
blogs


COVID-19 is exposing UK health inequalities
Recent figures from theDepartment of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show the UK death toll from COVID-19…

God, ethics and COVID-19
‘Oh – and by the way, I’ve recommended you for chairing the Covid Ethics Committee. Hope that’s…

From the mouths of children…
In the old fairy tale of The Emperor's New Clothes, a tailor tells a king that he has invented a wonderful…

COVID-19: an opportunity for sharing Christ with a world searching for answers
Christians are called to be representatives of Christ, not just in their homes but also within their…

The Nightingale Legacy
With the news just over a week ago that the London Nightingale Hospital was to be 'mothballed' as no…

Social care and COVID-19: crisis or opportunity?
If a week is a long time in politics in normal times, then at the moment two years can feel like a geological…

Coping with loneliness in lockdown
Over the past few weeks, the world has changed drastically. What was once considered normal, such as…

Palliative care and COVID-19
I didn’t pay much attention to them at first. The news stories about Wuhan and the Facebook posts from…

Coping with loss of control
We are used to a sense of control over our lives and our day to day decisions. I can choose when to…

Some biblical answers to suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people and physicians around the world are facing trials of many…

Uncertainty: our new normality
We’ve heard a lot about how Covid-19 affects the lungs, often catastrophically. But what about the…
when doctors suggest death: an ethical response to clause 5(2)
The amended Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has been published ahead of the third reading and House of Commons vote in a few weeks. Contrary to objections – including from some MPs who voted for the Bill with the hope of it being removed in committee – the Bill continues to include Clause […]
committee stage takeaways
The committee reviewing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has finished its line-by-line review of the bill. The amended Bill has been published, and it would be worthwhile for all health professionals to read for themselves what is being proposed. Nearly 600 amendments were submitted, but most were rejected. Of those accepted most […]
when choices collide
The National Health Service Act of 1946 gave the Minister of Health a duty ‘to promote the establishment in England and Wales of a comprehensive health service designed to secure improvement in the physical and mental health of the people of England and Wales and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness.’ Aneurin Bevan, the […]
bag babies?
Just as children conceived through IVF became known colloquially as ‘test-tube babies’, the work being carried out by scientists to create artificial wombs has been dubbed by a recent item in The Times as a quest to grow a ‘baby in a bag’.’ The piece didn’t really contain anything new except to say that only […]
Physician Associates: a personal perspective
Physician Associates (PAs) were introduced in the UK in 2003. The NHS describes the profession as aiming to support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients. Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) have a similar aim in supporting anaesthetists. Over recent months and years, there has been significant controversy over how these professions are or should be […]
Leading the NHS: Proposals to regulate NHS managers
In fulfilment of a manifesto promise, the Labour Government is planning to regulate NHS managers, and their proposals were out for consultation until Tuesday, 18 February 2025. the proposal The aims of this regulation, as stated in the consultation, are to make sure that managers and leaders have the right skills and values to support […]
Corridor care: A response to the RCN’s report.
I’ve heard health professionals joke about the ‘soundproof’ curtains around a patient’s bed-space, where confidential conversations are held behind flimsy fabric under the illusion of privacy. But in a hospital corridor? There is no illusion. Only illumination. Harsh fluorescent strips extinguishing any hope of privacy. Making night and day indistinguishable to those fighting for sleep […]
‘Judge Plus’ or just spin?
When Kim Leadbeater introduced the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, she reassured the concerned that it provided ‘the strictest safeguards anywhere in the world.’ One key safeguard offered was the involvement of a High Court judge in the process of assessment. Following the assessment of two doctors, it would be for the High […]
GPs and assisted suicide
Be it enacted by the King’s most excellent majesty. I am sure the recent introduction of the so-called ‘assisted dying’ bills through both Westminster and Holyrood has caused us to reflect again on the interface of medicine, faith, and society. I, therefore, could not ignore the Westminster Bill’s standard introduction quoted above. Surely, part of […]
The Supreme Court steps where politicians fear to tread
‘What is a woman?’ It’s the question that causes even seasoned politicians to break out in a cold sweat. We are currently awaiting a verdict from the UK Supreme Court, which is attempting to settle the question legally, once and for all. The hearing is the culmination of a long-running case, initially brought by campaigners […]
a day of darkness and expectation
I was deeply saddened as the speaker of the House of Commons read out today that Kim Leadbeater’s private members bill had passed its second reading with 330 MPs voting in favour and 275 against. Many CMF members and friends have met each evening throughout November to pray that the Lord would prevent this outcome. […]
legalisation of ‘assisted dying ‘ opposed by the British Geriatrics Society
Ahead of the forthcoming second reading of the Leadbeater ‘Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’, the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) has published its current position statement on this vital issue on 31 October, based on an open, anonymised, and invited survey of its cross-professional membership, analysed and delivered by an openly constituted and transparent […]