Ann was one of those GPs who make you proud to share the profession. Exceptionally clever, able and committed, she was also so very generous and kind. I was (am) grateful to her many times. Deepest sympathies to her family. Rest in peace.
Continue Reading →Further privatisation is inevitable under the proposed NHS reforms
Clive Peedells’ excellent article in the BMJ: he’s right.
Continue Reading →This week: what GPs don’t know about asthma
In the BMJ: Recent headlines about general practitioners’ poor knowledge of asthma reflect flawed surveys, writes Margaret McCartney Are general practitioners no good at treating asthma? “GPs poor asthma training ‘risks lives,’” said the Independent recently, sternly warning that “Asthma UK says a survey found that 47% of GPs admit that their own knowledge about […]
Continue Reading →Food for the brain and self administered cognitive tests
Courtesy of the Daily Mail. “An early warning test for Alzheimer’s that can be taken online in 15 minutes has been developed by British scientists. It can spot signs of the debilitating brain disease in people as young as 50. The computer-based interactive quiz provides an instant result and could help delay or prevent the condition […]
Continue Reading →NHS reforms at the Guardian
reply below I wouldn’t argue – at all – that patient groups can be very useful for people and carers for many reasons. Patient groups, formal or informal, have been going on for years, and many people find them useful – many doctors find them useful as a resource for patients. But there are real […]
Continue Reading →The GMC and Atos (continued)
So. The GMC say that they will investigate complaints against doctors working for Atos in the same way as any other doctor. See a statement, here: Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, said: “We look at all complaints received carefully and take further action on those where there is evidence of […]
Continue Reading →Charities vs the NHS
The CEO of Marie Curie is defending the charity sector’s position in providing end-of-life care. He is arguing for the ‘Big Society’: “Make far greater use of society in healthcare. Welcome volunteers to help deliver care in every setting in the public sector. We do in the voluntary sector and it works and it is […]
Continue Reading →Why doctors should desist from being agents of the state
Just released files published by the Guardian. “Intimate examinations – used to “check the marital status” of Indian and Pakistani women coming to Britain to marry – were on a far wider scale than was previously known. The practice was banned in February 1979 after the Guardianexclusively reported that a 35-year-old Indian woman teacher was […]
Continue Reading →Turning sexual health clinics into prisons
My friend Ben Holden speaking out about the prison created in the sexual health clinic where he works. Asylum seekers are people first.
Continue Reading →NICE guidance on ovarian cancer diagnosis
NICE, in new guidance, are telling GPs to perform CA-125 tumour markers in patients with possible ovarian cancer. They say “Asking the right question – first tests Measure serum CA125 in primary care in women with symptoms that suggest ovarian cancer (see section 2.1 on page 43). If serum CA125 is 35 IU/ml or greater, arrange […]
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