All articles by David Woodhead
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CommentDavid and Hilary Woodhead on combining NHS efforts with local social care
A recent family lunch led to discussions about new jobs and the challenges of work, punctuated by the demands of restless kids and attentive waiters. Despite interruptions, the adults persevered.
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David Woodhead on an NHS revolution
'All that is solid', wrote Marx in 1848, 'melts into air'. He was reflecting on what happens when the certainties that give our life structure and meaning are inverted.
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David Woodhead on tackling alcohol abuse
The evidence is clear. We should drink less. As a nation, we stumble and fall after lengthy bouts of drinking. Pints are downed and spirits are necked.
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David Woodhead and Adrian Kelly on reducing teenage pregnancy
With the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in western Europe, the UK needed to take serious steps to meet its goal of halving incidents by 2010
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David Woodhead and Valerie James on tackling decommissioning
Government is stepping away from setting central targets and relinquishing direct control over delivery. Locally identified needs and priorities will take their place. Directors of public health and commissioning will be at the vanguard of service reform in the health service and local councils.
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David Woodhead on patient satisfaction
France and the UK may have different approaches to healthcare delivery, but many of the challenges they face are the same
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David Woodhead on looking to the French for public health cues
Tackling obesity means watching how - and not just what - we eat. French eating habits could be a good example for the UK
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David Woodhead on healthcare for heartbreak
The health impact of personal distress on service users as well as staff can be heavy and is a real public health challenge, says David Woodhead
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David Woodhead on community hooks
'New research seeks to assess the importance of incidental people in our lives - the local taxi driver, the neighbour who gives out hymn books at church or the shopkeeper who engages us in trivial conversation'
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David Woodhead on gathering evidence
'Science might come up with some interesting ideas, but ultimately the likelihood of adopting evidence is driven by our values. Mass sterilisation of young men might be an effective method of reducing teenage pregnancies, although for good reasons it would not be considered practical'
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David Woodhead on the qualities of commissioners
'Driving change in numerous organisations demands particular skills. We no longer spoke of what people needed to know, or what their qualifications might be, but of the qualities they had and how they approached their work'
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David Woodhead on social marketing
'It is naive to suggest that the effectiveness of interventions alone is the only issue we face in seeking to change behaviour. There are wider challenges in terms of respecting diversity and ensuring our work is culturally appropriate'
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David Woodhead on lessons from Peru
'I met a group of local women who were trained in contraception and hygiene; they each had trained six women, who in turn were training others. The process had increased their confidence. And in the basement was a co-operative bakery which provided affordable bread but also made a profit.'
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David Woodhead on public health
'Vicky was patronised by health professionals unwilling to listen to her views or take note of her experiences'
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David Woodhead on love and understanding
'If love is all around us, why is it seldom discussed? What is the exact role of love in promoting health? And if love were a desired outcome, how would we recognise it?'
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David Woodhead on gardening for the mind
'She was clear that picking up a spade and plunging it into the ground enabled her to channel some of the anger she had felt the previous week at work.'
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David Woodhead on public health
'We were facing our just desert for all the desserts we had just crammed in out faces'