Nobel – Bluffer’s Guide to the 2010 Winners
The Nobel Committee have sparked a controversy with this year’s Peace Prize. Gareth Allen looks at all the awards announced this week.
Dave Saves Us From The Milk Snatcher
Our heroic Prime Minister saved your children’s milk today. That is if you believe the spin. Gareth Allen smells a rat.
NHS: The Beginning of the End
Andrew Lansley yesterday announced the beginning of the end of the NHS. Gareth Allen describes how the Tories waved a white flag to the profiteering of private companies.
Private Healthcare Scanning
Private Health Screenings, or “MOT Body Scans,” are the latest method of separating fools from their money. Do they fill a crucial gap in the healthcare market? Or, as Gareth Allen argues here, are they an expensive distraction?
The Sick Men of Europe
With yet another report casting aspersions on the health of our Scottish cousins, Dougie Kinnear despairs of the media’s coverage of his countrymen. Just don’t get him started on the World Cup coverage…
The Danger Of Soaking Up The Sun
Britain enjoyed another great day of sunshine today. But a word of warning for sunbathers. Gareth Allen talks to Caroline Matthews about her experience of melanoma.
Success In Senegal, Failure in South Africa
The African comment is suffering from an epidemic of HIV/AIDS. As the world’s attention turns to South Africa, Tim Smillie looks at that nation’s failure to adequately fight the disease. Comparing South Africa to Senegal, he demonstrates that government action is key to protecting a country’s population from illness.
The March of The Professionals
The depressing similarity of the candidates for the Labour leadership.
NICE Work
A popular sport of the tabloid press is bashing the National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and this week the Tories have got in on the act. NICE carry out a wide range of responsibilities for the NHS including the development of treatment guidelines for various conditions, as well as assessing the efficacy [...]
Better Mental Health Makes Us All Stronger
The NHS is struggling to deliver psychosocial therapies to patients across the country.
Tainted Blood
I wrote last week about an article in the Ponte and Cas Express regarding Jane, a local woman who had become infected with Hepatitis C after receiving a tainted blood transfusion. A few days ago, I went to see Jane and was impressed beyond words. Not just with her determination in the face of adversity, [...]
New Labour’s Illogical Promises
Gordon Brown yesterday tried to strengthen his claim that Labour are the party of the NHS by pledging “one-to-one care for cancer sufferers.” It does not take an economist to work out that this is complete nonsense.
We Must Put a Price on Human Life
There have been a couple of stories in the last few days about the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) refusing to sanction cancer drugs, as their efficacy was not sufficient to justify the expense. Last Friday, they decided not to recommend sorafenib – a drug which can extend the lives of Liver [...]
One in Four
Today is World Mental Health Day. I would forgive you if you hadn’t noticed because, as on the other 364 days per year, mental health issues are unseen, misunderstood, and all too often shamed into silence. The headline at the top of this page refers to the fact that one of every four people will [...]
The Great Leveller
West Ham defender Calum Davenport this weekend released his first statement since the horrendous attack that left him in intensive care. His sister’s boyfriend stabbed him repeatedly in the legs leaving him bleeding and unconscious, with his football career in serious jeopardy.
Treatment Works
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has been trialling a programme over the last four years whereby hardened addicts are supplied with two doses of heroin per day and allowed to inject themselves under medically supervised conditions. The pilot projects in South London, Darlington and Brighton have been a huge success, with crime rates [...]
Clean Healthy Hospitals
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) released figures today that show another reduction in hospital acquired infections. Between April and June this year, the number of cases of MRSA fell by 40% on the previous year. This is fantastic news – the numbers reflect the hard work of the staff of our hospitals, and continue a [...]
Blood Simple
“Giving something back,” is a phrase that we usually associate with recently retired footballers hoping to make a bit of money by coaching their local under-7s team. There are though, many ways in which all of us can give something that benefits the society around us, and which will cost us nothing.