Britain can afford the NHS—and it must to reduce fear during a period of crisis
In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. In that same year, Aneurin Bevan,…
Category: BMJ
When I use a word . . . . Coronership—a lexicographic puzzle
CrownsThe word “crown” comes from the Latin word corona, which means just that, via a…
US experience with transparent medical records should reassure doctors
In the US, the expansion of patient access to electronic medical records over the past…
When patients are victims: access to online records and medical misconduct
A review into the records of 44 patients who died while under the care of…
WHO member states agree to draft international pandemic accord
World Health Organization member states have agreed to have the first draft of an international…
John Michael Manners
John Michael Manners was born in Redruth in Cornwall to George and Hilary. He attended…
Michael Harold Draisey
bmj;379/dec09_5/o2950/FAF1faAfter junior jobs in Stratford, Leamington Spa, and Northampton Michael Harold Draisey (“Mike”) was appointed…
Alastair Campbell Agnew Glen
bmj;379/dec09_4/o2963/FAF1faMy uncle, Alastair Campbell Agnew Glen, was born in Glasgow and followed his father, Alec,…
How to make Eczema Care Online freely available
Eczema management can be challenging for patients, since it involves avoiding triggers, using emollient regularly,…
Trust is fined {pound}60 000 for death of patient after scan mix up
A hospital trust whose patient died after doctors read the wrong scan report and sent…
Ann Robinson’s research reviews—8 December 2022
A bout de souffleMy mum was a smoker, and watching her struggle to breathe as…
Our vulnerable world of vanishing safety nets
How vulnerable do you feel as 2022 draws to a close? How worried are you…
Pay restoration for junior doctors is a rallying point for wider discontent
Junior doctors are to be balloted for industrial action on 9 January 2023. Pay restoration…
NHS must do more to track and evaluate race inequalities in maternal health, says report
Maternal policies developed by NHS bodies should target minority ethnic health inequalities and a national…
DNA for diagnosis . . . and other stories
Circulating tumour DNALiquid biopsy—the detection and analysis of tumour derived DNA from peripheral blood—has potential…
How Iran’s protests are a response to the “backslide” in women’s health rights
On 16 September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian girl, died after being…
Annular scaly erythematous plaque on the right chest
A woman in her 80s presented to dermatology with a three year history of a…
Government must take air pollution more seriously, says England’s chief medical officer in annual report
Stronger and concerted action is required across all areas of public policy to reduce air…
Haiti: Hospitals face critical oxygen shortages and warn of lack of fluids to treat cholera
A shortage of oxygen is the latest health crisis to hit Haiti where the scarcity…
The England football team is better managed than the country’s health policy
The National Health Service in England is at breaking point. A new briefing by the…
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Formula milk companies are exploiting legal loopholes, say campaigners
Formula companies are exploiting legal loopholes by selling infant milks that should be available only…
Women need high quality, independent information about the menopause
From broadsheet newspapers to the Today programme, there was fulsome coverage of the recent report…
What are medical doctor degree apprenticeships? A brand new route into medicine
What are medical doctor degree apprenticeships (MDDAs)?MDDAs will provide an alternative pathway to medicine, outside…
Staff shortage led to death of paediatrician from neglect, says coroner
A retired consultant paediatrician who worked for 45 years in the NHS died of neglect…
Update to living systematic review on effectiveness of heterologous and homologous covid-19 vaccine regimens
This living systematic review by Au and Cheung (BMJ 2022;379:e069989) has been updated. For the…
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Pension changes won’t stem doctor exodus, warns BMA
Proposed changes to NHS pension arrangements designed to stop senior doctors leaving the workforce because…
Partha Kar: In praise of social media for doctors
Social media can be a fascinating part of the medical world—an intriguing cocktail of joyousness…
What Italy’s lurch to the right means for its healthcare
Much has changed since covid-19 first shocked Italy—and Europe—in February 2020,1 not least the country’s…
Why I . . . swim outdoors in cold water
“I’m looking forward to swimming in cold water at the Hampstead Heath Mixed Pond. It’s…
NHS estate is in dire condition and harming patient care, BMA report warns
Crumbling and outdated buildings in need of repair and modernisation are hindering doctors from providing…
John Launer: Words I want to ban
Which words or phrases would you like to see disappear from doctors’ vocabulary? I’d nominate…
Managing risk from conflicts of interest in guideline development committees
Evidence informed guidelines produced by global institutions, government bodies, and professional or charitable health organisations…
Strep A: GPs are put on alert as cases and deaths rise
GPs in the UK are being alerted that the group A streptococcal infection and scarlet…
Helen Salisbury: Safety netting relies on a responsive system
Our waiting rooms are full of anxious parents, with children sitting listlessly on a lap…
How the GMC can do better
Much of what Abbasi says is understandable, but saying that the General Medical Council is…
Doctors slam “unprovoked and unȷustified” media attack on GP for working remotely
Thousands of doctors are demanding an apology for the way a GP was targeted and…
GMC reform: protecting patients does not mean finding and chastising wrongdoers
I agree with Abbasi that something must done about the General Medical Council.1 But, for…
Sixty seconds on . . . Christmas wishes
On the first day of Christmas the NHS sent to me . . .A free…
Health Education England outlines training plans for “digital first” NHS
Health Education England has set out its blueprint for equipping current and future healthcare workers…
NHS facing “perfect storm” as flu admissions rise 40% in a week
The number of people in hospital with influenza rose by 40% in England last week,…
Ending the food bank paradox
Britain’s food insecurity crisis was worsening before we’d heard of covid-19. In the year up…
John Walshe: physician-scientist who revolutionised the treatment of Wilson’s disease
bmj;379/dec02_4/o2910/FAF1faBorn to a medical family in Kensington, London, John Michael Walshe was the younger son…
US public health services receive $3bn to build workforce and tackle local needs
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $3.2bn to strengthen the…
Doctors report “cry of pain” at witnessing worsening health under government cuts
Doctors across the UK have told the BMA of the distress they are experiencing at…
Hospital policies can create barriers to good management of opioid withdrawal
The studyHarris M, Holland A, Lewer D, et al. Barriers to management of opioid withdrawal…
Lecanemab trial finds slight slowing of cognitive decline, but clinical benefits are uncertain
The monoclonal antibody lecanemab may slow cognitive decline in people with early Alzheimer’s disease but…
Around 11 000 ambulances are waiting more than an hour at A&E every week, analysis finds
The number of patients having to wait in ambulances outside hospitals in England for more…
Poor housing and dark satanic mills
Articles in The BMJ this week featuring mills and housing may seem like a throwback,…
Covid-19: High rates in hospitals have hampered elective care recovery, says NHS chief
The NHS in England significantly underestimated the continuing impact of covid-19 on hospital bed capacity…
Deep brain stimulation surgery is suspended at Birmingham trust over poor clinical results
Deep brain stimulation surgery (DBS) for movement disorders has been suspended indefinitely by University Hospitals…