Social housing repairs and maintenance: challenges, consequences, and a way forward

By Dr Hannah Absalom, University of Birmingham Social housing is meant to provide secure and affordable homes for those who need them most, but residents often face significant hurdles with repairs and maintenance. These issues impact not only the physical state of the property but the wellbeing of residents, leading to stress, health problems, and … Continue reading “Social housing repairs and maintenance: challenges, consequences, and a way forward”

What’s the problem with asking teachers to clean kids’ teeth? 

By Dr Kathryn Spicksley British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Education and Social Justice, University of Birmingham The polls tell us that it looks increasingly likely that a Labour government will be elected in July. For primary school teachers, this change might bring about an additional responsibility; Keir Starmer has proposed to introduce teacher-led toothbrushing … Continue reading “What’s the problem with asking teachers to clean kids’ teeth? “

Diversity in Practice: Insights into Minority Ethnic Doctors’ Careers

By Professor Etlyn Kenny, Professor Joanne Duberley, Dr Chris Darko, Dr Ashok Patnaik (University of Birmingham) and Professor Dulini Fernando (Aston University) What do the experiences of minority ethnic doctors tell us about workplace inclusion in the diverse field of medicine? A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham and Aston University is investigating … Continue reading “Diversity in Practice: Insights into Minority Ethnic Doctors’ Careers”

Sibling Sexual Behaviour: how can services respond to the most common yet under-reported form of sexual abuse within the family?

By Dr Sophie King-Hill, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham & Professor Kieran McCartan, UWE Sexual abuse is one of the most common and under reported forms of interpersonal violence. Although individuals, communities and society recognise the reality of sexual abuse and its ongoing implications for victims, the people who have committed the abuse, and their … Continue reading “Sibling Sexual Behaviour: how can services respond to the most common yet under-reported form of sexual abuse within the family?”

Health Day at COP28: The first, but surely not the last

By Dr Niheer Dasandi Associate Professor in Politics and Development in the International Development Department (IDD), University of Birmingham. Sunday 3rd December at COP28 in Dubai saw the first ever ‘Health Day’ at the annual UN climate summit. This focus on the health impacts of climate change is long overdue; as the World Health Organisation … Continue reading “Health Day at COP28: The first, but surely not the last”

The Autumn Statement or a New Political Game in Spotting the Politics of Tokenism

By Professor John Bryson Professor of Enterprise and Economic Geography, Birmingham Business School In 1777, Samuel Johnson proclaimed to James Boswell, his friend and biographer, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. I must admit to being tired of Autumn Statements and of a British political system that is not … Continue reading “The Autumn Statement or a New Political Game in Spotting the Politics of Tokenism”

Leading for fairness in Black History Month

By Steve Gulati Associate Professor, Director of Healthcare Leadership, Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham October is Black History Month. It’s also the month assertions have been made at the Conservative Party Conference that the UK is the ‘best country in the world in which to be black’. This provided a sharp contrast to … Continue reading “Leading for fairness in Black History Month”

Black History Month: Saluting Our Sisters in the health service

By Steve Gulati, Director of Healthcare Leadership at HSMC and Diane Phipps, Senior Learning & Development Business Partner at Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust This Black History Month, Steve Gulati invites Diane Phipps from Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to share her experiences and reflections of her work in … Continue reading “Black History Month: Saluting Our Sisters in the health service”

Could borrowing for healthcare be good for financial wellbeing?

By Professor Adele Atkinson, Professor of Practice in Financial Literacy and Wellbeing (CHASM) Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham Recent reports of people turning to buy now, pay later (BNPL) solutions to pay for private healthcare raise some interesting issues from the perspective of financial wellbeing. The Money and Pensions Service … Continue reading “Could borrowing for healthcare be good for financial wellbeing?”

Healthcare workers need more ‘time to care’

By Steve Gulati, Associate Professor and Director of Healthcare Leadership at HSMC and former NHS senior executive A UK-wide poll of healthcare workers revealed that most NHS staff think they have too little time to help patients and the quality of care that services provide is falling. This reported reduction in the time to care … Continue reading “Healthcare workers need more ‘time to care’”