The weekly columns I write for the BMJ are – hurrah – all now open access (at least they should be, there are still glitches.)   recent columns include Dementiagate – how politicised pay prevents GPs from working for patients What use is mass flu vaccination ? Does the GMC deserve it’s current powers? Have we […]

    NICE recommendation on anticoagulant machines http://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/DG14 Lancet systematic review on safety http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61294-4/fulltext NICE cost effectiveness report https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/dg14/resources/dg14-selfmonitoring-coagulation-status-in-people-on-longterm-vitamin-k-antagonist-therapy-who-have-atrial-fibrillation-or-heart-valve-disease-pointofcare-coagulometers-the-coaguchek-xs-system-and-the2 Scotland about 1% of patients are using INR test strips http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/technologies_and_medicines/shtg_-_evidence_notes/evidence_note_50.aspx Scottish questions on warfarin self testing in parliament Click to access WA20140321.pdf

Complaint to the ASA https://www.betterasone.co.uk/about-us/ this is not much better after previous complaint http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2014/7/Better-asone-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_264546.aspx#.VD_wqfldU41 “Even if you have private medical insurance, you have to go through your GP to see a specialist and can experience frustration and delays” – where is the evidence of this “Our patients are diagnosed right first time privately, ” I […]

Old HPA poster Click to access illness.pdf up to date but less snappy PHE advice Click to access Guidance_on_infection_control_in_schools_11_Sept.pdf Welsh booklet http://www.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/article7916970.ece/binary/The%20sickness%20absence%20booklet%20distributed%20to%20parentsReports from Wales  http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/sickness-guide-parents-provokes-fury-7917908 Attendance in secondary schools in Wales report – where medical conditions only make up a small portion of failed attendances http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/docViewer/329401.8/attendance-in-secondary-schools-september-2014/?navmap=30,163, some school policies which manage to confuse the principle […]

NHSH interim evaluation medicine sick day rules   Kidney injury and ACE inhibitors http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0078465   http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/Documents/Newsletters/Pharmacy/The%20Pink%20One%20No%20104%20June-July%202013.pdf

Who the NHS says should have flu vaccination http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspx Click to access CMO(2014)12.pdf Summary page of Cochrane and flu reviews http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/details/collection/978807/Influenza-evidence-from-Cochrane-Reviews.html Cochrane on flu vaccination and children http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004879.pub4/pdf Click to access seasonal%20influenza%20vaccination%20of%20children%20and%20pregnant%20women.pdf Adults over age of 65 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70295-X/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004876.pub3/pdf people with asthma  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000364.pub4/pdf http://www.cfp.ca/content/56/11/1137.full chronic bronchitis / COPD  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD002733.pub2/abstract Click to access rev_COPD_Vaccinations_March.pdf

I’m pleased that the minutes of previous council meetings are now being made available online (always a delay as have to be corrected for the previous time). The proposal that I made, that the RCGP should drop publishing Emma’s Diary was lost. I am very sad about this. I thought there was an opportunity to […]

This hugely important trial- PARAMEDIC2- has come in for hostile criticism from some bioethicists. The only ethical problem I have with this trial is that it wasn’t done years ago. I’ve written about it for the Telegraph, and as a column in the BMJ. There wasn’t room to go through each point by point the […]

http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g110   https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/press-releases/key-health-organisations-do-not-sign-responsibility-deal http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.f7571 http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.294152!/file/alcstratpr.pdf http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.291621!/file/julyreport.pdf http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.291630!/file/Addendum.pdf http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g23 http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g134 https://www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/sections/ph/research/alpol/research/sapm http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/News%20stories/iasreport-thomas-stockwell-april2013.pdf http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301094?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed& http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22168350 http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf http://www.camh.ca/en/research/news_and_publications/reports_and_books/Documents/Canada%20-%20Minimum%20Pricing%20Report.pdf http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/12/483 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2006.01715.x/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+9th+Aug+from+10-2+BST+for+essential+maintenance.+Pay+Per+View+will+be+unavailable+from+10-6+BST. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jul/14/lynton-crosby-tobacco-meeting-labour

10 H0710 9 Ltr – Sub Amend 1 Unfav Op – 15 03 13 (2) 10 H0710 9 Ltr – Sub Amend 2 Unfav Opinion – 29 05 14 Just obtained 14/8/14 Essentially the Research Ethics Committee has declined to approve an amendment the age extension trial in February 2013, and again in May 2014. […]