasing life expectancy something to celebrate or despair of? It’s a question that’s exercising several sectors right now and it’s not hard to see why. All societies are ageing, but the fastest population increase is among the “oldest old,” and their projected need for health and long term care is daunting. Currently around […]
Tessa Richards: Prioritising patient’s views reaps rich rewards
What will it take to persuade monolithic health systems to put patient’s priorities at the heart of what they do? As researchers, health professionals, and patients debated this question at the sixth international “shared decision making” meeting in Maastricht last week, the frustration was tangible. A survey to inform the meeting *reveals that while many countries […]
Tessa Richards: Patients as cost savers?
Might patients hold the key to putting the brake on spiralling healthcare costs? If you had asked me that question a few days ago I’d have said no. We all know about the problem of spiralling demand for healthcare and rising patients’ expectations. But after participating in the Salzburg Global Seminar, where the thesis that” […]
Tessa Richards: Run a lot, laugh a lot, and sometimes go hungry
In the mountain resort of Bad Hofgastein in Austria, exercise is King. In early October the power walkers head for the mountains and noticeably less fit conference goers head for the European Health Forum Gastein. Attending conferences which start early, finish late, and include lunchtime workshops as well as a smorgasbord of parallel sessions, can […]
Tessa Richards: What does the EU do for you?
British doctors worrying about the impact of the chilly financial climate should spare a thought for their European colleagues. In Greece, the Baltic states, Spain, and Ireland, doctors, along with other public sector workers, have had their salaries and pensions cut by up to 15%, drug budgets have been reduced, and some services put on […]
Tessa Richards on volcanic ash disrupting the conference circuit
Iceland’s unpronounceable volcano has much to answer for. The economic impact of its ash cloud has been immense and its growing. Thousands of airline passengers are still stranded. Quiet skies may be a treat and politicians’ Dunkerque gestures a diversion, but lives are being disrupted, and attendance at international medical conferences decimated….. […]