Sugar Sweetened Drinks Should Carry Obesity Warnings California Has Had the Right Idea in Considering Health Warnings on Sugary Drinks, Writes Simon Capewell

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Sugar Sweetened Drinks Should Carry Obesity Warnings California Has Had the Right Idea in Considering Health Warnings on Sugary Drinks, Writes Simon Capewell PERSONAL VIEW Sugar sweetened drinks should carry obesity warnings California has had the right idea in considering health warnings on sugary drinks, writes Simon Capewell he California Senate Appropria- have traditionally used the “SLEAZE” denial- tions Committee is deliberating ism tactics developed by tobacco and alcohol a bill that would require drinks producers.13 14 But most industry arguments manufacturers to place the follow- will be flawed: threats to pass additional costs ing warning label on all sweetened on to consumers, predictions of dire reductions Tnon-alcoholic drinks: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA in profits or huge job losses, concerns about con- SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with sumer resistance to change, and so on. In truth, added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, thousands of food and drink products are refor- and tooth decay.”1 mulated and relabelled every year as brands are Under the Sugar Sweetened Beverages “refreshed.” Safety Warning Act (the first of its kind in the In 2013 the financial services company Credit United States) these labels would apply to any Suisse published Sugar Consumption at a Cross- such drink that “has added caloric sweeteners roads, a report that sent a loud warning to the and contains 75 calories or more per 12 fluid markets.15 This March, Moody’s credit rating ounces.” It would also require vending machines agency lowered its outlook for the global bever- to bear warning labels and would allow for fines age industry from “positive” to “stable,” citing of $50 (£30; €37) to $500 for failed inspections. the Mexican government’s soda tax. Many other potentially harmful products And recently the campaigning group Action already carry effective health warnings. The on Sugar persuaded the Tesco supermarket effectiveness of tobacco warnings and plain chain to write to all of its suppliers asking them packaging is now accepted by almost everyone to remove all added sugars from children’s soft not linked to the industry.2 These successes in drinks (Tesco anticipates that most suppliers tobacco control highlight the importance of tar- one can of sugary soda a day had a 22% higher will cooperate).16 Meanwhile, Co-op stores plan geting the “three As”—affordability, availability, risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who to slash added sugar from their products, and and acceptability.3 Warning labels clearly target drank less than one can a month.8 And because ASDA has agreed that the innovation of healthy acceptability. the absolute risk of type 2 diabetes is known to new products is “fundamental.”16 Public support for warnings about added sugar be high, this relative increase in risk is important. Of course, cynics may ask whether, as with seems high, suggesting that such labelling is But UK and US policies are failing to reverse tobacco, these industry moves might be pre- politically feasible. In a recent field poll almost trends in obesity. Most obesity treatments cur- emptive—an attempt to preserve profits, wrong- 75% of 1002 bipartisan Californian voters sup- rently offered to people, such as advice or preven- foot competitors, and deflate pressure for more ported the proposed bill.1 And in March 2014 the tive medicines, are weak and poorly sustained.11 effective regulations. Conversely, less progressive US Food and Drug Administration suggested add- More effective policies are therefore urgently segments of the industry have denounced the ing a separate line on labels to alert consumers to needed. health proposals or have exaggerated the (mini- the amount of “added sugars.” Might “calorie control” strategies profit from mal) reformulation efforts already achieved.16 Sugar is being progressively demonised: in the previous successful lessons in tobacco and alco- Warning labels for refined sugars hidden in UK, a recent Populus public opinion poll com- hol control? 2 Halving UK and US children’s sugar sweetened drinks and processed foods repre- missioned by the BBC found that about 60% of sweetened beverage consumption could mean sent an interesting natural experiment. They may 1000 adults would support health warnings on a 50-100 kcal (209-418 kJ) reduction in energy offer an effective new strategy for complementing food packaging similar to intake a day, perhaps arrest- existing, potentially powerful interventions, such those on cigarette pack- Public support for warnings ing or even reversing the cur- as duties on sugary drinks or banning marketing ets. Still more supported about added sugar seems rent increases in obesity. to children.17 banning sugary drinks high, suggesting that such In Europe the food and These proposals may also herald a tipping in schools or limiting the labelling is politically feasible beverage industry recently point in public attitudes and political feasibili- amount of