VIDEO: Watch our co-chair, Sir Michael Dixon, summarising the achievements of The College of Medicine over the past 12 months in footage recorded at our annual general meeting…
The latest contributor to write for the Social Prescribing Network’s blog has made an important contribution to the development of social prescribing evidence in the UK.
The TV personality and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has long understood the power of dance when it comes to enhancing both mental and physical health – and now she’s spreading the word in every way she can…
Director of Knowledge and Innovation at Bromley by Bow Health, Dan Hopewell reflects on how far social prescribing has come – and where we’re heading – on the latest Social Prescribing Network blog post…
The latest article in the Connecting Conversations series from the Social Prescribing Network sees MP Dr Simon Opher as guest blogger. Simon is a member of the College of Medicine, and chairs the Beyond Pills All Parliamentary Party Group (APPG) and the Creative Health APPG,…
Cormac Russell is a globally recognized advocate for community-led development and citizen empowerment. He is the Founding Director of Nurture Development and a faculty member of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute at DePaul University in Chicago. Here, he writes about the power of community to transform lives in the Social Prescribing Network’s latest Guest Blog Series…
As a former NHS GP and trainer with over three decades of experience, Dr Mark Chambers has witnessed both the strengths and limitations of conventional medicine. In this article for RAPPorT, the magazine for Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Professionals, he explores…
The British Medical Journal has published an article by the College of Medicine’s Vice Chair Professor Sir Sam Everington and Aneez Esmail, Professor of General Practice at the University of Manchester, on how improving the UK’s fit note process could…
An article in the latest edition of Psychologies magazine features our Bodymind Faculty, with lead Dr Simon Lewis discussing the impact of stress on our mental and physical well-being. Dr Lewis, who is a psychiatrist at University College London and…
Heather Henry is a writer, social entrepreneur and a Queen’s Nurse who founded the BreathChamps initiative to help children, families and communities affected by breathing problems. Her book, Social Prescribing Paradigms, Perspectives and Practice, is published on November 14th –…
Welcome to the Bodymind Faculty (BMF), we are pleased you are here! Below, our Bodymind Faculty Lead, Simon Lewis, explains exactly what our ambitions are for our newest College of Medicine faculty… What is the Bodymind Faculty (BMF)?We think that…
Dr Michael Dixon and Dr Sam Everington, Chair and Vice Chair respectively of The College of Medicine, have authored a new discussion paper on how to fix and future protect our healthcare system… Image: Pixabay/Geralt What are the problems that…
Ahead of the IPM Congress 2024, the College of Medicine’s Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, has written a letter to The Times newspaper addressing the GP retention crisis the country’s healthcare system is currently facing. In the correspondence, Dr Dixon says…
The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines by Dr Mark Horowitz and Professor David Taylor is the first clinical handbook on how to safely stop medications, reports Sarah Stacey… Until very recently, medical guidelines and textbooks have been influenced by short-term studies carried…
The College of Medicine has joined key voices in healthcare including nursing leads, charities and the Government in calling for more schools to have a dedicated nurse. The College contributed to a report published this week which documents the sharp…
The College of Medicine’s Chair Dr Michael Dixon has praised a new book that examines in depth the relationship between healing and medicine. A Doctor’s Journey Toward Their Integration is by Bristol-based Professor Paul Dieppe, an academic physician who changed…
In the first of a two-part series examining the growing trend for using weight-loss drugs to tackle diabetes Type 2, Sarah Stacey reports on the serious potential risks for patients – and a safe, long-term alternative… The slew of hopeful…
The College of Medicine’s Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, has praised a paper written by our patron, King Charles III, in 2012 on Integrated Health as ‘forward thinking’ and has invited our members to re-read it. The paper, entitled ‘Integrated health…
The College of Medicine’s Self Care Lead, Simon Mills, first encountered herbalist and acupuncturist Michael McIntyre around 45 years ago as the pair met as practitioners trying to drive forward plant medicine in the UK. In 2022, the College of…
An article, Farming today means thinking of tomorrow, by journalist Alice Thomson published in The Times newspaper this month examined future farming methods, discussing the ongoing conflict between those who produce food and environmental campaigners. Here, Patrick Holden, CEO of…
Reading GP Dr William Bird, the College of Medicine’s Nature Lead and a pioneer of Green Social Prescribing, talks to Sarah Stacey about the healing power of nature for every age group… Think of the shapes, colours and sounds of…
This week, Professor Chris Drinkwater, Executive Lead for Arts and Creativity at the North East & North Cumbria Child Health and Wellbeing Network, wrote a blog for theatre company Damn Cheek on the benefits of drama for helping children to cope…
The College of Medicine’s Deputy Chair, Professor Sir Sam Everington, has called for every school to have access to a qualified nurse, in a passionate article for the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) magazine. Sir Sam, who is a GP…
To mark Social Prescribing Day 2023, Professor Tony Avery OBE, GP and National Clinical Director for Prescribing at NHS England, writes for The College of Medicine on the system approaches needed to optimise medicines to better care for people living…
The College of Medicine’s co-chair appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme earlier this summer to discuss worrying trends in children’s health in the UK.
