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Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living: Question routines

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living: Question routines

Routines can be very helpful, as they enable us to deal with straightforward matters quickly, easily and efficiently. However, there are two potential problems with this. One is the danger of ‘routinization’, which is what happens when we overgeneralize and adopt a routine approach to non-routine situations – that is, we fail to distinguish between those situations that are simple enough to be dealt with in a routinized way and those that are not. The other danger is that routines become part of a culture and continue to be used long after the situation that first led to their development has ceased to apply. That is, they have become habits which were useful to begin with but are no longer…
Dr Neil Thompson
July 5, 2024
Mind: Our first steps for the next UK government

Mind: Our first steps for the next UK government

This election is a pivotal moment for mental health. Every year 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem. Nearly 2 million are waiting for NHS mental health services, and since 2017 the number of young people struggling with mental health has doubled. We might talk about mental health even more, but support is out of reach for so many. We’re clear when we say the next UK government must focus on mental health. We’ve set out the steps the next UK government must take towards a future where there’s no mind left behind. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
July 5, 2024
UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK

UK Poverty 2024: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK

The UK is entering this election year with unacceptably high levels of poverty, appallingly high for some groups. We need a coherent plan with creative policies to end poverty in the UK. This report looks at the current situation across different groups and regions, and the future prospects for poverty in the UK. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
July 5, 2024
The gender health gap: Our stories

The gender health gap: Our stories

Sexism and misogyny in the health system is creating poor health outcomes for women. In partnership with Benenden Health, the Fawcett Society has published The Gender Health Gap: Our Stories, six real-life stories of women's experiences in the health system and the impact on work and life. These stories are powerful accounts of what happens when our public services do not take women's concerns seriously: late and incorrect diagnoses, exacerbated symptoms and often outright dismissal. All of this is often made worse by workplaces that let down their women employees by a lack of understanding and support, as is made so clear by these stories. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
July 5, 2024
Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Don’t let forms shape your practice

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Don’t let forms shape your practice

I have often encountered situations on training courses about report writing and record keeping where people say things like: ‘We can’t do that; the form won’t let us’. Of course, forms are a way of recording and collating information and therefore have an important part to play. However, recognizing the value of forms and allowing them to dictate our work practice are two different things. If the forms help, that’s great, but if they are framed in such a way that they are unhelpful, shouldn’t we be changing the forms, rather than changing our practice to suit the form? So, an important question to ask is: How do we get a form changed? What are the feedback mechanisms we can…
Dr Neil Thompson
June 18, 2024
The power of touch can ease depression and anxiety

The power of touch can ease depression and anxiety

The idea that touch, when it's wanted, can boost both physical and mental health is well-established. But the wealth of studies in this area has produced such an array of findings that it can be tricky to draw clear conclusions about just how beneficial touch can be, and which types of touch are most effective. In a new report, published recently in Nature Human Behaviour, Julian Packheiser and colleagues make a major attempt to address this. The team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 217 touch studies on a total of almost 13,000 people, mostly involving skin-to-skin 'kangaroo care' interventions for babies, and massage sessions for adults. The many notable results from their analysis could be used…
Dr Neil Thompson
June 18, 2024
The racialised harm of police strip searches in England and Wales

The racialised harm of police strip searches in England and Wales

Runnymede Trust analysis of new Home Office strip search data shows that Black people are disproportionately strip searched by nearly all police forces in England and Wales. Black children are 6.5 times more likely than white children, and Black adults 4.7 times more likely than white adults, to be strip searched by police. This new data comes alongside a Home Office consultation on the use of strip search against minors. This follows the abhorrent strip search of Child Q, a Black girl who was strip searched while on her period in her school in Hackney, east London, without an appropriate adult present, after being wrongly accused of smelling of cannabis. ‍Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
June 18, 2024