sugar allowed spent more than €1bn ties. Investors, industrialists, and international in certain foods. Furthermore, almost half (45%) (£813m; $1.37bn) in vociferous attempts to health groups will all be watching closely. would support a tax on sugary drinks.5 delay, dilute, and demolish food labelling.13 Simon Capewell is professor of public health and policy, Sugary calories consumed as liquids simply do The industry would not do this unless its future University of Liverpool not provide the same signals of satiety, or fullness, profits were threatened (what the pressure group [email protected] 6 Competing interests: I am a member of Action on Sugar, a generated by equal calories from solid foods. Action on Smoking and Health calls the “squeal trustee for the UK Health Forum, and a trustee for the UK Faculty Such sugar sweetened beverages offer an factor”). of Public Health. obvious target for policy makers, particularly if We might expect the industry to oppose warn- I thank Ann Capewell, Katharine Jenner, Kawther Hashem, Mike similar policies have succeeded elsewhere. Sug- ing labels on sugary drinks with a barrage of Rayner, and Jane Landon for their helpful comments. Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; not externally ary drinks account for as much as 10% of a UK opposing arguments, reminiscent of previous peer reviewed. 7 child’s energy intake. In one study from several opposition to standardised tobacco packaging. References are in the version on thebmj.com. European countries, adults who drank more than Indeed, the big food and soda manufacturers Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g3428 the bmj | 19 July 2014 23 LAST WORDS NO HOLDS BARRED Margaret McCartney Overprescribing antidepressants: where’s the evidence? Is the United Kingdom in the grip of Is this true? The paper he referred people receiving antidepressants.” an antidepressants epidemic? We are to was a population based cohort And a study published in 2009 found certainly gripped by an epidemic of study, capable of finding association that the proportion of antidepressant the media writing about them. The but not causation.4 And the council prescriptions given to people with past few months have seen reports said that antidepressant use had a new diagnosis of depression of more antidepressants being increased by 92% in England since was constant from 1993 to 2005— used during the financial crisis,1 20035; however, it cited the Health making it unlikely that more people stories of how many people seem to and Social Information Centre, which with symptoms of depression were be taking them,2 and an article in records prescription items rather than treated with antidepressants during the Guardian by Peter Gøtzsche—a prescription amounts.6 that timeframe.9 member of the newly formed Council Over the past Over the past decade GPs have I have little doubt that overdiagnosis for Evidence Based Psychiatry, decade GPs been told to prescribe tablets monthly occurs. And I have no illusions about which aims “To reduce psychiatric have been told rather than, as previously, an amount the effectiveness of antidepressants harm by communicating the latest that would last 2-3 months.7 The in mild to moderate depression. But 3 to prescribe evidence.” tablets monthly number of items dispensed is likely big data can mean big problems, “It’s hard to believe that so many to have increased as a result—but and this can pose more questions people have become mentally rather than, as it is uncertain, from the data cited than it answers. Failing to pay disturbed and that these prescription previously, an by the Council for Evidence Based attention to uncertainties and caveats increases reflect a genuine amount that Psychiatry, whether this means that means that we can overshoot the need,” said Gøtzsche. He blamed would last 2-3 more people are taking them. evidence, and this can cause harm overdiagnosis, conflicts of interest months Similarly, a report by the Health through the under-recognition and among the writers of the Diagnostic Foundation and the Nuffield undertreatment of mental illness. and Statistical Manual of Mental Trust, which found an increase Margaret McCartney is a general practitioner, Disorders, and the illegal marketing in antidepressant use during the Glasgow of psychiatric drugs. He concluded, recession, analysed prescription cost [email protected] “Another report said that, amongst data.8 But it concluded, “We cannot Competing interests: See thebmj.com people over 65, antidepressants are determine whether these trends are Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; not believed to kill one out of every 28 based on the same people receiving externally peer reviewed. people treated for one year, because Twitter more medication, or whether they References are in the version on thebmj.com. they lead to falls and fractures.” ̻ @mgtmccartney reflect an increase in the number of Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g4218 BMJ BLOG OF THE WEEK William Cayley When it’s awkward “I just hate this sort of thing.” When they probably already are, and comfort my conversation may have badly, an expensive medication I overheard that at a recent funeral, broaching the topic may actually offered.
