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Beyond Pills All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) launches to stop over-prescribing
Beyond Pills All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) launches to stop over-prescribing

Beyond Pills All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) launches to stop over-prescribing

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…

World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week: Access the TARGET toolkit
World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week: Access the TARGET toolkit

World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week: Access the TARGET toolkit

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…

Barnardo’s urges government to invest in social prescribing to help mental health of young people
Barnardo’s urges government to invest in social prescribing to help mental health of young people

Barnardo’s urges government to invest in social prescribing to help mental health of young people

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…

Coming up in autumn: College of Medicine events and classes
Coming up in autumn: College of Medicine events and classes

Coming up in autumn: College of Medicine events and classes

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……

RCGP Chair says social prescribing could offer ‘vital lifeline’ to vulnerable, after survey finds GPs are prescribing nappies to patients in poverty
RCGP Chair says social prescribing could offer ‘vital lifeline’ to vulnerable, after survey finds GPs are prescribing nappies to patients in poverty

RCGP Chair says social prescribing could offer ‘vital lifeline’ to vulnerable, after survey finds GPs are prescribing nappies to patients in poverty

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…

Nine holes for health? Social prescribing pilot offering free golf proves a big hit in Scotland
Nine holes for health? Social prescribing pilot offering free golf proves a big hit in Scotland

Nine holes for health? Social prescribing pilot offering free golf proves a big hit in Scotland

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…

‘Dismissive attitudes’ towards ME must improve, say DofH, as it launches new plan to overhaul care
‘Dismissive attitudes’ towards ME must improve, say DofH, as it launches new plan to overhaul care

‘Dismissive attitudes’ towards ME must improve, say DofH, as it launches new plan to overhaul care

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…

The six questions you should ask your GP: Read Professor Sir Muir Gray’s advice
The six questions you should ask your GP: Read Professor Sir Muir Gray’s advice

The six questions you should ask your GP: Read Professor Sir Muir Gray’s advice

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…

Beyond Pills Campaign: Actress Jenny Seagrove tells IPM Congress 2023 how ‘polypharmacy’ negatively impacted her mother’s health
Beyond Pills Campaign: Actress Jenny Seagrove tells IPM Congress 2023 how ‘polypharmacy’ negatively impacted her mother’s health

Beyond Pills Campaign: Actress Jenny Seagrove tells IPM Congress 2023 how ‘polypharmacy’ negatively impacted her mother’s health

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…

‘Loneliness is as bad for our health as 15 cigarettes a day’, says US Surgeon General
‘Loneliness is as bad for our health as 15 cigarettes a day’, says US Surgeon General

‘Loneliness is as bad for our health as 15 cigarettes a day’, says US Surgeon General

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…

‘Social Prescribing can change lives – and the Government is backing it with money’, says Health Secretary
‘Social Prescribing can change lives – and the Government is backing it with money’, says Health Secretary

‘Social Prescribing can change lives – and the Government is backing it with money’, says Health Secretary

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…

‘NHS launches healthcare revolution to ditch drugs’: Beyond Pills Campaign features in The Sunday Express
‘NHS launches healthcare revolution to ditch drugs’: Beyond Pills Campaign features in The Sunday Express

‘NHS launches healthcare revolution to ditch drugs’: Beyond Pills Campaign features in The Sunday Express

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…

Beyond Pills Campaign: BMJ article examines how use of medicine for treating chronic pain is changing
Beyond Pills Campaign: BMJ article examines how use of medicine for treating chronic pain is changing

Beyond Pills Campaign: BMJ article examines how use of medicine for treating chronic pain is changing

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…

Beyond Pills Campaign: ‘Pain Cafes’ launch at 15 locations across Cornwall
Beyond Pills Campaign: ‘Pain Cafes’ launch at 15 locations across Cornwall

Beyond Pills Campaign: ‘Pain Cafes’ launch at 15 locations across Cornwall

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),…

Beyond Pills Campaign: The UK football clubs using the power of sport to help fans with mental health problems
Beyond Pills Campaign: The UK football clubs using the power of sport to help fans with mental health problems

Beyond Pills Campaign: The UK football clubs using the power of sport to help fans with mental health problems

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…

The College of Medicine reflects on our achievements in 2022 – and looks to 2023
The College of Medicine reflects on our achievements in 2022 – and looks to 2023

The College of Medicine reflects on our achievements in 2022 – and looks to 2023

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…

‘Every day, healthcare professionals see the impact of hunger and malnutrition’: New campaign calls on Government to offer more free school meals
‘Every day, healthcare professionals see the impact of hunger and malnutrition’: New campaign calls on Government to offer more free school meals

‘Every day, healthcare professionals see the impact of hunger and malnutrition’: New campaign calls on Government to offer more free school meals

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…

Beyond Pills Campaign in Saga Magazine: Writer Patsy Westcott examines the power of Social Prescribing
Beyond Pills Campaign in Saga Magazine: Writer Patsy Westcott examines the power of Social Prescribing

Beyond Pills Campaign in Saga Magazine: Writer Patsy Westcott examines the power of Social Prescribing

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,…

“Social prescribing is still prescribing”: Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews on how patient-focused integrated care is helping Brighton’s most vulnerable communities
“Social prescribing is still prescribing”: Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews on how patient-focused integrated care is helping Brighton’s most vulnerable communities

“Social prescribing is still prescribing”: Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews on how patient-focused integrated care is helping Brighton’s most vulnerable communities

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…

Beyond Pills Campaign: “We celebrate every small step forward with a tea party” – how a North London GP’s own burn-out led to the creation of a community-led therapeutic garden
Beyond Pills Campaign: “We celebrate every small step forward with a tea party” – how a North London GP’s own burn-out led to the creation of a community-led therapeutic garden

Beyond Pills Campaign: “We celebrate every small step forward with a tea party” – how a North London GP’s own burn-out led to the creation of a community-led therapeutic garden

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 announces new Chief Executive Officer appointment
The College of Medicine announces new Chief Executive Officer appointment

The College of Medicine announces new Chief Executive Officer appointment

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…

Cycling and walking to be prescribed by GPs in a bid to improve the nation’s health
Cycling and walking to be prescribed by GPs in a bid to improve the nation’s health

Cycling and walking to be prescribed by GPs in a bid to improve the nation’s health

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…