
blogs


New ‘withdrawal of treatment’ case poses major threat to disabled people
BBC Radio 4’s File on Four programme earlier this week, ‘A Living Death’, featured four case…

Reclaiming dignity in dying
BBC scriptwriters, viewers and listeners fought back over the weekend to recapture the word ‘dignity’…

Human rights of the elderly once again being neglected
Today saw the publication of yet another in a series of damning reports on the failures of our care system.
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General Medical Council confirms the appropriateness of sensitive faith discussions with patients
Last Thursday I took part in a discussion on the BBC Radio 4 PM programme about whether or not faith…

At a Given Moment – recognising worldview as part of a healthy diagnosis
CMF member Dr Graham McAll has worked as a general surgeon and inner city GP. In a timely new book,…

A surprisingly upbeat end to the UN high level meeting on AIDS promises renewed global action
UN meetings and political declarations are often perceived as wordy and irrelevant. But every now and…

Twenty facts we did not learn from Terry Pratchett’s BBC ‘documentary’ on assisted suicide in Europe
The Sunday Times, in line with its new editorial policy, ran a typically effusive article last weekend…

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (15 June) – A reminder to treasure, honour and protect the older members of our community
You are unlikely to read about it in the British press, but today, 15 June, is World Elder Abuse Awareness…

NHS reforms expose the British idolatry of our healthcare system
Nigel Lawson once famously said that the NHS is the nearest thing that the British have to a national…

New BBC Radio Four programme – Are we in for more bludgeoning of disabled people?
I've just been alerted to the fact that BBC Radio 4 is running another forty-minute 'documentary' on…

The collapse of Southern Cross – is capitalism crushing care and compassion?
As the country’s biggest independent provider of care homes for the elderly sinks deeper into a financial…
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 […]