My retirement
I have been considering, for some time now, whether I should continue doing what I do in terms of what some refer to as ‘activism’. My interest is in ethics, … Continue reading My retirement
Tag: Scottish Health Council
“Our focus on this occasion is drugs”
What follows is the programme for the The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland Winter Meeting, which will be held at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh on 31st … Continue reading “Our focus on this occasion is drugs”
Celebrating 25 years
The current edition of INSIGHT, the magazine of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, celebrates 25 years since the College opened its doors in Scotland. This anniversary spans the same period … Continue reading Celebrating 25 years
“Good to have a Government that listens!”
Remarked the Chair of the Scottish Division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists after being greeted by name by reception staff as he arrived at St Andrew’s House. Unfortunately I … Continue reading “Good to have a Government that listens!”
‘CEP calls for UK Sunshine Act’
Last week the Council for Evidenced-Based Psychiatry (CEP) called for “the implementation of a UK Sunshine Act to make transparent the financial relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies & the … Continue reading ‘CEP calls for UK Sunshine Act’
‘The Scottish Government has missed an opportunity’
I was not aware of this news article published in the Sunday Express 31 March 2019. My mother’s neighbour came across it. I wonder what was the “opinion” [on page … Continue reading ‘The Scottish Government has missed an opportunity’
‘The willingness among some . . .’
The support of the BMJ Editor in Chief to address meaningfully financial conflicts of interest in medicine and science is most welcome. As an NHS doctor of 25 years I … Continue reading ‘The willingness among some . . .’
A Sunshine Act for Scotland [FOI update]
It is now over three years since my petition for a Sunshine Act for Scotland was closed. Over this time I have on occasion requested an update from the Scottish … Continue reading A Sunshine Act for Scotland [FOI update]
Open questions to Professor Daniel Smith
A recent NHS Scotland study by Professor Daniel J. Smith of the University of Glasgow was widely reported because of the “concerning findings”. This was a typical headline [the Herald]:The authors concluded that … Continue reading Open questions to Professor Daniel Smith
No Sunshine for Scotland!
I shared the above post (and film) with the Scottish Government and I have received the following response: The Government states “in our view this was an appropriate response to … Continue reading No Sunshine for Scotland!
The Narrative Controllers
Science is important to us all. This post is an attempt to explore some of the broad issues that we need to consider to ensure scientific integrity. Science is more … Continue reading The Narrative Controllers
‘Realistic Medicine: Valuing People”
Alongside my NHS Lothian colleagues in psychiatry I have received an invitation to the Realistic Medicine Conference for 2018. It is entitled “Valuing People”. I have repeatedly made clear my … Continue reading ‘Realistic Medicine: Valuing People”