Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
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Compassion has always been a vital component of healthcare anywhere in the world. With numerous definitions in a variety of contexts, it cannot simply be prescribed, measured or given in a bottle. When our patients are ill, great attention is paid to the verbal and non-verbal communication presented by a doctor and the manner in which they are delivered. ⋯ Yet, so often in medical training, it is emphasised how important it is to demonstrate a personal detachment between oneself and the patient and not to get too emotionally involved. So despite numerous challenges, how do we find the correct balance to optimise our day-to-day service and stay sensitive to the needs of our patients? This article reflects upon compassion from multiple perspectives in the NHS pertinent to doctors of all settings and experience levels, exploring the barriers, internal conflicts and facilitators of its delivery. We examine the objective evidence of measures that have been put in place to overcome these challenges and summarise key considerations to optimise the enablement of a workforce to deliver compassion at universally higher standards in future practice.
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Objective We wished to explore how UK national newspapers had covered the creation and operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund from 2010 to 2015. This was introduced to provide cancer patients in England with access to drugs not appraised or approved by the National Institute for health and Care Excellence. Design We sought stories in nine newspapers from the Factiva database, and copied their salient details to a spreadsheet. ⋯ Leading this support was the Daily Mail, whose influence (measured by the product of number of stories and the paper's circulation) was almost greater than that of the other newspapers combined. Conclusions Although there was some critical analysis of the Cancer Drugs Fund, our analysis shows that most press coverage was largely positive and unrepresentative in comparison with the lack of overall benefits to patients and society. It is likely that it contributed to the Cancer Drugs Fund's continuation despite mounting evidence of its ineffectiveness.
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1177/0141076818781403.].
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Historical Article
A better future for the NHS: a historical perspective from the frontline.