John Launer

Veterinary medicine in the UK is increasingly corporate, leading to over- investigation & treatment and opaque fees. Should GPs and doctors be worried about similar business practices in services franchised out by the NHS? My latest "Talking Point" column @bmj.com www.bmj.com/node/1128607...

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Why I've changed my mind about Lucy Letby. My latest "Talking Point" column @bmj.com, just out. www.bmj.com/content/394/...

Perhaps we ought to take a moment to reflect on how many white male cishet privately educated non disabled men have been given jobs and promoted without question based on fabricated CVs, unfounded self-confidence and an embellished life story & whether we’ve even heard of them.

I'm not sure if this is an unrelated advertisement or a photo of one of the other candidates.

When I was a student at Cambridge, I had a number of teachers I thought were bogus. None were black. If the university's selection process is unfit for purpose, as seems likely, they should examine a random sample of appointments from all backgrounds for plagiarism and confabulation.

If you have an interest in Values Based medical education with healthcare needing a moral underpinning, and you want funding for projects, this is for you.

Free conference on 28 October to celebrate projects in medical education supported by the Della Fish Foundation www.eventbrite.com/e/the-della-...

The joy of improvisation: why good medical consultations and teaching resemble jazz more than following guidelines. My latest "Talking Point" @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...

Reassurance is not simply about giving the right answer. In my latest essay in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP), I reflect on why understanding the patient’s existing story may matter before our explanations can become meaningful. bjgp.org/content/76/7... #BJGP #MedicalGeneralism

I'm pleased the Footballers won in their match against the Mixed Martial Arts team.

Medical consultations are often now summarised by AI. How do we ensure AI captures the narrative as well as the medical facts - and prevent the clinical skills of writing and reflection from withering away? Out now @thelancet.com by Victoria Ekstrom and myself www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

So many memes, so little time. Source: substack.com/@nigelfarage...

@joannelreeve.bsky.social @johnlauner.bsky.social

In my latest "Talking Point" column @bmj.com, I challenge the stereotype of GP work as simple or trivial, and introduce Anna Beug's brilliant metaphor of "mosaic care." www.bmj.com/content/394/...

@joannelreeve.bsky.social @johnlauner.bsky.social

May I be the first to say how disappointed I am in Andy Burnham since he became Prime Minister.

The UK left the Erasmus scheme after Brexit - a pointless gesture, depriving our students of valuable opportunities to learn with their peers in Europe. We're now rejoining the scheme - a very welcome decision. My latest "Talking Point" column @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/393/...

"the implicit erasure of the Tavistock Clinic's separate identity has attracted little publicity" @johnlauner.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/393/...

How the Tavistock Clinic came to an end. A personal elegy. My latest "Talking Point" @bmj.com www.bmj.com/node/1123386...

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...

A Palestinian photographer’s ‘search for what remained’ from 1948

I can’t get enough of these kids. ❤️ This morning on the bus to Budapest, practicing for today’s performance at Péter Magyar’s inauguration. “Zöld az erdő, zöld a hegy is” — the Hungarian Romani anthem about their historic struggle as outcasts. 🙏🏼🇭🇺🕊️ 📹 Bácskai Napló

Medical consultations go better when the doctor doesn't trying to control them like a politician, public relations spokesperson or marketing agent. My latest "Talking Point" column @bmj.com, just out. BMJ column 29.4.26. Doctors shouldn’t control the narrative www.bmj.com/content/393/...

Barack Obama and Zohran Mamdani sing ‘Wheels on the Bus’ to kids in NYC

@joannelreeve.bsky.social @johnlauner.bsky.social

The doctor's dilemma: Mr X is resilient in spite of all his ailments, Mr Y seems overburdened by the same ones. How do we show equal respect to Mr Y, and plant the idea that we can be the partners of our illnesses rather than victims? My latest column @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...

Is being busy all the time something that doctors should be proud of - or a cause of more problems than it addresses? My latest "Talking Point" in @bmj.com just out. www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...

“Throughout my many years as a political activist, I have grown accustomed to feeling anger at Israeli society,” Orly Noy writes. “But now it does not anger me—it frightens me.”

Britons don’t want any part of Trump’s war fixation – the sooner Labour realises that the better | Owen Jones

“EXCLUSIVE: I’m the Palestinian Who Has Been in ICE Detention for Almost a Year” Writing for Zeteo from inside of prison on International Women’s Day, Leqaa Kordia asks us not to forget the female detainees being held and mistreated in ICE detention camps.

Dear Shabana, Let's clear some things up around migration and remember we're talking about people's lives.

Being a GP often involves everything you'd assume: diagnosis, treatment, advice, reassurance... Surprisingly often, it's also about finding meaning in what life throws at you - for the doctor as well as the patient. My latest column @bmj.com, just out www.bmj.com/content/392/...

Being a GP often involves everything you'd assume: diagnosis, treatment, advice, reassurance... Surprisingly often, it's also about finding meaning in what life throws at you - for the doctor as well as the patient. My latest column @bmj.com, just out www.bmj.com/content/392/...

My latest on GPs' right to refer - and the talk of 'mandatory advice and guidance' which sounds like a threat to it. doi.org/10.1136/bmj....

6 medics unanimously acquitted of criminal damage at JP Morgan’s, the largest financier of #FossilFuels. Health workers have a duty "to protect population health & to sound the alarm when state or corporate actions place lives, health systems & the conditions for life at risk," @healthxr.bsky.social

Jeremy Corbyn in Parliament on why he never trusted, believed or appointed Peter Mandelson. Worth watching every minute. www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7uE...

Extraordinary account of a family medicine service in Gaza in the midst of war. Testimony to the amazing resilience of the local staff involved. jbima.com/article/gaza...

👉NEW VIDEO -- Jury frees Palestine activists who smashed Israeli arms factory Six protesters have been found not guilty of aggravated burglary at an Elbit weapons site. We were at Woolwich Crown Court where family and friends celebrated the result👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0vl...

Just out: a fascinating collection of autobiographical essays by psychiatrists about how their personal struggles have intersected with their professional identity. Editor Glenn Roberts is one of the pioneers of narrative-based approaches to psychiatry and psychotherapy. personally-speaking.com

Do you recognise this dramatic view? If you do, please don't say. If you don't, please hazard a guess and reply.

Do you work for the #NHS and have you had a belly full of it? One A&E consultant did - literally. She's written a gripping book about it. Here's my review in @bmj.com, just out. @heidiedmundson.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...

In an instant, Labour MPs who believe in observing international law have been turned into targets for hatred, called "Maduro Apologists." Seriously, how can anyone be taken in by this absolute bullshite?

The five countries exporting the most narcotics to the USA are Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan and China. The country with the largest oil reserves in the world is Venezuela. It really isn't very complicated.

I had to tweak the prompt several times, but I finally got an AI bot (Deepseek) to stop congratulating me on how excellent all my questions were.

My latest challenge to AI bots. Unlike humans, they can't give a straight answer.