Developing skills pathways through community enrichment for disadvantaged children
Why we need a radical overhaul of our approach to the UK skills gap What is the UK skills gap? The recent announcement of the Government’s Youth Guarantee, ensuring all 18 to 21 year olds in England have access to...
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England now has a plan to end homelessness…
…here’s how to test whether it will work The UK has proved before that it can end homelessness. The Everyone In scheme during COVID lockdowns accommodated tens of thousands of people in emergency and supported housing, who would otherwise have continued...
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Shame, Stigma, and Self-Harm: Complicating Narratives
Over the last decade it’s been exciting to see a real groundswell in Sociology around the need to think carefully and critically about stigma. A brilliant example of this is the collection Recalibrating Stigma: Sociologies of Health and Illness edited...
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Artificial intelligence in research: are we widening health inequalities?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming rapidly ingrained in many aspects of research (such as generating large health datasets from patient records, qualitative analysis, generating lay summaries and research translations). This is creating both excitement and nerves. Although it is often...
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Why is “oat milk” banned but “coconut milk” is fine?
A recent ruling might see references to “vegan burgers” and “vegan sausages” disappear from packaging. But will it make a difference? And who really benefits? “Oat milk” and other plant-based milks have significantly increased in popularity in recent years. A...
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More Than a Client: Ruby Smith and the Heart of Social Care
In the course of my research into health inequalities and social care, I have had the privilege of working closely with voluntary sector organisations that support older adults. These spaces—often underfunded and overlooked—are where care happens in its most humane...
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Old wine in new bottles: the NHS 10 year plan for England
The Labour Governments’ NHS 10 Year Plan for England was published on 4th July 2025, exactly a year to the day from their election victory on 4th July 2024. Whilst not without ambition (merging NHS England with Department of Health...
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Just saying no? Why declining research participation matters
Public willingness to take part in research is in free fall. Whether invited to tick boxes in a survey, volunteer for a medical trial or talk to an interviewer, we are increasingly likely to just say ‘no’. Research participation declines...
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Why Workplaces Still Fail Disabled People (and What Needs to Change)
The UK’s Employment Rights Bill 2024-25 was published in October 2024 and aims to introduce 28 significant labour law reforms. Key measures include making unfair dismissal a day-one right, providing guaranteed hours for zero-hours workers, introducing miscarriage bereavement leave, banning...
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Wellbeing Influencers and The Skewing of Public Health Discourse
Why Capitalism, Not Seed Oil, is the Problem It’s a familiar format on TikTok and other social media platforms. An earnest young man enters a supermarket. He walks down a deserted aisle (they’re always deserted; you never see another shopper)....
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Is the Dentistry Rescue Plan Toothless?
In a previous post in 2023 I wrote about the growing crisis in NHS dentistry and Carl Walker followed up with an assessment of Labour plans to improve dentistry prior to the 2024 general election. But how are we getting...
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Outgunned Before Breakfast: Big Brand Advertising