Physician associates: NHS leader accuses BMA of getting discussion wrong
The BMA has taken the wrong approach when raising “legitimate concerns” around physician associates, the…
Category: UK
Medical associates: the introduction of PAs, ANPs, and ACPs is creating new challenges for doctors on rotational training
The addition of new clinical staff on hospital wards is welcome. The steady introduction of…
John Launer: Troubled by trolls
Trolls are imaginary creatures in Scandinavian folklore who are dim witted, live far from human…
BMA chair: Junior doctors understandably think my generation has not protected the profession
Junior doctors believe that their senior colleagues have not done enough to safeguard the future…
Northern Ireland: Junior doctors on picket line are at “breaking point”
Junior doctors in Northern Ireland have said that they went on strike this week to…
Nearly one in 10 NHS staff in England report sexual harassment at work last year, staff survey finds
Some 9% of NHS staff in England were sexually harassed while at work last year,…
Unions recommend that consultants in England accept new pay offer
Consultants in England will be asked to vote on a new pay offer from the…
John Launer: Preventing a mismatch of agendas
Some time ago I received a hospital appointment that I wasn’t expecting. I’d seen the…
Hospitals serving England’s most deprived patients generate proportionally less private income, study shows
NHS trusts in England that serve more patients from the most deprived areas receive a…
BMA urges government to lift cap on compensation for LGBT veterans
The BMA’s armed forces committee has called on the UK government to reconsider enforcing a…
NHS apologises to family of junior doctor who died by suicide
The head of medical training at NHS England has apologised to the family of a…
CQC demands urgent improvements at Brighton based trust as ratings are lowered
Culture and leadership problems still exist at a Brighton based NHS trust and must be…
John Launer: Putting on a performance
For several years I worked in an educational department called a performance unit. We supported…
David Oliver: Short term health policy decisions have long term risks that we should anticipate and mitigate
Whether in the private, public, or third sector, most organisations of any size include risk…
Northern Ireland’s doctors are relieved as Stormont is set to return—but will funds go far enough?
“SHAME,” read one placard adorned with pictures of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, Jeffrey…
David Oliver: Work wellness programmes aren’t the key to improving NHS morale or retention
André Spicer, professor of organisational behaviour at London’s Bayes Business School, has written recently in…
John Launer: How I walked around Wales with “heart failure”
Seven years ago, a consultant cardiologist stood at the end of my hospital bed with…
Doctors should be cautious when sharing information on WhatsApp, says Medical Defence Union
The Medical Defence Union has advised doctors to post information on private social messaging services,…
Consultants in England narrowly reject pay deal
The BMA has urged ministers to put forward an improved pay offer for consultants in…
David Oliver: Social media’s false polarisation is no good for balanced NHS discussion
With the ongoing doctors’ strikes in England, nursing unions re-escalating their own campaign on pay,…
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Matt Morgan: Do we still really need doctors?
Patients can now travel through health systems without ever meeting or needing a doctor. If…
Physician associates: BMA survey finds “shocking scale of concern”
Nearly nine in 10 doctors (87%; 16 400 of 18 894) believe that the way…
What you need to know about physician associates
How did physician associates come about?The role originated at Duke University, North Carolina, as a…
Police launch investigation into practice of former Belfast neurologist
Police have launched an investigation into the practice of Michael Watt, a former Belfast consultant…
John Launer: Reflective writing and feeding the monster
Reflection is all the rage. Medical students are asked to write reflections on their encounters…
Matt Morgan: The NHS needs to be less efficient
When I recently returned to the NHS after working in Australia for a time, I…
The NHS should do more to prevent fatigue in healthcare staff
All doctors will be familiar with the feeling of being tired after a long shift…
Scarlett McNally: We must all change, not just the bad apples
A recent report by the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery found that 30%…
Academics protest at UK research body’s “failure” to stand up for free speech
One of the main funding bodies for research in the UK has provoked a furious…
Number of UK children living in destitution almost triples in five years
Around a million children in the UK experienced destitution in 2022—almost three times as many…
NHS trusts get guidance on tackling racial discrimination in disciplinary procedures
NHS Providers has produced a guide for trust leaders on how to tackle racial discrimination…
Scarlett McNally: Using clear information as a patient and surgeon
I wore a wig for a year after I had a stem cell transplant. The…
David Oliver: Hunt’s call to cut time spent on NHS paperwork is a hypocritical soundbite
September saw newspaper reports of the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, asking government departments to report on…
Is rehabilitation a solution to hospital discharge delays?
Recent data from NHS England show that inadequate access to rehabilitation is delaying medically fit…
Northern Ireland: Over half of consultants want to cut their hours
Consistently heavy work pressures have led more than half (59%) of full time consultants in…
Matt Morgan: Jumping the queue to make it smaller
The NHS waiting list in England reached 7.57 million at the end of June. It’s…
Housing and climate: UK homes need urgent adaptation to protect our health
The climate emergency is already affecting our homes,1 and it will drive a range of…
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Medical schools should be more transparent about their admission data
When prospective students are considering applying to study medicine they typically start by consulting official…
Writing off medical students’ loans could improve NHS retention, says think tank
The government should consider gradually writing off medical students’ loans in return for years of…
Health secretary is “still misleading public” about doctors’ pensions and pay, says BMA
The BMA has accused England’s secretary of state for health and social care, Steve Barclay,…
Partha Kar: If you won’t speak up, how will the world know you exist?
The leadership journey for me started pretty early in my career—as a trainee, in fact—before…
David Oliver: Let’s use the GMC’s Good Medical Practice for an “I’m Spartacus” moment
On 22 August the General Medical Council (GMC) published its updated and expanded Good Medical…
NHS organisations are urged to commit to stamping out sexual harassment in the workplace
NHS trusts, general practices, and medical royal colleges are being encouraged to sign up to…
David Oliver: A clinicians v managers blame game is a false dichotomy
The case of Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse who has just been given a full…
Consultants in England begin two days of strikes with more dates planned
Consultants in England began a 48 hour strike on 24 August, with more action planned…
Drug deaths fall in Scotland but major problems persist
The number of people dying from drug misuse in Scotland has fallen for the first…
GMC: Doctors must act when they witness sexual harassment, says updated policy
The General Medical Council (GMC) has set out its position on sexual harassment by doctors…
Former deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam joins Moderna as clinical adviser
England’s former deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, who became a recognisable face during the…
GP is suspended for failing to properly treat patient through telephone consultations
A GP who avoided face-to-face appointments during the covid pandemic has been suspended from the…
Matt Morgan: How to run a bath without losing water
After I turned 40, my quick showers twice a day morphed into a long evening…