Our first issue as HealthSense is online now!

At the end of January 2022 this charity officially changed its name from HealthWatch to HealthSense. To commemorate this landmark in our history, we have a feature article documenting the story of how we began more than thirty years ago, as reported by its original founders. This is one of many original articles in this issue, as well as news of the latest actions by our volunteers to support our charity's mission to promote evidence and integrity in health care.

The HealthSense Newsletter remains free to view, download and share. HealthSense members will shortly receive their personal printed copy of the newsletter if they have opted to do so. Links to the full newsletter and individual articles are below, or access a printable pdf format here.

Inside Newsletter 118

Published April 2022

  • NEWS IN BRIEF We are namechecked in Private Eye; a company is fined for misleading advertising; and this year's HealthSense Student Prize is open for entries!
  • FEATURE Vincent Marks and colleagues present an early history of the charity now named HealthSense
  • TREATMENTS Why deny patients with chronic fatigue syndrome treatments that can help? By researcher Peter White
  • MEETING REPORT How a Cancer Screening Surrogate Endpoints Workshop led to a radical new research idea from Michael Baum
  • BOOK REVIEW Till Bruckner on “Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer”

We thank the contributors of this latest issue. Find past issues here. If you'd like to write an article for an upcoming issue of the HealthSense Newsletter, find out more here.

Support us by becoming a member of HealthSense and help to promote science and integrity in healthcare.

The 2022 HealthSense student prize competition for critical appraisal of clinical research protocols

30 April

Since 2002, HealthSense has presented more than £20,000 in prizes, and this year it could be your turn to win up to £500.

You have just over six weeks to write, refine and perfect your entry, but don't leave it until the last minute!

Cash prizes

There are two first prizes of £500 each, one for medical and dental students and one for students of nursing, midwifery and professions allied to medicine. Up to five runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded in each category. Winners will be invited to attend the HealthSense Annual General Meeting in October to receive their prizes. If for any reason large gatherings or travel are restricted, the AGM may be held virtually, in which case prize-winners will be invited to attend remotely.

Winners can also add to their CV the honour of having received a national award — which could give the edge in a competitive post-Covid jobs market.

We are extremely grateful to the Royal College of Surgeons of England for their generous sponsorship of this year's competition.

How to enter

The competition consists of four hypothetical research protocols: your task is to rank the protocols in order from that most likely to provide a reliable answer to the stated aims of the trial to that least likely to do so. You then have to explain your ranking in no more than 600 words.

Please share with your fellow students, organisations, colleges, universities.

Your entry must be received by 23:59 BST on Saturday 30 April 2022. Entries received after that time will not be considered. Find out more and enter here. The full terms and conditions, with the competition protocols for you to read, can be found here

Free student membership

Whether you enter the competition or not, if you are a full-time student, please consider taking advantage of our offer of free Student Membership of HealthSense.

The 2022 HealthSense student prize competition for critical appraisal of clinical research protocols is open!

Since 2002, HealthSense has presented more than £20,000 in prizes, and this year it could be your turn to win up to £500. Starting now… you have two months to write, refine and perfect your entry, but don't leave it until the last minute!

Cash prizes

There are two first prizes of £500 each, one for medical and dental students and one for students of nursing, midwifery and professions allied to medicine. Up to five runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded in each category. Winners will be invited to attend the HealthSense Annual General Meeting in October to receive their prizes. If for any reason large gatherings or travel are restricted, the AGM may be held virtually, in which case prize-winners will be invited to attend remotely.

Winners can also add to their CV the honour of having received a national award — which could give the edge in a competitive post-Covid jobs market.

We are extremely grateful to the Royal College of Surgeons of England for their generous sponsorship of this year's competition.

How to enter

The competition consists of four hypothetical research protocols: your task is to rank the protocols in order from that most likely to provide a reliable answer to the stated aims of the trial to that least likely to do so. You then have to explain your ranking in no more than 600 words.

Please share with your fellow students, organisations, colleges, universities.

