Patient consent and research

A colleague in the office sent me a link this week to a piece by Professor Anthony Mathur on the BBC Online's 'Scrubbing Up' pages in which he argues that if people want treatment for a heart problem, they should be obliged to take part in the research.  The very same day I got home to a … Continue reading Patient consent and research

Medical research in Scotland

Last week I was in Scotland to host a meeting of some of our member charities about how we  might support their work to ensure science and research is firmly on the agenda of the Scottish Assembly.  Held in a curtained-off room in a Starbucks cafe I couldn't help wonder whether this was how it felt in … Continue reading Medical research in Scotland

A Wellcome round-up to the research week

While the Home Office struggles to recover from its Nutt allergy the rest of us have been busy funding and promoting good science. Our communications officer, Sara, tells me that if I use more searchable terms in my blog headlines I will get more visitors.  'What, more than the million or so I receive each day?' I said.  Anyway, … Continue reading A Wellcome round-up to the research week

An Open Letter to David Cameron

Dear David, I was pleased to read your speech at the Royal College of Pathologists earlier this week setting out your vision for the NHS and your five priorities for a Department of Public Health were you to form the next Government.  Many us will be pleased to see you and your front bench colleagues … Continue reading An Open Letter to David Cameron

Time to open up about industry

Every so often a story and resulting furore crops up in the media about charities, patient groups and their closeneness to industry and, in particular, pharmaceutical companies.   Journalists and the public will quite rightly ask: is it in the public interest?  I can well remember my first encounter with big pharma in my early days … Continue reading Time to open up about industry

Recession profiteering v drop-down menu

An email popped into my inbox last night advertising yet another conference aimed at helping, guiding, supporting charities and other organisations survive, weather, capitalise on the recession, economic downturn, credit crunch.   The terms are interchangeable of course.  But you won't have much loose change left afterwards that's for sure.  The invitation I got yesterday cost over … Continue reading Recession profiteering v drop-down menu

Not another article about partnership

The term 'partnership' is now scattered liberally through the narrative we all use for the way in which we work - either as organisations or as individuals.  The highly inventive among us occasionally substitute it with  'collaboration' or even the more arcane 'working together,' but partnership is in the ascendant in every sense. But I am beginning to … Continue reading Not another article about partnership