It stopped me
Last week I came across the above gravestone in Stewarton Churchyard and it stopped me. Mrs Picken was an elderly widow, who day after day, year after year, left an … Continue reading It stopped me
Tag: Dementia
Tilting at windmills
Professor Rob Howard of University College London is a leading academic involved in developing scientific understanding for UK doctors in relation to dementia and was given a life time achievement award … Continue reading Tilting at windmills
Battling and fighting words
The above paragraph comes from an article in yesterday’s Herald. The findings of this poll for MacMillan Cancer Support were widely shared and discussed across the media. MacMillan Cancer Support … Continue reading Battling and fighting words
We have moved on
I wrote this poem many years ago. At the time there was a national target for the early diagnosis of dementia (HEAT target 4). Concerned about the potential for harm … Continue reading We have moved on
Paradigms, pathologies and shifts
The following extracts are taken from this perspective published in the Scotsman, 11 January 2018: Pfizer has seemingly concluded that Alzheimer’s disease is far more complex than we had ever … Continue reading Paradigms, pathologies and shifts
Here is a story
The following excerpts are taken from the Scotsman, 28th December 2017: Targets are based on numbers that are intrinsically accredited primacy. But numbers cannot begin to tell a story. Here is a … Continue reading Here is a story
Back in the driving seat: Industry
Historical backdrop (the last decade): UK Key Opinion Leaders argued robustly and consistently for an early approach to the diagnosis of dementia without articulating uncertainties, risks and necessary ethical aspects of person-centred … Continue reading Back in the driving seat: Industry
The ‘Edinburgh Consensus’
I was born in Edinburgh: It was by accident that I learned that this “consensus” has been “operationalised” across the NHS. This small group consensus needs to explain how … Continue reading The ‘Edinburgh Consensus’
NHS Targets: learning from experience
The following Report was published in November 2017: The Foreword began [highlights are mine]: The Report author Sir Harry Burns states: “experience with existing targets and indicators has been positive in … Continue reading NHS Targets: learning from experience
Early detection: “We need critical thinking”
The following analysis: “Surge in publications on early detection” was recently published in the BMJ. The authors concluded that “we need more critical thinking and more studies that specifically target both … Continue reading Early detection: “We need critical thinking”
‘Informed consent is a fundamental principle underlying all healthcare’
A recent Independent Review for NHS Scotland stated that: “Informed consent is a fundamental principle underlying all healthcare” The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Shona Robison stated to the … Continue reading ‘Informed consent is a fundamental principle underlying all healthcare’