Your entry must be received by 23:59 BST on Saturday 30 April 2022. Entries received after that time will not be considered. Find out more and enter here. The full terms and conditions, with the competition protocols for you to read, can be found here

Free student membership

Whether you enter the competition or not, if you are a full-time student, please consider taking advantage of our offer of free Student Membership of HealthSense.

We are HealthSense

HealthSense is the new name for HealthWatch

Why?

For over a decade we have dealt with the confusion and daily administrative burden that began when our charity’s name was appropriated by the completely unrelated government initiative “Healthwatch England” (created to channel public feedback on NHS health and social care services). 

Our dedicated media phone line had to be shut down when our volunteers became overwhelmed with calls from patients who wanted to make complaints to Healthwatch England. Our enquiries e-mail address was also showered with messages from the public who had mistaken us for the other Healthwatch. These e-mails frequently included highly sensitive medical information.

We struggled to maintain our charity's individual presence, but finally at our October 2021 AGM members voted for change. We received approval from the Charities Commission in January, and as of February 2022 we have adopted the name HealthSense.

We hope you like our new website, and our updated logo that has been designed to look modern yet retain enough of the feel of our original branding to limit any confusion. We have a trade mark application pending for the HealthSense name.

How will this affect you?

  • Visitors to the old HealthWatch web address are now automatically re-directed to our new website.
  • Membership log-in details are unchanged.
  • Our Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube profiles have all been renamed so our followers should be guided automatically with no interruption in service.
  • Googlegroup members will shortly be invited to use a new email address to join our discussions — we'll tell you more when the time comes.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any difficulties with the switchover, and we'll get things fixed as soon as possible.

Over the coming weeks, we will be updating and improving the material on our website, and a spring issue of the HealthSense Newsletter is on its way.

As always, the work behind HealthSense has been done by our generous and talented volunteers. We particularly thank Alan Henness for the extensive professional work on the new website.

Since our earliest beginnings, our charity has had no salaried staff. Without external funding, we can be completely independent. 

We hope you will continue to join in and contribute in any way you can, and support us as we move forward promoting good science and integrity in medicine, as HealthSense.

Read the winter issue of the HealthWatch Newsletter online now!

Our latest issue features original articles including the presentation by our brilliant 2021 award winner Christina Pagel, as well as news about our charity's mission to promote evidence and integrity in health care.

The HealthWatch Newsletter remains free to view, download and share. HealthWatch members will shortly receive their personal printed copy of the newsletter if they have opted to do so. Links to the full newsletter and individual articles are below, or access a printable pdf format here.

Inside Newsletter 117

Published January 2022

  • NEWS Consultation success; awards; research integrity and more
  • HEALTHWATCH AWARD WINNER Christina Pagel: Covid-19 data – what’s the story?
  • AGM 2021 HealthWatch chair Susan Bewley sums up the year
  • INTERNATIONAL NEWS Celebrating ten years of Friends of Science in Medicine, by John Dwyer
  • MEETING REPORT #MakeItPublic – announcing new transparency initiatives from NHS research
  • PUBLIC HEALTH We need to be able to talk openly about assisted dying, says Colin Brewer
  • BOOK REVIEW “Patients’ emancipation: towards equality” reviewed by Mitzi Blennerhassett
  • LAST WORD Reading for your sanity: some recommendations from Rupert Fawdry

We thank the contributors of this latest issue. Find past issues here. If you'd like to write an article for an upcoming issue of the HealthWatch Newsletter, find out more here.

Join us by becoming a member of HealthWatch and a supporter of science and integrity in healthcare.

Could you be our new Treasurer?

Our wonderful volunteer treasurer, Anne Raikes, is stepping down after many years of skilful and devoted service. Could YOU be our new Treasurer? No accountancy qualification is needed, just about one day a month to spare. Interested? Here is some more information to help you decide.

The role of HealthWatch Treasurer takes little time – you would simply need to draw up an up-to-date financial position prior to each committee meeting, create the annual accounts from the Excel records, submit the Gift Aid claim and update the details of trustees on the Charity Commission website. In total this involves about one day a month, with an extra day each year each for the accounts and gift aid returns.

