External contributors – Page 283
-
Comment
Martin Kedge on reaching out to sick children
Charity WellChild plays a crucial role in highlighting the needs of children with long-term illnesses, writes Kedge Martin
-
Comment
Weird world health
You never know what you've got til it's gone. As one Mark Smith of Newtown, south Wales, has found out after being banned under an Asbo from entering any NHS premises in the UK. Singularly capable of wrecking any trust's attemtps to meet the four hour A&E target, Mr Smith ...
-
Comment
All Our Yesterdays
October 24, 1941, Public Assistance Journal and Health & Hospital ReviewBoard of Trade information regarding the number of coupons that had to be surrendered for the purchase of uniforms to be worn by civilians was published this week.‘As uniform wearers do save on their non uniform clothing, they will be ...
-
Comment
Anti-stigma campaign is run by charities
Steve Shrubb wrote that the government recently announced a new mental health anti-stigma campaign, Moving People (Down should not mean out of a job in the NHS).
-
Comment
Hilary Thomas on promoting diversity in the workplace
To truly celebrate diversity in the NHS, it is crucial to see beyond stereotypes, writes Hilary Thomas
-
Comment
Safety studies must consider cost
Stephen Thornton's acerbic response in HSJ in September to my concerns about the patient safety industry engenders even greater concerns about this policy area, writes Alan Maynard
-
Comment
Simon Stevens on the spending review's hidden shallows
Although comprehensive spending review negotiations consume hundreds of person years in Whitehall, this effort is largely pointless, argues Simon Stevens
-
Comment
Your Humble Servant: the dreaded healthcheck
It's that time of year again when we all have our excuses ready to explain away the annual healthcheck. The Healthcare Commission team are practising their best po faces by seeing who can best disguise any sign of pleasure while having a butt plug pushed to the max.
-
Comment
Media Watch: an odd week in politics
This week kicked off in strange fashion. While prime minister Gordon Brown finally decided not to call an election, and the Conservatives cried foul, health secretary Alan Johnson revealed that he was 'not good enough' to become prime minister himself.
-
Comment
Infection control: we are here for the patients, not targets
The Healthcare Commission's damning investigation into outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells trust drives home the message of its report last week on the lack of engagement of some acute trust boards with what is happening on their wards.
-
Comment
Michael White on Brown's bottler government
What a political week! The NHS may have ended up with a better-than-expected settlement from Alistair Darling’s comprehensive spending review, but voters will not be grateful to ‘Bottler Brown’ and his mates for a while.
-
Comment
Darzi report message is clear: reform faster
Lord Darzi's interim report for his review of the NHS clears the way for private sector providers to break the logjam over GP access.
-
Comment
Noel Plumridge on what the spending review means for health
In an hsj.co.uk exclusive, Noel Plumridge explains how the government's spending round will affect the health sector
-
Comment
Jon Allen on lessons from private equity
NHS organisations can learn a lot from the ways private equity operators turn tight cash control to effect, says Jon Allen
-
Comment
Alan Johnson's discs
We wager that on a Sunday morning the gentle sounds of the introduction music to Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, to say nothing of presenter Kirsty Young's dulcet tones, sooth many a reader. So how did you feel to hear health secretary Alan Johnson on the programme recently? Was your ...
-
Comment
Looky likey
Halloween is approaching, which led out thoughts to this week's looky likey. For who does BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum bear a strong resemblance to? It’s actor Christopher Lee. Perhaps best known to younger readers as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels and Saruman of Lord of the Rings ...
-
Comment
All Our Yesterdays
October 16, 1936, Public Assistance Journal and Health & Hospital ReviewA sad tale in this week’s Queries and Replies column that these days would probably make it onto the Jeremy Kyle Show. A reader writes to ask about maintenance payments for a child. A clause in the separation agreement of ...
-
Comment
David Woodhead on healthcare for heartbreak
The health impact of personal distress on service users as well as staff can be heavy and is a real public health challenge, says David Woodhead
-
Comment
David Praill on access to pain relief
According to our report Access to Pain Relief – an essential human right, published this week to mark World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on 6 October, 80 per cent of the world’s cancer sufferers have no access to pain relief. This means 7 per cent of the world's population ...
-
Comment
Media Watch: GP contracts and doctored photos
As the party conference season drew to a close, the Conservatives this week came out fighting, with leader David Cameron pledging to rewrite the GP contract.