Recommended publications
  • Margaret Mccartney: the Social Care System Has Become Inherently Unsafe
    BMJ 2017;357:j2329 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j2329 (Published 2017 May 30) Page 1 of 2 Views and Reviews BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.j2329 on 30 May 2017. Downloaded from VIEWS AND REVIEWS NO HOLDS BARRED Margaret McCartney: The social care system has become inherently unsafe Margaret McCartney general practitioner Glasgow Ellen Ash was an elderly woman with severe dementia, who with many time consuming assessments. The community team lived in Glasgow. She died in 2013 after she was smothered is dissolving, and our district nurses no longer work, long term, and her house was set on fire. Her son, Jeffrey, went to the police from the practice as part of our team but “horizontally,” across the next day to confess to both.1 He was her carer and seems to many. have been under immense stress. This may be “agile,” but it loses the longer term, soft knowledge Social care is under intense pressure but also scrutiny. Over the on which harder decisions are based. No basic record exists past few months this complex case has been discussed at wide between district nurses and GPs, social work, and care agencies http://www.bmj.com/ ranging, interdisciplinary meetings involving health and social to say who’s involved. I can alert social workers to concerns, care staff. In Scotland, social and health care are integrated in but what then? Everyone is working over capacity, in workplaces law. But in practice? not designed to ensure that professionals have the minimum In the months before her death Ash was admitted to hospital information to do the job safely.
    [Show full text]
  • Covid-19: People Are Not Being Warned About Pitfalls of Mass Testing
    NEWS BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.n238 on 26 January 2021. Downloaded from The BMJ EXCLUSIVE Cite this as: BMJ 2021;372:n238 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n238 Published: 26 January 2021 Covid-19: People are not being warned about pitfalls of mass testing Elisabeth Mahase Only a third of local authorities that are rolling out local authorities in communicating such public health lateral flow testing have made the test’s limitations messages. clear to the public—including that it does not pick However, Mike Gill, former regional director of public up all cases and that people testing negative could health for the South East region, highlighted that the still be infected, an investigation by The BMJ has government’s community testing guidance4 for local found. authorities did not make the limitations clear. A search of the websites of the 114 local authorities He said, “It is absolutely appropriate that local rolling out lateral flow testing1 found that 81 provided authorities shape the messaging surrounding testing information for the public on rapid covid-19 testing. to suit local circumstances and cultural groups, but Of these, nearly half (47%; 38) did not explain the all messaging should fulfil basic minimum standards. limitations of the tests or make it clear that people needed to continue following the restrictions or safety “Unfortunately, this range of approaches across the measures even if they tested negative, as they could country is predictable. The recently published still be infected. government guide to community testing,4 for all its length, is entirely silent on the issue of standards of Although 53% (43) did advise people to continue to messaging.
    [Show full text]
  • Joint Meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm and the British Medical Journal
    Joint meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm and the British Medical Journal Venue and time 10:00am, Friday 21st May 2021 Via Zoom virtual conferencing Parliamentarians attending • Baroness Cumberlege, Co-Chair • Emma Hardy MP, Vice-Chair Panellists • Fiona Godlee, Editor-In-Chief, British Medical Journal • Kath Sansom, Sling the Mesh • Margaret McCartney, general practitioner, writer and broadcaster • Professor Neil Mortensen, President, Royal College of Surgeons • Professor Colin Melville, Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards, General Medical Council • Sir Cyril Chantler, Vice-Chair of the IMMDS Review Additional guests • Simon Whale, panel member, IMMDS Review • Dr Sonia Macleod, senior researcher to the IMMDS Review • Dr Chris van Tulleken, Infectious disease doctor, broadcaster and academic • Rebecca Coombes, Head of Journalism, British Medical Journal Apologies • The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Co-Chair • Cat Smith MP, Vice-Chair • Dr Valerie Brasse, Secretary to the IMMDS Review Introduction Baroness Cumberlege began by welcoming fellow parliamentarians, patient group campaigners, her fellow panellists, members of the media and other attendees to the launch event. She also introduced the team from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, who were on-screen: 1 • Sir Cyril Chantler • Simon Whale • Dr Sonia Macleod Baroness Cumberlege provided attendees with background to the joint meeting, referencing the work of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, which she Chaired, and which published its report, First Do No Harm, last July. The report stated that transparency of payments made to clinicals needs to improve and it recommended (Recommendation 8) that the register of the General Medical Council should be expanded to include a list of financial and non-pecuniary interests for all doctors, as well a specialisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Charges for Scoring Systems May Change Practice
    PERSONAL VIEW Charges for scoring systems may change practice Much medical knowledge is copyrighted, but charges to reproduce clinical scoring criteria such as the Mini Mental State Examination may see them disappear from guidelines, writes Hugo Farne small but important change is number of titles—when previously the bulk quietly taking place in academic of article citations were accounted for by publishing, to the detriment of a few papers in the top journals10—and authors and readers alike. falling library budgets have been met with The National Institute rises in subscription charges in excess of Afor Health and Care Excellence (NICE) inflation (the “serials crisis”).11 Aggressively recommends using the Wells score to assess pursuing publishers who quote their content, patients with a suspected pulmonary particularly scoring systems that are often embolus, for example, and it recommends reproduced, can provide additional revenues the CHA2DS2-VASc score to identify which for journals. patients with atrial fibrillation are at high risk of stroke and should start prophylactic Intellectual property anticoagulation. However, if you wish It is only right that journals should seek to publish an article, book, smartphone to protect the intellectual property of their application, or website that reminds readers authors against plagiarism. However, scoring of these scoring systems, it will cost you systems were intended to be used as widely dearly—as much as $750 (£486; €690) goes as possible. By charging such high fees, these to the Annals of Internal Medicine for the Royalties for reproduction: room for improvement scoring systems will inevitably be less widely Wells score and $360 to the journal Chest read and used, much as articles incurring a for the CHA2DS2-VASc score (see table).
