Health Resources

In an ever-racing world, time and attention have become the currency of the moment.

Just recently I spoke with a patient who told me that they felt so relieved to now fully understand their symptoms and have come to a joint decision with their specialist about a procedure. Six months ago, when the same procedure was suggested to her, she declined. Not because she disagreed or that she was being difficult. It was because no one had spent the time to really explain her symptoms and the rationale behind the suggested procedure. So, for the last six months, she continued on the merry-go-round of showing up at A&E whenever her symptoms flared up. Each time she would be sent away with a pack of antibiotics and little else. No discussion and definitely no literature in her own language. And so it becomes clear how the revolving door effect is perpetuated by the healthcare system itself.

We get our news, shopping and do our banking online, but now we can manage our health online too. I see digital NHS services at the heart of creating a better, more improved, patient-centred NHS where people feel more involved in their health and care.

In each issue we investigate a hot topic currently affecting you and your community practice. Here, Jason Beckford-Ball looks at providing cash incentives for healthy behaviour and asks...

...Should we be paying people to get better?

Getting people to take their medicine (literally and metaphorically) has always been a problem in health care, but a new study has reignited the debate about providing cash incentives for people to adopt healthy lifestyles.