In the UK approximately half of women drink alcohol during pregnancy, 8% drink above recommended safe limits (1 or 2 units once or twice a week), and a quarter receive no health advice on safe levels of consumption.1,2 It is widely accepted that high alcohol consumption or regular binge drinking …
Point-of-sale marketing of tobacco, including tobacco display racks and sales incentives for retailers, has grown in importance to tobacco companies as other forms of tobacco advertising have been prohibited. 1, 2 Tobacco companies have not disclosed their spend on marketing in the UK, but in the US Point-of-sale marketing accounted for …
Evidence based medicine is here to stay and has revolutionised the way clinicians around the world manage patients. At a recent surgical convention in the US, Atul Gawande made the observation about evidence based medicine on twitter that “the fury of clinical debates is inverse to the strength of evidence”. …
Last month Haringey Council decided to withdraw funding to its lunch club centres for its elderly. Much concern was expressed and its scrutiny committee was called to take another look. Despite a near unanimous decision of this committee to instruct the Council to reconsider, Haringey Council remained resolute and from …
Payment by Results (PbR) emerged in the NHS in 2003 with a simple objective: establish a tariff based hospital payment system that provides care providers with an incentive for improved performance. 1 The same premise underpins Social Impact Bonds (SIBs). 2 SIBs emerged in 2010 and have since been lauded …
Following its inclusion in the Conservative party manifesto for the last general election 1 and a commitment in the subsequent coalition government agreement 2, in July 2010 the health white paper announced the establishment of a Cancer Drug Fund designed to improve access to drugs not yet approved for use …
I have had chronic back problems for over 2 years and am currently receiving treatment at Homerton Hospital. I have not responded to more conservative treatments and was discharged by the physiotherapy team after it was clear to them that I was not improving. My consultant has recommended that I …
Rising repossessions due to mortgage debt are forecast this year by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. After a fall in the number of arrears and possessions the rise is anticipated due to poor market conditions, mortgage borrowers exhausting lenders forbearance procedures and because of a weakening in state support to defaulting borrowers (through reductions in …
Background In April 2011, the UK Government released a leaflet called “Working Together for a Stronger NHS” 1. The purpose of the leaflet is to explain to the public the health service reforms proposed in the White Paper “Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS”2. Shortly after its release, epidemiologist and Guardian …
I should explain that I am a gastroenterologist who is also training in population health. Doctors working in A&E, psychiatry, medicine and general practice see the harms of alcohol on a daily basis, but one only need to walk through any town centre in the UK on a weekend evening …