By Judith Smith, Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Birmingham
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has announced plans to abolish NHS England, the organisation that oversees and manages the NHS in England, employing 19,000 people.
He declared he was bringing the NHS back under “democratic control” and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy by moving oversight of the NHS back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This will reverse plans put in place by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2013 when it tried…
(Full Story)
|
By Catia Nicodemo, Professor of Health Economics, Brunel University of London
The NHS was hit hard by COVID. And no amount of appreciative clapping or painted rainbows could distract from the vulnerabilities which were exposed by the pandemic – or the challenges it created.
Some of those challenges – like the staggering backlog in patient care, or the huge mental and physical toll experienced by staff – will take years to overcome.
And anyone compelled to attend a hospital in the UK at the moment can see the evidence at first hand. Wards are very busy and staff are overstretched.
(Full Story)
|
By Martin Doherty, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of East Anglia
Radoslaw Wincza, Lecturer in Behavioural Sciences, University of Central Lancashire
Optical illusions are great fun, and they fool virtually everyone. But have you ever wondered if you could train yourself to unsee these illusions? Our latest research suggests that you can.
Optical illusions tell a lot about how people see things. For example, look at the picture below.
The two orange circles are identical, but the one on the right looks bigger. Why? We use context to figure out what we are seeing. Something surrounded by smaller things is often quite big. Our visual system…
(Full Story)
|
By Ming Gao, Research Scholar of East Asia Studies in History Division, Lund University
China’s marriage rate is in steep decline. There were 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, down from 7.7 million the previous year. This decline has prompted Chen Songxi, a Chinese national political adviser, to propose lowering the legal marriage age from 22 to 18.
The drop in China’s marriage rate has been driven by a combination of factors. These include increased economic pressures, evolving social attitudes towards marriage,…
(Full Story)
|
By Marcos del Pozo Banos, Senior Research Data Analyst, Swansea University
Ann John, Clinical Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry, Swansea University
Tania Gergel, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Division of Psychiatry and Director of Research at Bipolar UK, UCL
Heston Blumenthal, the celebrity chef known for his experimental cuisine, recently shared his experience of being sectioned under the UK’s Mental Health Act, saying it was “the best thing” that could have happened to him. His openness about living with bipolar disorder highlights the little-discussed fact that people with this condition face one of the highest suicide risks of any mental illness.
Bipolar disorder…
(Full Story)
|
By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
Getting a headache and feeling sick are common side-effects for many medicines. Indulging in risky sexual behaviour or pathological gambling – not so common.
But a BBC investigation has highlighted that some drug treatments for restless leg syndrome and Parkinson’s…
(Full Story)
|
By Daniel O'Brien, Lecturer, Department of Literature Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex
Even though it brings together popular newcomer Ayo Adebiri with old Hollywood hand John Malkovich, this film about a celebrity cult feels confused and disjointed.
(Full Story)
|
By Sameen Mohsin Ali, Lecturer in International Development, University of Birmingham
Pakistan’s army has freed hundreds of hostages from a passenger train that was seized by armed militants in the south-western province of Balochistan on Tuesday, March 11. A number of those on board were military officials and police personnel travelling from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, to Peshawar further north.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the hijacking. In a written…
(Full Story)
|
By Colin Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Political Communications, Nottingham Trent University
The recently appointed White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has begun her tenure combatively, aggressively defending the Trump administration’s policies and, at times, mimicking Donald Trump’s methods of dealing with the mainstream news media.
Faced recently with a legitimate question by an Associated Press (AP) reporter who challenged Trump’s introduction of tariffs against several countries, she accused the reporter of doubting her knowledge of economics. She…
(Full Story)
|
By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University
Perception as a neutral country has helped Gulf state position itself as a crucial diplomatic player in Ukraine-Russia war. It also serve’s kingdom’s self-interest.
(Full Story)
|