Attendance at committee meetings (currently virtual) is not necessary but it does help you feel part of the team and is useful to know what is going on. The charity's income consists of membership subscriptions plus gift aid and donations. Outgoings are related to costs associated with the Annual General Meeting, producing 3 or 4 Newsletters each year, and of the occasional special event (a public debate or symposium).

Banking is online, and the work is straightforward and Excel-based. Our annual accounts are independently audited.

Another thing that simplifies the accounts considerably - this charity has no salaried staff. Like our Treasurer, all work is done by our fabulous and enthusiastic volunteers. 

If you are interested, please get in touch with HealthWatch's Secretary via our contact form.

AGM documents and agenda

Livestream

This will start at approximately 7pm:

Covid-19

If you are attending in person, the venue has information about its Covid-19 precautions: How we are keeping you safe when you visit the RSM. This includes:

Although face coverings and social distancing are no longer mandatory, we will continue to keep certain safety measures in place and encourage our visitors to follow our guidance below.

and

Our staff will continue to wear masks in confined areas and where people may meet others, such as corridors and elevators, and we recommend our members/visitors do the same

Our staff will continue to wear masks when serving food and drinks

Agenda

6.00 Reception and Drinks

7.00 Welcome by Nick Ross, President of HealthWatch

7.05 Annual General Meeting

(i) Minutes of the 2020 Annual General Meeting

(ii) Matters arising from the minutes

(iii) Chair’s report (Susan Bewley)

(iv) Membership report (Alan Henness)

(v) Treasurer’s report (Anne Raikes)

(vi) Election of Officers

Chair: Susan Bewley

Vice-Chair: Leeza Osipenko

Treasurer: TBA

Secretary: Roger Fisken

(vii) Election of Trustees:

Andrew Fulton, Sofia Hart, Alan Henness, John Illman, Keith Isaacson, James May, Tom Moberley, Philippa Pigache, Les Rose.

(viii) To confirm the co-option of:

Nathan Hodson and Jolene Galbreath

Student representatives: Robert Grant, Pavithran Maniam, Sylvester Odame-Amoabeng

(ix) Motion to amend the Constitution:

In paragraph 1 (and throughout), replace "HealthWatch" with "HealthSense UK", to become:

1. The Charity shall be called "HealthSense UK".

This change of name to be subject to the approval of the Charity Commission.

7.20 Presentation of Awards to Winners of the Student Prize Competition

7.40 Presentation of the HealthWatch Award for 2021: Prof Christina Pagel

8.15 Dinner

Remember that only members of HealthWatch present at the AGM can vote so please ensure your membership is up to date. If you have any questions about your membership status, please contact the Membership Secretary.

The current voting membership is 221 (see Membership Secretary's report), and the quorum for the AGM is one-twentieth of that, so the quorum is 12.

Since the motion is a motion to change the Constitution, it will require a two-thirds majority of those present and voting to pass, otherwise it will fall.

Documents

Minutes of the 2020 AGM

Chair's report

Membership Secretary's report

Treasurer's report

Constitution 

FINAL REMINDER: AGM and awards 2021

06 OctoberFINAL REMINDER

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 06 October at the Royal Society of Medicine in London and both the AGM and award ceremonies will be streamed live on our youtube channel.

Please see our original announcement and the agenda announcement for full details.

Buffet dinner

We need to give the RSM the final numbers of those who would like the buffet dinner on Wednesday, so please place your order by filling in the payment form [now closed] before 3 pm on Wednesday 29 September. Bookings cannot be taken after that time.

The cost is £45.00 per person and payment can be made by Paypal, debit or credit card.

Treasurer

We are still looking for a new Treasurer to replace Anne so if you think this is something you'd like to do to help us, please contact the Secretary.

If you have any questions or would like any further information, please contact the Secretary, Roger Fisken.

Annual General Meeting 2021 - Agenda

06 OctoberAs previously announced, our AGM will be held Wednesday 06 October 2021 at 19:00 at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Live streaming

yt logo rgb light borderWe have managed to arrange for the meeting to be live-streamed and will be viewable on our youtube channel, technical difficulties permitting. Please visit our youtube channel at 19:00 to watch.

