All articles by Hilary Thomas
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HSJ KnowledgeThe NHS must brace itself for a data deluge
Looking at how best to use the wealth of healthcare data available
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HSJ KnowledgeReducing the burden on hospital services
The coming together of community services and the movement of cash flow is the key
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HSJ Knowledge
The coming together of community
The movement of data is key to service improvements in the community
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HSJ KnowledgeA private lesson in productivity
Could the NHS adopt the best private sector techniques to solve its challenges, ask Hilary Thomas and Jane Hurst.
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CommentHilary Thomas on treating lymphoedema in the community
One of the most heart sinking conditions an oncologist encounters during his or her career is lymphoedema. I use the term “heart sinking” with some embarrassment but, if I am really honest, this is one of those afflictions that made me feel powerless as a clinician.
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CommentHilary Thomas: NHS branding vs NHS trust
After more than two decades in the NHS, the concept of a brand had never consumed much of my intellectual energy. However, over the past year, I have been involved in two different re-branding exercises and have been thinking about what it really means.
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Hilary Thomas on NHS clinical governance and the credit crunch
I had the good fortune to attend a breast cancer conference in the US recently. Nearly a decade after I stopped treating breast cancer, this was in my role as a trustee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
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Hilary Thomas on clinical-managerial networks
I have had the worst cold I can remember for some years - and every time I get on the Tube somebody sneezes on me. The economy is depressing, the weather has been depressing and the built-in obsolescence of collapsible umbrellas convinces me their manufacturers did not consider the eventuality ...
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Hilary Thomas on NHS top-ups
I approach the subject of NHS top-ups with some trepidation. The issue is complex and there are no easy answers. Considering it from the cancer perspective, I will attempt to throw light into some dark corners of the debate.
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Hilary Thomas on caring for the whole patient
My 75-year-old father has recently had a coronary angiogram and been referred for bypass graft surgery. When I was a cardiology senior house officer in the Jurassic period, he would never have been referred for such surgery at this age.
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Hilary Thomas on healthy competition
The right sort of competition in healthcare is a prescription for huge gains in quality and efficiency. But while this can be encouraged partly through attractive incentives, have we been too lenient in pursuing more punitive measures?
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Hilary Thomas on clinical governance and values
An old friend has just been in touch, having found one of my HSJ columns through Google.
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Hilary Thomas on changing healthcare
The past year has been one of huge transition for me, professionally and personally. I have phased out seeing patients and crossed to the dark side, which has been a stimulating and steep learning curve.
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Hilary Thomas on working towards collaboration
These days, I rarely forage for myself in the evening, so frequently do I attend dinners of one sort or another. They attract an interesting cross section of people - managers and clinicians, as well as some who are both, policy wonks and observers, all discussing how the NHS is ...
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Hilary Thomas on
One of my enduring impressions of the NHS is that of mythology. Not the classical Greek type representing animal/human chimaeras but perhaps equally contradictory.There are a number of platitudes which people love to cite: “free at the point of delivery”, “the GP as gatekeeper”, and first prize has to go ...
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Hilary Thomas on challenging NHS rhetoric
One of my enduring impressions of the NHS is that of mythology. Not the classical Greek type representing animal/human chimaeras but perhaps equally contradictory. There are a number of platitudes which people love to cite: “free at the point of delivery”, “the GP as gatekeeper”, and first prize has to ...
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Hilary Thomas on new perspectives on caring
Looking back, 2007 was an odd year for me. Making a career change has been inspiring and invigorating. The fact that it coincided with moving back to London, putting a year of treatment behind me and the clunky dawn of my sense of mortality and ordinariness has added to my ...
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HSJ Knowledge
HSJ Christmas quiz
How well do you recall the ups and downs of the NHS in 2007? Test yourself with HSJ's seasonal quiz. And can you identify Santa's reindeers? Answers below
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Hilary Thomas on clarifying the NHS insurer-provider divide
Separating the NHS’s purchaser and provider functions more clearly would help everyone who works in the service focus unambiguously on their purpose
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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