In a recent fireside chat with the King’s Population Health Institute Vanguard Series, our co-chair, Professor Sir Sam Everington, reflected on both his own career and the future challenges laid out for those working in heatlhcare…
The new research, published in The Lancet, found that the ENO’s Breathe programme delivered clinically measurable improvements for patients diagnosed with the condition.
Pride as The College of Medicine’s founder and co-chair becomes a Knight Commander of the RVO.
Know a young healthcare professional looking for a new challenge? Our Student Council could be the perfect opportunity…
The Integrated Medicine Alliance, which operates under the wing of The College of Medicine recently commissioned a nationally representative survey to assess how sentiment and the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) amongst UK adults are shifting. We believe that…
Social Prescribing Day is an annual celebration of all things social prescribing, recognising local community groups and projects which are helping to make a difference to our physical and mental well-being. Since 2019, thousands of local, national and international organisations,…
Professor Christina Cunliffe received the honour from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle
A holiday message from our Co-Chair Dr Michael Dixon…
MP Dr Simon Opher’s new podcast series will see a carousel of guests discussing men’s mental fitness and how to protect it.
Professor Sir Sam Everington, who is co-Chair of the College of Medicine alongside Dr Michael Dixon, has been appointed as a non-executive director on NHS England’s board. Sir Sam, who is currently honorary vice president of the British Medical Association,…
An article on the front page of the Sunday Express this weekend highlighted the UK’s increasing addiction to ultraprocessed and industrially-made foods, saying we’re in danger of being the ‘fattest in country in Europe’ by 2030. September will see a…
The College of Medicine’s Self Care Lead, Simon Mills, is the latest guest on the hugely successful Diary of a CEO podcast. Interviewed by Dragons’ Den star and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, Simon, who’s been a herbal practitioner for 50 years,…
At the end of July, the College of Medicine held its Annual Meeting 2025. Here, in full, is the Co-Chair’s Report, written by Dr Michael Dixon and Sir Sam Everington (pictured left and right, respectively above)… Dear College of Medicine…
Dr Simon Opher, Chair of the Beyond Pills APPG, has been a GP for 30 years and is also Labour MP for Stroud. In an recent article for London’s Evening Standard newspaper, Dr Opher warns of how the medical profession…
The College of Medicine held our latest conference, IPM Congress, on June 19th, 20th and 21st 2025 at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in central London, with the most inspiring minds in the Integrated Medicine arena gathered under one roof. We…
One of Social Prescribing’s trailblazers has been honoured with an MBE by King Charles. Dr Marie Polley, who co-founded the Social Prescribing Network in 2016 with our Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, has worked tirelessly to promote Integrated Health, helping to…
A pilot project supported by the College of Medicine has published a report on how beneficial green social prescribing activities can be for our health. The Poundbury Nature for Wellbeing Project, based in Dorset, looked to establish whether mental health…
The College of Medicine is delighted to announce it is supporting the Active Pregnancy Foundation Awards 2025. The Active Pregnancy Foundation’s (APF) mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant and postnatal women through movement and education. The…
A new study has found that people with diets that include high amounts of ultra-processed food (UPFs) could be at risk of dying early. The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and conducted across eight countries including the…
The College of Medicine is delighted to once again be co-hosting the largest integrative medicine event in the UK, IPM Congress 2025. The congress is fast becoming a landmark annual event where the community comes together to discuss the benefits of taking…
Dr Lynda Dawson of the University of Westminster carried out a pilot study that looked at how a Social Prescribing link worker might be beneficial to children in schools. Here, for the College of Medicine, she reflects on why she…
Social Prescribing Day, an annual celebration of the people, organisations and communities who make social prescribing happen, fell on March 19th this year. Since 2019, organisations at a national and grass roots level, link workers, medical professionals, academics and students…
The College has been Chaired for several years by Dr Michael Dixon, GP in Cullompton, Devon. Dr Dixon also has a clinical role as a GP and a constitutional role as Head of The Medical Royal Household, both of which…
Writing for the Social Prescribing Network’s Connecting Conversations blog, social prescribing advocate Debs Teale, who lives in North Yorkshire, reveals how just one creative session put her life on a new path…
