All Hilary Thomas articles
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CommentHilary Thomas on treating lymphoedema in the community
One of the most heart sinking conditions an oncologist encounters during his or her career is lymphoedema. I use the term “heart sinking” with some embarrassment but, if I am really honest, this is one of those afflictions that made me feel powerless as a clinician.
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CommentHilary Thomas: NHS branding vs NHS trust
After more than two decades in the NHS, the concept of a brand had never consumed much of my intellectual energy. However, over the past year, I have been involved in two different re-branding exercises and have been thinking about what it really means.
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Hilary Thomas on NHS clinical governance and the credit crunch
I had the good fortune to attend a breast cancer conference in the US recently. Nearly a decade after I stopped treating breast cancer, this was in my role as a trustee of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
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Hilary Thomas on clinical-managerial networks
I have had the worst cold I can remember for some years - and every time I get on the Tube somebody sneezes on me. The economy is depressing, the weather has been depressing and the built-in obsolescence of collapsible umbrellas convinces me their manufacturers did not consider the eventuality ...
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Hilary Thomas on NHS top-ups
I approach the subject of NHS top-ups with some trepidation. The issue is complex and there are no easy answers. Considering it from the cancer perspective, I will attempt to throw light into some dark corners of the debate.
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Hilary Thomas on caring for the whole patient
My 75-year-old father has recently had a coronary angiogram and been referred for bypass graft surgery. When I was a cardiology senior house officer in the Jurassic period, he would never have been referred for such surgery at this age.
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Hilary Thomas on healthy competition
The right sort of competition in healthcare is a prescription for huge gains in quality and efficiency. But while this can be encouraged partly through attractive incentives, have we been too lenient in pursuing more punitive measures?
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Hilary Thomas on clinical governance and values
An old friend has just been in touch, having found one of my HSJ columns through Google.
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Hilary Thomas on changing healthcare
The past year has been one of huge transition for me, professionally and personally. I have phased out seeing patients and crossed to the dark side, which has been a stimulating and steep learning curve.
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Hilary Thomas on working towards collaboration
These days, I rarely forage for myself in the evening, so frequently do I attend dinners of one sort or another. They attract an interesting cross section of people - managers and clinicians, as well as some who are both, policy wonks and observers, all discussing how the NHS is ...
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Hilary Thomas on challenging NHS rhetoric
One of my enduring impressions of the NHS is that of mythology. Not the classical Greek type representing animal/human chimaeras but perhaps equally contradictory. There are a number of platitudes which people love to cite: “free at the point of delivery”, “the GP as gatekeeper”, and first prize has to ...
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Hilary Thomas on
One of my enduring impressions of the NHS is that of mythology. Not the classical Greek type representing animal/human chimaeras but perhaps equally contradictory.There are a number of platitudes which people love to cite: “free at the point of delivery”, “the GP as gatekeeper”, and first prize has to go ...
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Hilary Thomas on new perspectives on caring
Looking back, 2007 was an odd year for me. Making a career change has been inspiring and invigorating. The fact that it coincided with moving back to London, putting a year of treatment behind me and the clunky dawn of my sense of mortality and ordinariness has added to my ...
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Hilary Thomas on clarifying the NHS insurer-provider divide
Separating the NHS’s purchaser and provider functions more clearly would help everyone who works in the service focus unambiguously on their purpose
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Hilary Thomas on promoting diversity in the workplace
To truly celebrate diversity in the NHS, it is crucial to see beyond stereotypes, writes Hilary Thomas
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Hilary Thomas on differing points of view
Regulations should enable hospital and community settings to work together on care appraisals, says Hilary Thomas
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Hilary Thomas on trust and safety
'Imagine hearing: 'This is your junior pilot speaking. I have no particular interest in your safety.''
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Hilary Thomas on her honeymoon period
'I am like a pig in the proverbial. I am no longer part of a demoralised, cynical workforce, ground down by the inevitability of stasis and rigidity'
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Hilary Thomas on reconfiguration and supercasinos
2007 is promising to be a good year. I'm an optimist - it has to be!
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Hilary Thomas on living with cancer
Becoming a patient has been a salutary, levelling experience