Motion

Submitted by the Committee to amend the Constitution:

In paragraph 1 (and throughout), replace "HealthWatch" with "HealthSense UK" to become:

1. The Charity shall be called "HealthSense UK"

This change of name to be subject to the approval of the Charity Commission.

Rationale

The Committee started from the almost unanimously agreed point that it is necessary to disentangle ourselves from the behemoth that is Healthwatch England and its many local branches. Over an almost two-year set of internal discussions, with longlisting, shortlisting and voting had not produced clarity although some words were popular, and some ‘claiming of territory/eminence’ was liked but a return to campaigning against quackery also liked. We clarified that any new name, as well as having a 'brand vibe' that reflects what we are and what we do, should carry as low a risk as possible of being confused with another organisation.

In considering the best way to choose a new name for HealthWatch, the committee looked again at all of the suggestions made over recent months and also at names that emerged from a conversation with an interested observer who, a couple of years ago, looked at how we operate. We reviewed the words we like (‘evidence-based healthcare’, ‘campaign’) and some of the ‘status’ claims (foundation, institute, trust, etc) and what comes up when searching using these words. We thought about democratic processes, why we’ve been going in circles and the value of more voting.

It is also vital, of course, that a suitable domain name is available both for the website and social media to go with whatever we choose. Having done all this we decided that the best option, with committee assent, for a new name is:

HealthSense UK

The advantages of HealthSense UK, as we see it, are:

  • it retains ‘health’, with the use of 'sense' evoking notions of using all our senses (not merely ‘watching’), being sensible as well as critical thinking;
  • there would be a low impact on our current branding and, indeed, it would be easy to adapt our current logo for the new name. Alan Henness has already mocked up the way that this would look;
  • although many people have expressed the view that the new name should contain the word 'evidence', there are already many organisations that have 'evidence' in their titles, so this makes it something of a cliché. 'HealthSense' on the other hand, is a new word, more distinctive and resonates with what we are/were;
  • we could also continue to use the same strapline – being 'for science and integrity in healthcare';
  • crucially, a suitable domain name and Twitter account exist (HealthSense-UK.org and @HealthSenseUK to match HealthWatch-UK.org and @HealthWatchUK) and there is little serious competition.

Procedural notes

Since this motion amends the Constitution, paragraph 2 of the Constitution applies, inter alia:

The Constitution of HealthWatch may be amended as necessary by not less than two thirds of those present and voting at a properly constituted Annual or Special General Meeting of HealthWatch.

If the motion is passed, we still need to get approval from the Charity Commission. If that is not forthcoming, we will not be able to make the name change.

If the motion falls, or the Charity Commission refuses to agree the change, the name will remain as HealthWatch.

Committee notes

The Committee suggests that if anyone wishes to propose a different name that they submit an amendment to this motion rather than proposing a separate motion. This avoids a plethora of different and differently worded motions and ensures that the motion is phrased correctly and includes the necessary Charity Commission approval. Amendments will be voted on (requiring a simple majority) before the substantive motion is put (requiring a two-thirds majority).

A suggested form of words is:

Amendment to Committee motion

Delete 'HealthSense UK' and insert '<new name>'

In proposing a different new name, it is suggested the following are taken into consideration:

  1. Any new name should be sufficiently distinct from any current similar organisation. We have suggested the name change because of the confusion with the NHS Healthwatch organisations but there is no point in simply swapping one problem for a very slightly different one.
  2. We need to be able to find a suitable website domain name: this doesn't stop us changing our name but it is useful to have a domain name that corresponds with the new suggested name otherwise we simply create difficulties for those trying to find us and cause confusion with other organisations — the precise issue we are trying to resolve. If we were to decide on an organisation name and later find there is no clearly associated domain name, it will put us in an awkward position.
  3. There are similar considerations for a new Twitter handle (the @ name), which needs to be unique and also needs to be clear and obvious.

All motions and amendments should be sent to the Secretary. Our Constitution does not specify any timescales for these, but please try to submit them as soon as possible. Motions and amendments from the floor can also be made.