    [Show full text]
  • Why Evidence Matters to Dr Mark Porter
    HEALTHWATCH NEWSLETTER Issue 100, Winter 2015-16 Contents NEWS Dr Mark Porter’s AGM talk; student prizewinners; homeopathic prescription ban news; and News in Brief ...............................................................................................................................................................full text 1-4 HEALTHWATCH AGM 2015 James May sums up our busiest year so far ..................................................full text 4-5 JOHN MADDOX AWARD Why Edzard Ernst was a perfect fit for “standing up for science” award, by Nick Ross ..................................................................................................................................................................intro only 6 PHARMACEUTICALS Leonore Tiefer tells the story of the hunt for the pink Viagra ...................................intro only 6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Margaret McCartney responds to Nick Ross on confidentiality; Frank Odds on mixing religion with evidence ..........................................................................................................................intro only 7 MEETING REPORT Michael Baum pays a memorable visit to our counterparts in the Netherlandsintro ......... only 8 to read the newsletter in full, join HealthWatch HERE NEWS FEATURE Why evidence matters to Dr Mark Porter The 23rd HealthWatch Award was presented to Dr Mark Porter MBE; GP, journalist, media doctor and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Inside Health’. Receiving his award at the Medical Society of London, Dr Porter gave an insight into his unique career, and explained that his listeners, readers, and patients are why evidence matters. “For me, it’s not about the data, but how it influences clinical practice—what difference is made to the man or woman sitting in front of me in my consulting room. Like most, I was a naïve young doctor who did what his boss told him, whose boss did what his boss told him because it was what his boss did, and that’s how we based a lot of our practice.
    [Show full text]
  • Gps to Convene Crisis Summit
    this week GPs to convene crisis summit The chair of the BMA’s General sustainability is in serious question, and Chaand Nagpaul said the Practitioners Committee has warned the the ability of GPs to continue with their current crisis in general government that the future sustainability current workload and current pressures practice “can no longer be ignored by politicians” of UK general practice is “in serious is unsustainable. This conference has question,” ahead of a crisis summit later been called because we are in a desperate this month. situation with regards to general practice.” Chaand Nagpaul said that the first Nagpaul added, “The conference is special meeting of local medical bringing to the fore an issue that can no committees (the statutory bodies that longer be ignored by politicians. But it represent GPs locally) in 13 years—due is also about ensuring clear action is to take place on 30 January—highlighted taken to enable general practice to get the severity of the current crisis in general back on its feet.” practice and would bring to the fore “an Peter Holden, a member of issue that can no longer be ignored by Derbyshire Local Medical Committee politicians.” and a former negotiator on the BMA The meeting has been organised by General Practitioners Committee, NEWS ONLINE the BMA in response to growing concern has proposed a motion warning the Wider group of among members of local medical government that industrial action • health professionals committees that rising demand from from GPs was “on the cards” unless should be located patients, stretched resources, and over- the government acted to support the in emergency regulation were harming the care of beleaguered primary care system.
