A dear schoolfriend of mine, Sara, will be laid to rest today. We found each other on Facebook three years ago after a 30 year hiatus. I enjoyed our mutual 'likes' of one another's quirky musings, the various photographs of holidays and birthdays, and the occasional sharing of news about our respective families. I had … Continue reading Thought for the day: a schoolfriend’s untimely death highlights the importance of choice to our dying day
Academy of Medical Sciences
A good dose of public insight is needed to help the medicine go down – new @acmedsci report! #evidence
It's all over the media today...... Only about one third of the British public say they trust the evidence derived from medical research. Confronted with media hype, claim versus counter-claim, a paucity of good quality accessible information and time-short GPs, and with few reliable tools to help them, patients are struggling to make sense of … Continue reading A good dose of public insight is needed to help the medicine go down – new @acmedsci report! #evidence
Mary Poppins no longer has the answers in medicine – for either doctor or patient
It is said that when Robert Sherman sat down to write 'A Spoonful of Sugar' he was inspired by his children's tale of being given their polio vaccine on a sugar cube. The iconic song from Mary Poppins, lyrically captures a moment in time when the relationship between society, medicine and research was a more … Continue reading Mary Poppins no longer has the answers in medicine – for either doctor or patient
People and their medicines: from bench to inside pocket
Shall we start off with a sweeping generalisation? This is a blog after all. Over the years it has been my impression that researchers care quite a lot about what happens next with their scientific discovery, whether it be identifying a genetic mutation or running a clinical trial. The problem is, research funders don't. They … Continue reading People and their medicines: from bench to inside pocket
It’s a personal thing: You say stratified medicine and I say…
The UK Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) does not do hyperbole. This is a good thing considering the histrionics that usually accompanies discussion about stratified medicine. AMS brought out its long-awaited report on stratified medicine on Friday entitled 'Realising the potential of stratified medicine.' It's straight-laced approach to the subject matter means it failed to … Continue reading It’s a personal thing: You say stratified medicine and I say…
Friday musings about tsars, conferences and stratified medicines
Today I started to think about the forthcoming INVOLVE national conference. More particularly, what I want to say to this important gathering in less than a month's time. This will be my first conference since taking over as Chair in June 2011 and, since then of course, I have also taken on the new National … Continue reading Friday musings about tsars, conferences and stratified medicines
The Academy reports on research regulation…and a reminder of the Guardian’s Q&A about public involvement
The Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) today published its report of the meeting it held a few months ago, looking at progress with improving the regulatory of environment for medical research. I blogged about being a panellist at the meeting as you may recall. The report's conclusions are noteworthy for the second bullet point about public … Continue reading The Academy reports on research regulation…and a reminder of the Guardian’s Q&A about public involvement
Science and the budget, peer review and a spot of crowd-sourcing
Tomorrow is Budget day. Having just finished AMRC's own budget and business plan for 2011-2012 all I can say is: George you know where I am if you want to crunch some last minute numbers? The Financial Times is reporting today that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce a £100million cash injection for capital … Continue reading Science and the budget, peer review and a spot of crowd-sourcing
Second Reading of the Health and Social Care Bill: An open letter to MPs
Dear Member of Parliament, This afternoon the Health and Social Care Bill will recieve its Second Reading in the House of Commons. The legislation sets out a far-reaching programme for reforming the NHS and the provision of patient care. The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and its 127 member charities believe that high quality … Continue reading Second Reading of the Health and Social Care Bill: An open letter to MPs
Health and social care reforms on trial
What better starting point for today's blog than the comments of two leading clinicians speaking about the importance of clinical trials to patient outcomes. First, Dr Duncan Wheatley, a Clinical Oncologist and Lead for Research in the South West Peninsula, who is quoted in a BBC Cornwall story today about medical research at the Royal … Continue reading Health and social care reforms on trial
Regulating research – Blakemore/Deer comment pieces + AMRC background
Ahead of next week's Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) much anticipated report on medical research regulation I see The Times and Sunday Times (both paywall) have published pieces this weekend by scientist Professor Colin Blakemore and journalist Brian Deer respectively, offering different perspectives on the issue of regulation. If you are looking for further background on … Continue reading Regulating research – Blakemore/Deer comment pieces + AMRC background
What do patients want from health research regulation?
In a blog 'exclusive' - albeit more by technical chance than design - I am today sharing with you the independent report of the AMRC/INVOLVE patient workshop on health research regulation that took part in early November. We were invited to undertake this important piece of work by the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) as … Continue reading What do patients want from health research regulation?
NHS white paper next steps
Some of you may know that today was being dubbed 'Super Wednesday' by some because today is the day that the Department of Health has set out its response to the consultation on the NHS White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.' The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has very helpfully published an … Continue reading NHS white paper next steps
An evening of industry – how the pharma business model is changing
So it's 10pm and I'm busy here putting the final touches to the AMRC/INVOLVE report of the workshop we held in November which drew together patient views on health research regulation. This was at the invitation of the Academy of Medical Sciences as part of their review of regulation and governance but - and all … Continue reading An evening of industry – how the pharma business model is changing
Earl Howe's Speech at the AMRC AGM
I thought you may be interested in this extract from the Health Minister, Earl Howe's, speech to out AGM on Wednesday: It also gives me pleasure to note [that] AMRC member expenditure on research having exceeded £1 billion for the year for the first time. Given the economic circumstances, I think this is something about which … Continue reading Earl Howe's Speech at the AMRC AGM
Simon Denegri's Lay Review 