Note also that votes can only be taken from those present at the meeting. The Committee appreciates that the Constitution doesn't have much to say about how the AGM — and motions in particular — should be conducted and will be considering creating Standing Orders that will help guide us for future meetings.

Treasurer

Our esteemed treasurer, Anne Raikes, has decided to step down after many years of skilful and devoted service.

I'm sure everyone understands that we can't function effectively without a treasurer.

Do you, or someone you know, have the time to take on this task?

You don't need to be a qualified accountant and the job is not unduly onerous. As Anne describes it:

The role of treasurer takes little time – producing an up-to-date financial position prior to each committee meeting, creating the annual accounts from the Excel records, submitting the Gift Aid claim and updating the details of committee members on the Charity Commission website. In total this involves about one day a month with an extra day each on the accounts and gift aid.

If you think you might be able to help or wish to know more, please get in touch with the Secretary.

Annual General Meeting 2021

Notice is hereby given that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of HealthWatch will be held on:

Wednesday 06 October 2021 at 19:00

Note: we are using a new venue this year.

Venue: The Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE, in the Max Rayne Auditorium

The nearest Underground stations are Bond Street and Oxford Circus — see here for further travel details — and here for accessibility information.

Attendance at the HealthWatch AGM and presentations is free and open to all. If you would like to stay for the dinner, however, this must be pre-booked and paid for in advance — see below.

While all are welcome to attend the AGM, only members may vote.

2021 HealthWatch Award

This will be presented to Prof Christina Pagel, Professor of Operational Research, UCL:

Professor Pagel had a distinguished career as a mathematician in space physics before taking up an interest in operational research. She is Professor of Operational Research at UCL and director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit there.

In her own words, Prof Pagel’s "main interest is in using information to help people within the health service make better decisions" and she regularly appears on television and radio and in the press, giving clear explanations of complex ideas about medical matters, especially those related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Agenda

18:30 Registration in the Auchi Foyer.

19:00 Annual General meeting of HealthWatch (only members of HealthWatch may vote).

19:30 Presentation of awards to the winners of the 2021 Student Prize competition for critical analysis of clinical research protocols.

19:40 Presentation of the 2021 HealthWatch Award to Prof Christina Pagel (see above). This will be followed by a talk by Prof Pagel.

20:30 Buffet dinner (£45.00 per person) in the Max Rayne Foyer. To order your buffet dinner, please click here:

Book buffet dinner [now closed]

Nominations for Committee

Our constitution requires that nominations for officers and members of the committee should be submitted not less than 28 days before the AGM.

Any member of HealthWatch can nominate an officer or ordinary member for the committee. Nominations should be seconded by another member, accompanied by an email from the person nominated to state s/he accepts, and sent to the Secretary, Roger Fisken before Wednesday 08 September.

Motions to be proposed for discussion

Motions for discussion at the AGM should be sent to the Secretary, Roger Fisken before Wednesday 08 September.

Our latest issue features original articles as well as news about our charity's mission to promote evidence and integrity in health care.

The HealthWatch Newsletter remains free to view, download and share. HealthWatch members will shortly receive their personal printed copy of the newsletter if they have opted to do so. Links to the full newsletter and individual articles are below, or access a printable pdf format here.

Inside Newsletter 116

Published August 2021

  • NEWS Celebrating HealthWatch’s 30th birthday with Prof David Spiegelhalter; student prize; an appearance in Private Eye; and more
  • ETHICS Why alternative medicine is not the way to meet women’s healthcare needs, by Arianne Shahvisi
  • CONSUMER PROTECTIONThe MHRA responds to HealthWatch’s questions on bioresonance devices
  • RESEARCH INTEGRITYStephen Bradley reviews progress in two years since publication of the Declaration to Improve Health Research
  • BOOK REVIEW Transparency, Power and Influence in the Pharmaceutical Industry, reviewed by Till Bruckner

We thank the contributors of this latest issue. Find past issues here. If you'd like to write an article for an upcoming issue of the HealthWatch Newsletter, find out more here.

Join us by becoming a member of HealthWatch and a supporter of science and integrity in healthcare.

