16
SEP
2013

Ladies and gentlemen…

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I came across a webpage offering ten rules not to break when giving a presentation. I thought some things were missing, so here are ten more in the same style. 1 Slides Don’t use them. Few presentations—other than lectures—need them, fewer are improved by them and the vast...
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05
SEP
2013

NHS reform: missing something fundamental

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In The guardian, Tony Yeaman comments: “Prof Don Berwick’s report Improving the Safety of Patients in England follows a long line of investigations into failures in care within the NHS and a plethora of responses to them; and yet we are no closer to the solution of...
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30
AUG
2013

Why is email marketing so poor?

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I’m constantly surprised how many businesses send out emails, or pay someone else to send out emails on their behalf, seeking to promote their business which simply irritate (or worse).  Here are ten things not do if you must send out marketing emails: 1   Don’t send out...
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10
AUG
2013

Friends and family test: could do better

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The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is a single question used to assess services provided by the NHS: “How likely are you to recommend our ward/A&E department to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?”. NHS England’s publication guidance says: “The Friends...
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29
JUL
2013

Golf—solution for world peace?

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A recent discussion thread on LinkedIn asked: Have we gone overboard w/ focus on ‘happiness’? Several new studies suggest focusing on ‘being happy’ makes people LESS happy, and less fulfilled in a deeper sense. What’s the right balance? To which I...
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20
JUL
2013

Quote? Unquote

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I like quoting Einstein. Know why? Because nobody dares contradict you.—Studs Terkel Funnily enough, Einstein did not say Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. Nor did Confucius, Benjamin Franklin or Freud. Nor did Einstein say Not everything...
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17
JUL
2013

NHS special measures: making the right diagnosis

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According to The guardian “The Keogh review [published yesterday, 16 July] into high death rates at 14 NHS trusts has not found a disaster on the scale of Mid Staffs, but rather the more banal spectacle of mediocre hospitals, struggling to meet one improvement target after...
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10
JUL
2013

Are referendums democratic?

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There is some discussion about whether the British public should be offered a referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union.   Here are some arguments against the idea that the referendum is a part of the democratic process: (1) The issue is too complex to be...
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04
JUL
2013

Compassionate care

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When my mother was ill last year in hospital, it gave me some opportunities to be curious about how the staff were with her and with each other. Every morning, someone would come around and ask her what she wanted in her meals for the rest of the day. It was always one of two...
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25
JUN
2013

Harassment v free speech

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Are laws designed to protect individuals and minority groups from offence and harassment inhibiting free speech? A discussion recently on BBC Radio 4’s Unreliable evidence addressed this question with some high powered contributors. An activist for disability rights, Bethan...
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