NHS
The difficult balance of public vs political agony
Fear is the politician’s friend. When terror grips the public, an opportunity arises for those in power to step forward…
The ‘Protect the NHS’ message has become dangerously effective
There was an interesting moment at the government’s daily Covid-19 press briefing a couple of weeks ago. Angela McLean, the…
Survivor’s notebook
I write this on Easter Sunday, sitting comfortably at home, recovering from my brush with Covid-19. I was hospitalised for…
Diary
When two members of my family went down with what appears to be Covid-19, I felt concerned. What I hadn’t…
Our flawed species still stands a chance
There was always one key flaw in our species. Which is that someone always shags a monkey. I have expressed…
Coronavirus can help us confront the uncomfortable truth about death
In recent years, I’ve been thinking about the right way to die, having been with my late wife Sian Busby…
How will this ‘war’ change us?
In the past ten days we have seen the greatest expansion of state power in British history. The state has…
The battle ahead
The fight against coronavirus has only just begun
Will the NHS drop its trans obsession when peak coronavirus hits?
As coronavirus sweeps across the country, I am sure people will be reassured to know that the NHS is doing…
My night in A&E
I wish I shared the Prime Minister’s confidence about the ability of the NHS to cope with coronavirus. ‘I have…
To the friend who dropped me
I’ve put off sending a private email that’s been ready to go for weeks. Then last Sunday, I read Julie…
Real life
Nice of the NHS to send an advisory text about coronavirus, because I was wondering. Is it possible to have…
I’ve never seen a film like it: Ordinary Love reviewed
Ordinary Love stars Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson as a long-married couple whose lives are disrupted when she is diagnosed…
To solve Britain’s social care crisis, follow the Dutch example
More than a decade ago, four Dutch nurses decided something needed to be done about their country’s care in the…
How many people have swum the Channel?
Journey’s end Holidaymakers are being flown home after travel company Thomas Cook failed. The idea might have horrified the company’s…
Watching Stephen Fry was like being in the presence of a god
Stephen Fry lies prone on an empty stage. A red ball rolls in from the wings and bashes him in…
How Boris can make the extra cash for the NHS really count
It would be daft for someone to offer you £1.8 billion and you turn it down. That sort of money…
I’m a doctor, and tried the new GP app. My experience was terrifying
Everyone agrees something dramatic has to be done to help the NHS. It is crumbling and the canary in the…
From the NHS to Bayreuth: Norman Lebrecht talks to midwife-turned-opera singer Catherine Foster
Every summer for the past six years, Bayreuth has risen to its feet to acclaim an English Brünnhilde. Catherine Foster,…
Is your doctor faking it?
Last October, Phil Coleman, a journalist on the Carlisle-based News & Star, went to cover the trial of Zholia Alemi,…
Playing chicken: Trade deals with the US will make Britain stronger
Why is it that free trade, which almost everyone agrees is good when conducted with other European countries, suddenly becomes…
Proton therapy: Cancer revolution or costly white elephant?
It’s Asco week in Chicago: the biggest meeting of clinical oncologists in the world. McCormick Place convention centre, the largest…
The NHS clearly wishes I would just naff off
The receptionist fixed me with a withering stare. I had just filled out a repeat prescription form and politely inquired…
The NHS’s CBT mailshot is a scandal
A leaflet came through my door from the NHS inviting me to take part (if that is the right term)…
Letters: The Brexit chaos isn’t David Cameron’s fault
About the Bible Sir: I was confirmed by Richard Holloway as a schoolboy at Fettes College, and then taught by…