The pandemic challenged students in many ways in the last 12 months, but it didn’t stop them sending some absolutely stunning entries to our annual HealthWatch Student Prize competition for the critical appraisal of clinical trial protocols.

We were hugely impressed this year by a mature student who found the time to research and write a superb first prize-winning entry alongside full-time studies, helping on a farm, parenting three children, and competing in eventing. Jenny Jones, now beginning her third year studying Midwifery at Bangor University, said: “The different proposals were interesting to read, and I learned a lot about how a research proposal should be formed.” Inspired to midwifery by the excellent care she had received herself, she says: “I hope to make a positive impact on the lives of other women going through pregnancy and childbirth; both through direct clinical practice, and later on in research. I would one day like to conduct research on how the environment and mental state affects perception of pain during childbirth.” Jenny, who is originally from Halifax in Yorkshire but now lives in Aberavon in North Wales, receives a cheque for £500 as first prize in the Nursing, Midwifery and Professions Allied to Medicine category. She is full of praise for her supportive Year 2 lecturer, Judith Fields, who introduced her to the competition, and we hope that other academic tutors will take her lead and give their students the opportunity to take part.

In the Medical and Dental category the £500 first-prize cheque goes to Will Duggleby, who has just graduated from the University of Cambridge clinical medicine course. Will, of Stroud in Gloucestershire, came across our competition online. He says: “I think that Doctors should be capable scientists as well as clinicians and the competition seemed to be something which would put my own abilities to the test!” He hopes to join the IMT (Internal Medicine Training) programme after Foundation, before deciding where to specialise. We wish him well.

Runners up

For Matthew Kingham, this was the second time he'd entered the competition. He achieved a Highly Commended certificate last year, but this time he collected a runners-up cheque for £100. Now in his third year of Medicine at King’s College London, he said, ‘It has been a strange academic year with all the challenges of the pandemic, however re-applying for this competition was an enjoyable and educational experience. I am still very keen on pursuing a career in surgery, however, I am also considering ENT as another option aside from neurosurgery. My interest in the clinical neurosciences has not wavered, however!’

Another Londoner in his third year at Kings is medical student Jack Coumbe. Jack is interested in a career in academic medicine so he valued the opportunity to focus on evidence-based medicine for his prize. He looks forward to applying for academic foundation programmes when he graduates, “the experience given by this competition has motivated me to continue my interest in clinical trials and academia.”

From further afield comes runner-up Shun Qi Yong, originally from Selangor, Malaysia, and now a fourth year medic at Glasgow University. Shun Qi says she found the process of writing more challenging than initially expected but the effort gave her an appreciation for the many considerations in devising a good protocol. She stays grounded by “reading about the world outside of medicine during my spare time!”

A further runner-up cheque is on its way to Catrin Sohrabi, Queen Mary University of London, for her excellent entry in the Nursing, Midwifery and PAM category. Highly Commended certificates have been awarded to medics Conor Hennessy, Oxford University, and Hanna Spielmann, Medical School Hannover.

Testing skills

The HealthWatch Student Prize competition aims to test students’ research skills by inviting them to evaluate four hypothetical research protocols and rank them in order of quality. It opens every year in the Autumn term, with deadline end of April. Entries are invited from two categories: medical and dental students; and students of nursing, midwifery and professions allied to medicine.

In each group there is a first prize of £500 and up to five runner-up prizes of £100. A full list of past winners can be found on our Student Prize page.

Prize winners will be invited to receive their awards in person again this year at the HealthWatch Annual General Meeting in London in October.

We are extremely grateful to the Royal College of Surgeons of England for their generous sponsorship of this year's competition.

All full-time and recently-qualified students in these categories, whether entering the competition or not, can apply for free Student Membership of HealthWatch.

This story has been amended to correct an error in original version. Matthew Kingham was not, as originally written, last year's first prize winner, that was Matthew Choy! Our apologies to both Matthews.

The full recording is now online of one of the world's leading statisticians speaking at HealthWatch's 30th birthday event last week. Professor David Spiegelhalter's talk: "Trustworthy communication of risk and evidence: the battle against naughty numbers in the news” delighted a full house at the Medical Society of London on Tuesday 27th July.

