Recent research articles published by the Department of Primary Care and Social Medicine have appeared in PLoS Medicine (deaths from paracetamol poisoning), CMAJ and the Journal of Public Health (trends in diabetes prescribing), and Diabetologia (future trends in diabetes in the USA). Forthcoming articles on the impact of paying doctors for performance on the quality of care they provide and an international comparison of primary care practice will appear in PLoS Medicine, CMAJ and the BMJ.
NHS budgets are under considerable pressure. It is therefore unsurprising that many NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) In England will aim to prioritise price in contract awards, But this approach is a significant threat to community-centred healthcare. While competitive tendering is a legally required, an excessive focus on costs in awarding NHS contracts risks overshadowing key factors such as established community trust, local expertise, and the long-term impact on continuity of care. This shift towards cheaper, often external, commercial providers threatens to cut the links between communities and their local health services. The argument that competitive tendering is solely about legal compliance, and not cost, is undermined by the very nature of such tendering, which by design encourages the lowest bid. This approach risks eroding the social fabric of local healthcare provision, where established relationships and understanding of specific community needs are essential. Establishe...
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