The climate crisis is the biggest health crisis we have ever faced, having been described as a “code red for humanity”. Given both the well-established health consequences of the climate emergency as well as the vulnerability of healthcare services to the threats of climate change itself, health institutions are well placed to advocate for change. Whilst numerous royal colleges, unions and healthcare providers have declared a climate emergency, it is not unreasonable to ponder what this means in practical terms. Some UK health institutions have also volunteered to take part in a climate health ..read more

To watch this interview, please follow this link Hello, I’m Domhnall MacAuley and welcome to this BMJ Leader conversation. Today I’m talking to James Mountford, who’s the editor of BMJ Leader, but he has many other roles. James, you’ve had a most unusual career trajectory. Tell us what you’re doing and how you got there. James Mountford:  My initial job after graduating was as a junior doctor, and then I did a spell in consulting because, although I couldn’t express it like this at the time, I was frustrated at the lack of organization and operational management, clinical leadership, lead ..read more

The question that was put to the Australian people at the 2023 referendum was: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.  Do you approve this proposed alteration?” The proposed change to the Australian Constitution, October 14, 2023. Chapter IX—Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia: (i) there shall be a bo ..read more

Listening to This Cultural Life I heard Nigel Kennedy talk about how his dog provided unexpected insight. His dog, experienced each day with the same joy and excitement. Each walk or meal was a wonderful experience for the pet. Yet humans seem never to be satisfied with doing the same thing over and over again. Even those creatures who like habit, tend not to summon up quite the same delight at the mundane. Wouldn’t it be nice if we did though, especially in healthcare where so much of what we do is routine. Wouldn’t it be nice to be excited about following a protocol. Wouldn’t it be great tha ..read more

To watch this interview, please follow this link Hello and welcome to this BMJLeader conversation. Today I’m talking to Bob Klaber.  Tell us about your current role and the career trajectory that took you. Bob Klaber: I have a slightly crazy role that takes me in all sorts of interesting directions; I guess people might call it a portfolio role. A key part of it is I’m still a consultant general paediatrician; I do three bits of clinical work – on our on-call rota about every seven or so weeks, where I do Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as the consultant paediatrician responsible for the gen ..read more

This blog post was originally published on the Health Innovation Network website Dr Stuart Monk, National Programme Director for the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) Programmes at the Health Innovation Network, talks about the pivotal role of innovation tackling healthcare inequalities in the NHS. At the Royal Society of Medicine’s Tackling Inequalities conference last month, it was clear from the passion in the room that great progress has been made across the system to better support some of our most under-served communities. To maintain this momentum, we must not just embed tackling h ..read more

(P)luck is a book written by Blair and Alfred Sadler and chronicles their time working together to shape healthcare policy in the 1960s-70s. As identical twins who carved a ‘medico-legal’ niche, their collaboration has left an indelible mark on areas including organ transplantation, the expansion of the healthcare workforce and the provision of emergency care, with ripples felt across the world. Their book is not merely a recollection of past achievements; it is an embodiment of their dynamic approach – determined, audacious, and respectful, a reflection of the book’s title which evokes spirit ..read more

Too Hot to Handle is written by Roger Kline and Joy Warmington and  published by brap on February 6th 2024. Legal advice for the brap report was provided by Shazia Khan  10 months ago, nurse manager Michelle Cox obliterated attempts by NHS England to defend the racial discrimination she had been subjected to and which ended her career in the NHS. The 40-page Employment Tribunal judgement heavily criticised NHS England on almost every conceivable ground. In the weeks that followed further claims of race discrimination by NHS staff were defended by several Trusts (at great cost to the ..read more

Leading change in the realm of health and social care is multifaceted and transcends the mere transmission of information through letters or reports. It’s about people, relationships, and trust. The late entrepreneur and philanthropist Chuck Feeney’s wise words,[1] “It’s always about people,” underline the fundamental importance of human connections in driving transformative change in healthcare policies. The core of healthcare policy development is people – the public, our communities, those who care, and those who receive care. It’s also about the people we collaborate with and through to ma ..read more

Maternity care is the start of life encompassing public health for the mother/birthing person, their growing baby and their immediate support network too. The impacts of global warming, heatwaves, adverse weather events and air pollution all have impacts for fertility, pregnancy, fetal development and child health. Midwives and obstetricians can work in collaboration with women to provide education and promote more environmentally sustainable changes during pregnancy and postpartum which helps to reduce the carbon footprint having a baby brings. Like many parents, having children is the cataly ..read more