David Spiegelhalter holds the Winton Professorship of the Public Understanding of Risk, at the University of Cambridge, England. He is the joint winner of the 2021 HealthWatch Award, shared with Professor Christina Pagel of University College London, who will receive hers at the HealthWatch AGM in October (date to be confirmed).

The one-hour recording is now on the HealthWatch youtube channel, where you can also find recordings of some of our previous events. A link to his lightly edited transcript is on our Award winners page.

Below see Professor Spieglehalter, with Professor Susan Bewley, chair of HealthWatch, as they cut the 30th birthday cake.

DSpiegelhalter SBewley

27 July

We have a full house at the Medical Society of London for HealthWatch's 30th birthday event tomorrow evening (Tuesday 27th July) but for those who won't be there in person, you can watch the live stream on our youtube channel.

Our special guest speaker – our 2021 joint award winner – is David Spiegelhalter who holds the Winton Professorship of the Public Understanding of Risk, at the University of Cambridge, England. His controversial theme: “Trustworthy communication of risk and evidence: the battle against naughty numbers in the news.”

Please join us for a very special night in our history to hear how one of the world’s leading statisticians sees the figures that will help, for good or ill, to shape our destiny.

Start time: 19:00 BST on Tuesday 27th July 2021.

Light refreshments will be provided for those who attend, but if you are watching the live stream, you'll need to provide your own!

Click on the live stream link now to set a reminder: https://healthwatch-uk.org/birthdayevent.

We look forward to 'seeing' you there!

HealthWatch's 30th birthday event will take place in-person and also live-streamed for remote viewing, on Tuesday July 27th 2021.

Our special guest speaker – our 2021 joint award winner – is David Spiegelhalter who holds the Winton Professorship of the Public Understanding of Risk, at the University of Cambridge, England. His controversial theme: “Trustworthy communication of risk and evidence: the battle against naughty numbers in the news.”

Please join us for a very special night in our history to hear how one of the world’s leading statisticians sees the figures that will help, for good or ill, to shape our destiny.

The live (in-person) event is open to all, including members of the public, is free to attend but entry is strictly ticket-only. Because numbers are limited to 80 guests, please apply for tickets via our Eventbrite page. Tickets will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Start-time: 18:30 for 19:00 start, on Tuesday 27th July 2021. 27 July

Light refreshments will be provided. 

Tickets from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/naughty-numbers-in-the-news-tickets-158441644223

Venue: The Medical Society of London, Lettsom House, Chandos St, London W1G 9EB

Disabled access: the event is to be on the first floor, reached via a flight of stairs. The Medical Society of London is a grade II listed building and as such, we regret to advise, there is no lift.

And if you cannot attend in person:

  • The event will be live-streamed. Register to watch the live-stream here. There will be no cost for joining the event online.
  • A recording of the event will be uploaded shortly afterwards on the HealthWatch YouTube channel (subscribe now and check out our past events). 

Any questions? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Read the latest issue of the HealthWatch Newsletter online now!

Our latest issue features four original articles as well as news about our charity's mission to promote evidence and integrity in health care.

The HealthWatch Newsletter remains free to view, download and share. HealthWatch members will shortly receive their personal printed copy of the newsletter if they have opted to do so. Links to the full newsletter and individual articles are below, or access a printable pdf format here.

Inside Newsletter 115

Published May 2021

  • NEWS Whistleblower spends over a decade pursuing a retraction; success on concerns over counselling research; webinars and articles; and a new competition
  • NUTRITION Should we fight Covid-19 with fermented foods … or not? David Bender explains
  • PSYCHIATRY Allen Frances on the growing problem of antidepressant overprescription
  • RESEARCH INTEGRITY The dark side of biomedical research illuminated by Geoff Webb
  • DENTISTRY Does your child really need orthodontics? Keith Isaacson says sometimes, they really do

We thank the contributors of this latest issue. Find past issues here. If you'd like to write for upcoming issues of the HealthWatch Newsletter, find out more here.

Join us by becoming a member of HealthWatch and a supporter of science and integrity in healthcare.