Simple Solutions for Complex Lives
Magical thinking and multiple, complex needs in the UK In the UK at present, we appear to have an epidemic of magical thinking about the lives of the unhoused victims of universal credit (UC), the ‘20%’ with multiple and complex... More…
Her bloody project – managing menstruation at work*
Recent legislative limitations placed on women’s rights to abortion in the US, similar to those in Northern Ireland, are a timely reminder of how certain aspects of society hate and want to control women, and the ways in which that... More…
The Colonisation of Pondering and Pottering
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where... More…
Acknowledging Unpaid Public Work
The Need for Authentic Peer Support The idea of unpaid public work is an underexplored aspect of many women’s lives. Unpaid work might include: being a trustee on charitable boards, providing pastoral care and signposting people to welfare services, participating... More…
We’ve Been Here Before…..
Last week’s post by Lesley Henderson on the contemporary anti-vaccination movement’s use of social media, Charlie Davison takes a look at the history of the battle between Public Health and the ‘Anti-Vaxxers’, and finds that things haven’t changed much in over... More…
The Anti-Vaxx Movement and New Media
Communicating Public Health in a Changing Landscape Some of you may already be aware of the latest Netflix documentary Behind the Curve. It focuses on a group of conspiracy theorists who persist in believing that the earth is flat. The... More…
Urban Nature
There has been a resurgence of interest in the need for more green space in our cities. Being near nature lifts the mood, and there is hard evidence of the positive mental health effects of time spent with nature. However,... More…
The limits of participation?
All policies which prioritise the need and value of public participation are underpinned by the idea of a democratic deficit. A democratic deficit can be defined as failings in the levels of accountability and transparency in the ongoing operation of... More…
Turning the NHS into Uber
In October 2018 the NHS Digital App was launched amidst claims it will be the “digital NHS ‘front door’” to a range of services. Similar to apps such as “Push Doctor” and “GP at hand” it will provide advice, a... More…
Brexit and the End of Empire
“There is no gold at the end of the Brexit rainbow” Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire, by Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson, Biteback, 344 pages As the clock ticks down to the UK leaving the European Union (EU)... More…
"Let them eat resilience"
The genealogy of a vocabulary, and why it matters for public health Nothing about the title of this post is original. The main title imitates that of an essay by historical sociologist Margaret Somers called ‘Let them eat social capital’, which appeared... More…
Colour-blindness in Sweden: Revealing the veiled truth