    [Show full text]
  • We Need Better Evidence on Non-Drug Interventions for Covid-19 Follow Margaret on Twitter at @Mgtmccartney Non-Drug Interventions Should Be Based on Evidence
    VIEWS AND REVIEWS Glasgow, UK BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.m3473 on 7 September 2020. Downloaded from [email protected] We need better evidence on non-drug interventions for covid-19 Follow Margaret on Twitter at @mgtmccartney Non-drug interventions should be based on evidence. We need to generate this to inform the covid-19 Cite this as: BMJ 2020;370:m3473 and future pandemics, argues Margaret McCartney http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3473 Published: 07 September 2020 Margaret McCartney GP partner Almost 1300 controlled trials have been registered Observation of the use of face coverings, in real life, for drug interventions for covid-19.1 Among them finds that they are commonly worn incorrectly.5 Nor have been large, well powered, international trials have we considered enough the broader societal that have assessed the effectiveness of treatments impact. People with histories of trauma, or who have such as dexamethasone and hydroxychloroquine. hearing difficulties, are placed at disadvantage.6 Yet But why have non-drug interventions not been those who do not wear face coverings are categorised, subject to the same interrogation? by proponents of face coverings, as “deviants from the new norm.”7 Societal cohesion is risked by The BESSI Collaboration (Behavioural, dividing rather than understanding behaviour. These Environmental, Social, and Systems Interventions are all harms. Nor do we have a clear “end” strategy. (for pandemic preparedness)) is currently being We need less panic and more practical, pragmatic developed. But so far only 10 controlled trials of research. non-drug interventions have been registered, with three reported.
    [Show full text]
  • Opinion on Benchmarking Access to Healthcare in the EU
    BENCHMARKING ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE IN THE EU Report of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (EXPH) Health Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of the following information. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 © European Union, 2018 Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The reuse policy of European Commission documents is regulated by Decision 2011/833/EU (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not under the EU copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Print ISBN 978-92-79-77055-5 doi:10.2875/593839 EW-07-17-153-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-79-77054-8 doi:10.2875/781739 EW-07-17-153-EN-N EXPERT PANEL ON EFFECTIVE WAYS OF INVESTING IN HEALTH (EXPH) Opinion on Benchmarking Access to Healthcare in the EU The EXPH adopted this opinion by written procedure on 13.12.2017 after public hearing on 11.10.2017 Benchmarking Access to Healthcare in the EU About the EXpert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (EXPH) Sound and timely scientific advice is an essential requirement for the Commission to pursue modern, responsive and sustainable health systems. To this end, the Commission has set up a multidisciplinary and independent Expert Panel which provides advice on Effective Ways of Investing in Health (Commission Decision 2012/C 198/06). The core element of the Expert Panel’s mission is to provide the Commission with sound and independent advice in the form of opinions in response to questions (mandates) submitted by the Commission on matters related to health care modernisation, responsiveness, and sustainability.
    [Show full text]
  • The Worldwide Clinical Trial Research Response to the COVID
    F1000Research 2020, 9:1193 Last updated: 09 SEP 2021 RESEARCH ARTICLE The worldwide clinical trial research response to the COVID- 19 pandemic - the first 100 days [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] Perrine Janiaud 1,2, Cathrine Axfors1,3, Janneke van't Hooft1,4, Ramon Saccilotto1, Arnav Agarwal5, Christian Appenzeller-Herzog 6, Despina G. Contopoulos-Ioannidis7, Valentin Danchev1,8, Ulrich Dirnagl 9, Hannah Ewald 6, Gerald Gartlehner10,11, Steven N. Goodman 1,12,13, Noah A. Haber1, Angeliki Diotima Ioannidis14, John P. A. Ioannidis1,8,12,13,15, Mark P. Lythgoe 16, Wenyan Ma2, Malcolm Macleod17, Mario Malički1, Joerg J. Meerpohl18,19, Yan Min1,12, David Moher 20, Blin Nagavci18, Florian Naudet 21, Christiane Pauli-Magnus2, Jack W. O'Sullivan1,22, Nico Riedel 9, Jan A. Roth2,23, Mandy Sauermann23, Stefan Schandelmaier2,24, Andreas M. Schmitt2,25, Benjamin Speich2,26, Paula R. Williamson27, Lars G. Hemkens1,2,15 1Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS), Stanford University,, Stanford, California, USA 2Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland 3Department for Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden 4Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 5Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 6University Medical Library, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland 7Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA 8Stanford Prevention
    [Show full text]
