In June 2022, the College of Medicine launched the Beyond Pills Campaign – calling for urgent Government intervention on over- prescribing in the NHS. The Campaign was established in the wake of the Government’s National Overprescribing Review, published in September…
The third week in November marks World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, a global annual campaign to improve awareness and understanding of Antimicrobial Resistance amongst patients and healthcare professionals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared AMR one of the…
Practising hot yoga regularly could help alleviate symptoms of depression, a new clinical trial has found. Just one class a week in temperatures of 40.5C (105F) could be enough to have a positive impact on mental health, according to the…
Social prescribing could help young people suffering with mental health problems, new research says. Children’s charity Barnardo’s says referrals for non-clinical treatments could help to ease current pressure on child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) and help young patients…
Autumn equals lots of great events for our members – from free online sessions with our experts to knowledge-giving weekend retreats. Keep up-to-date with all that’s coming up at The College of Medicine in the next few months at collegeofmedicine.org.uk/events……
Doctors in the UK are increasingly being asked to ‘prescribe’ basic welfare items such as shampoo and nappies by patients living in poverty, a new survey by the Royal College of General Practitioners has found. The Times reported that the…
Social prescribing comes in many forms, as a pilot scheme offering games of golf to help boost health and wellbeing has proved. The Golf for Health pilot took place recently in Fife, Scotland and saw patients with varying health conditions…
NHS healthcare professionals are to get more training to improve the treatment of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), as part of a new government strategy. The Department of Health’s interim plan, writes The Times, will see medical students, nurses and…
Professor Sir Muir Gray, who’s on The College of Medicine’s Scientific Advisory Council, has revealed his advice on what patients should be asking their doctors to make the most of a short appointment time. Sir Muir, who is a…
Actress Jenny Seagrove told audience members at the Integrative & Personalised Medicine conference 2023 in London last week that her own approach to health was radically impacted by watching her mother being prescribed ‘pills, pills and more pills’ when she…
What we eat affects not only our physical wellbeing but also how we operate emotionally. The College of Medicine has collaborated with Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist and professional chef Dr Uma Naidoo, our US Ambassador of food and nutrition, on a…
Social isolation can be as damaging for health as a smoking habit, a top US health official has warned, saying loneliness can potentially hasten death by nearly 30 per cent. Speaking to BBC News, Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General, said that…
The UK minister for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, has said the Government is committed to Social Prescribing, following last week’s Social Prescribing Day, saying funding of £3.6million will be poured into it over the next two years. Writing…
Social prescribing and The College of Medicine’s Beyond Pills Campaign made the headlines this weekend, with a detailed article in The Sunday Express highlighting our call for urgent reform on unnecessary prescribing within the current healthcare system. The article, written…
An article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) this month debates how recent research on the treatment of chronic pain suggests social prescribing – including exercise and psychological and social support – could have a positive impact for patients living…
Support groups for people suffering from chronic pain, dubbed ‘Pain Cafes‘, have opened across Cornwall in a bid to help people manage their pain without relying solely on prescription painkillers. The Pain Cafes, led by Chronic Pain in Cornwall (CPIC),…
If ever the phrase ‘It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts’ was applicable, then it’s in the growing arena of football teams for mental health. In the last decade, new clubs dedicated to helping those who love…
As we welcome a new year, our Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, looks back at what The College of Medicine has achieved in the last 12 months, and what the year ahead looks like for our organisation… ‘2022 was a mix…
The Government should offer more free school meals to help more than four million UK children living in homes affected by food poverty, campaigners have said in a letter to the Chancellor and Health Secretary. Leaders representing more than 150,000 doctors…
The latest issue of Saga Magazine includes an article by Patsy Westcott on Social Prescribing and our Beyond Pills Campaign, highlighting how an integrated approach to health can hugely benefit both patients and prescribers. Reproduced with permission from Saga Magazine,…
Key figures from The College of Medicine and Social Prescribing Network have come together to produce the article below on social prescribing, offering clarity on everything from current research, to the role of link workers and how effective social prescribing…
Practice learning days at The Brighton Health and Wellbeing Centre used to be ‘pretty dry affairs’, according to Principal GP and founder Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews. Then she invited dance teacher Rachel Pittman to get the group throwing around some mood…
North London GP Dr Jane Myat tells The College of Medicine how the things that helped nourish and restore her during her own burn-out helped her to transform a ‘corporate’ courtyard garden into a healing space for the local community……
The College of Medicine has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer. Amanda King, formerly Chief Officer, will take on the new role with immediate effect. The College of Medicine’s Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, said of the appointment: “Over the last…
A new NHS social prescribing initiative will see doctors advising patients to take walks or go on cycle rides in a bid to improve their heath. The new pilot scheme was announced earlier this week and will be rolled out…