Claire Walker is a Social Prescriber Link Worker for Billingham and Norton PCN in England’s north-east. Here, she shares what her day-to-day role looks like and how she hopes social prescribing can evolve in the future…
We need to prioritise the bond between children and nature, argues educator Caroline Essame in her book: Why Nature Matters…
This year’s IPM Congress saw an illustrious list of speakers take to the stage at Westminster’s QEII Centre…
The latest Connecting Conversations blog from the Social Prescribing Network sees Dr Deepak Ravindran discussing pain management…
Social Prescribing Day 2026 is almost upon us. Here, as part of the Social Prescribing Network’s Connecting Conversations series, Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, aka @irondoctorhaz, explains why social prescribing is more important than ever…
The latest post from the Social Prescribing Network sees Chair Sian Brand chatting to Technical Officer April, who’s based at the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific…
Dr George Ampat, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Royal Liverpool University Hospitals, is a firm believer that many surgeries relating to the spine, feet and other musculoskeletal problems can be avoided. Indeed, after years of surgical practice, Dr Ampat now specialises…
The latest instalment of the Social Prescribing Network‘s Connecting Conversations series sees SPN Chair Sian Brand interviewing Professor Daisy Fancourt, Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London. Professor Fancourt stands…
In the latest Social Prescribing Network‘s Connecting Conversations series, Chair Sian Brand sits down with Alyson McGregor MBE, founder and National Director of Altogether Better, an NHS national network organisation that pioneers Collaborative Practice to transform the relationship between citizens and services.…
Mehbooba, who suffers with depression, shares how swimming has helped ease her Fibromyalgia symptoms and also discusses the community of friends she has met with whom she swims all year round…
Dr Liam Loftus is a trained GP, Development Director at Cambridge City Foodbank and Associate Director of Policy and Practice Engagement at the Health Equity Evidence Centre. Here, we asked him to tell us about what living well means to…
Earlier this year, our Future Health Leaders met at Windsor Castle for a two-day meeting designed to equip them with essential skills, insights and connections to shape the future of healthcare. This two-day event was the culmination of a leadership…
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Sarah Stacey meets the founders of a not-for-profit cafe in Frome, Somerset, which was set up in 2023 to build a stronger community – and alleviate loneliness and isolation… When a trio of excited volunteers opened the doors of Victoria…
The Future Health Leaders Programme is a transformative initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders. It aims to equip participants with the essential knowledge, skills, and innovative mindset necessary to navigate and reshape the evolving healthcare landscape.…
The College of Medicine is driving a project in communities across the UK to tackle food poverty. This week sees the re-launch of the ‘Eatwell Community’ model, once part of the National Food Strategy, in three UK towns and cities;…
A free sewing group started during lockdown that teaches tailoring skills to women has flourished – with some ‘graduates’ from the programme starting their own businesses. Poornima Kirloskar-Saini founded Kundakala, which encourages women to become ‘more social, confident and financially…
A patient diagnosed with Alzheimer’s claims making significant changes to her lifestyle as part of a clinical trial has had a dramatic effect on her symptoms. Speaking on new CNN documentary ‘The Last Alzheimer’s Patient’, US woman Cici Zerbe said…
The combined power of community and sport to improve people’s health and well-being is increasingly being hailed as an effective way of releasing pressure on the NHS – and a grassroots organisation in England’s north east is offering up a…
Our latest Beyond Pills Campaign article looks at how an initiative in the South West is helping chronic pain sufferers find respite using a range of different strategies… Instead of reaching for a bottle of painkillers, chronic pain sufferers in…
Getting outside, into nature offers so much for the mind, body and soul – it can boost your immune system, lift your spirits and speed up your recovery. It’s not a new phenomenon – the healing power of nature has…
More than a year on since The College of Medicine launched our Beyond Pills Campaign, we’re shouting louder than ever about the need for intervention on over-prescribing in the NHS. Earlier this month, our Chair, Dr Michael Dixon joined UK…
Overfishing the earth’s waters for food can make our pursuit of a healthy, Omega 3-rich diet feel less appetising – but there are ways to ensure what goes on your plate is sustainably sourced. Here, Ishbel Matheson of the Marine…
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