  • Reflections on the Debate Around Face Coverings for the Public During COVID-19
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Nottingham Trent Institutional Repository (IRep) Critical Public Health ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ccph20 Science, society, and policy in the face of uncertainty: reflections on the debate around face coverings for the public during COVID-19 Graham P. Martin , Esmée Hanna , Margaret McCartney & Robert Dingwall To cite this article: Graham P. Martin , Esmée Hanna , Margaret McCartney & Robert Dingwall (2020): Science, society, and policy in the face of uncertainty: reflections on the debate around face coverings for the public during COVID-19, Critical Public Health, DOI: 10.1080/09581596.2020.1797997 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1797997 © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Published online: 10 Aug 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 345 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ccph20 CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1797997 COMMENTARY Science, society, and policy in the face of uncertainty: reflections on the debate around face coverings for the public during COVID-19 Graham P. Martina, Esmée Hannab, Margaret McCartneyc and Robert Dingwalld aThe Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; bSchool of Allied Health Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK; cGeneral Practitioner, Glasgow, UK; dDingwall Enterprises Ltd and School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY The COVID-19 pandemic has had enormous effects on health, wellbeing, Received 21 May 2020 and economies worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • Margaret Mccartney: What Hunt Did Next
    BMJ 2016;355:i5980 doi: 10.1136/bmj.i5980 Page 1 of 1 Views and Reviews BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.i5980 on 9 November 2016. Downloaded from VIEWS AND REVIEWS NO HOLDS BARRED Margaret McCartney: What Hunt did next Margaret McCartney general practitioner Glasgow Jeremy Hunt has pinned his NHS badge back on. “Let’s not that he would order newly graduated doctors to work for the argue about statistics,” he said recently.1 NHS for four years, resulting in “more home grown doctors.” In his Conservative Party conference speech, however, the health Where’s the evidence? We have no idea whether this will result secretary was talking about four key standards that the Academy in more doctors bailing out to the city sooner, though I suspect of Medical Royal Colleges recommends. One was that, that it will damage morale. But don’t fear: Hunt, we’re told, “whatever day of the week it is, highly vulnerable patients intends to improve morale by using the lure of honours.6 should be checked by a consultant twice a day.” Hunt said that Seriously? The NHS is in meltdown, but the Empire strikes this happens “in just one in 20 hospitals.” He added that back. “patients should be checked by a senior doctor within 14 hours And he claimed, “When you look at our safest hospitals . it’s of being admitted,” which was happening “in just one in 10 http://www.bmj.com/ 2 not about the level of funding but the quality of leadership.” hospitals.” Please don’t tell us that catastrophic cuts to social care, small Let us, indeed, argue about statistics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hague Fighting Crime with Science!
    the // Issue 02 // Spring 2013 GlasgGow Insight inIto ScSience and TTechnology CSI: The Hague Fighting crime with science! Homeopathy // Emotional Recognition // The Glasgow Effect // Medical Reporting // INSIDE THE GIST TEAM GIST EDITORIAL MANAGING Alan Boyd & Adam Stock We made it! Thanks for picking up The GIST's sophomore issue, EDITORS once again bringing you the finest science writing this side of Falkirk. ASSISTANT Craig McInnes EDITOR WHAT NOW? WRITERS Paul McCool, Craig McInnes, Due to the work of science communicators, starting with Carl Johnny Stormonth Darling, Sagan in the 1970's, through the BBC's Horizon documentaries, the Emilie Steinmark, Timothy Naked Scientists, Brian Cox, Alice Roberts and Richard Dawkins to Revell, Robert Hallam, David name a few, scientific research (in the UK at least) has the public's Iain Houston, Felicity Carlysle, full attention. There are now no less than 10 student science Luke Dicken, Scott McKellar, magazines in the UK, with React (Newcastle), Spark (York) and Steven Davies, Victoria Smith, Synergy (Lancaster) all starting in the last year. Science blogs are Joy Leckie, Jenny Ferguson too numerous to count. My question is this: Now that we have the EDITORS Robert Hallam, Steven Davies, public's attention, what do we do with it? David Houston, Yulia Revina Journalism's highest moral function is to hold to account the LAYOUT Emilie Steinmark, Yulia Revina, industries and sectors it reports on. In this respect, a large amount Ryan Imrie & Johnny of science journalism has been 'soft' journalism, and with good Stormonth-Darling. reason, as simply taking academic papers and giving the non- expert reader the gist (sorry) of the work is important and difficult COPY- Sophie Brennan-Jones & to do well.
    [Show full text]