I was invited to speak at the Best Practice 2014 Conference where I spoke about the use of social media in healthcare, drawing upon my experience as an academic clinician. My lecture was well-attended with many delegates standing because all the seats had been taken. This illustrates doctors' interest in the use of social media and in particular its role in patient education, promoting the use of preventive activities such as immunisation and improving the quality of care that patients receive. You can view a copy of my presentation at the event.
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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