Can we afford to abandon universal benefits?
With means tested child benefit, and older people’s bus passes under threat we’re told that subsiding the affluent and universal benefits are no longer affordable. New rules this week for parents where one earns over £50k mean filling in complicated...
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End of Term Quiz: should I stay or should I go?
In these uncertain times you might find yourself wondering about whether it is worth the stress of applying for a new job, sitting tight where you are for a few more years or checking out that mini-cab firm advertising for drivers at...
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NHS mid-term review: what have we learned so far?
The King’s Fund this week published a NHS mid-term review of UK health policy under the Coalition government. The report is organised around 8 key themes – Access, Patient Safety, Promoting Health, Managing Long Term Conditions, Clinical Effectiveness, Patient Experience,...
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Doctors, Welfare and the Deadly Workhouse
The Beveridge Report was published 70 years ago this week. This was the report which led to the formation of the modern Welfare State in Britain, so there’s been a lot of discussion about the ‘state of welfare today’, and...
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Suicide and austerity: exploring the link
In the last 12 months a number of studies have re-examined the relationship between suicide and unemployment across Europe and the United States. Suicide rates have accelerated in these countries following rapid rises in unemployment due to the economic crisis. Yet,...
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Public Health à la carte
New guidance on breast screening will stress the importance of individual choice in the context of access to (and understanding of) scientific information. It is now official NHS policy to draw attention to the fact that population-based breast cancer screening...
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Inspiring a generation….?
The Paralympics in London 2012 were heralded as championing new attitudes towards disability in the UK, with Prime Minister David Cameron, saying they would “inspire a lot of people and change people’s views on disability”. Similarly, the press coverage of...
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Representing Suffering: Global Markets, Migrant Workers and the Morecambe Bay Tragedy
The Morecambe Bay Tragedy occurred on the 5th of February 2004 when a group of Chinese ‘migrant’ cockle pickers set out on the sands of Morecambe Bay to collect the small edible clams – they were to be paid £5...
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The NHS Constitution: What is it good for?
This week saw the launch of a national consultation aimed at updating the NHS Constitution for England, which was implemented in 2009 under Gordon Brown’s Labour Government. The constitution itself sounds wonderful, apparently it “establishes the principles and values of...
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Shared parenting: Can a one-size-fits-all approach actually work?
Catherine (8) and Harriet (9) are sisters who have a shared parenting arrangement. They spend one week living with their mum, step-dad Joe, baby-brother Bobby, and step-brothers Phil and Luke who visit on weekends. The following week they live in...
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Savile: Celebrity, Power and Abuse
As stories continue to emerge about the abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile and media reports suggest that other ‘household name’ celebrities are about to be arrested there have been a spate of commentary articles that look back at the 1960s...
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‘Akuten’