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Well, it looks like this will be one of my final blog posts on the Vox platform – the blog will no doubt continue on another platform, but I think I'll miss Vox as it's been a very easy system to use and it's the only blogging platform I know that has the right approach to social networking.
The right approach to social networking? Yes. Vox puits you in touch with people who share similar interests and who blog about stuff you may want to reead about. Unlike Tweetbook, Myface, Spacebook etc there's distance between you and your network – a comfortable distance. Maybe I'm just an old boring type, but for me some of these networks are like being stuck in a lift with amateur comedians and people who want to tell you a list of their favourite films. Not what computers were invented for I'm afraid. Computers were invented so we could email each other videos of bulldogs on skateboards and monkeys falling off branches.
Anyway, where was I? Yes, this will be one of my final posts here on Vox, but you'll be able to catch up with me at some point in the future, blogging about private medical uk and health service matters.So until next time – good luck, and take it easy.

Alex_Pickering_van

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It was a 'drop the toast' moment. There I was, breakfasting on wholemeal toast with lime marmalade, and I chanced upon this story in the Guardian.
I didn't really drop my toast, reader. That was just hyperbole to make the first sentence dynamic and whatnot. My jaw did drop slightly though at the news that there has been "a record slump in demand" for private medical insurance. Like, wha'…? I mean, I thought it was obvious that now's the time to be purchasing your medical insurance, not 86ing it.
But all is not as bad as it first might appear on looking at the figures. Analaysts laing & Buisson's spokesman states that the fall is slight given the depth of the recession, and that the market is merely "subdued". Good call.
There were always going to be winners and losers in the recession – I think we and our employers need to be constantly and keenly aware of the imperative that our health must not be one of the latter.
So, to employ a couple of my fave clichés: it's not so much a case of "Nurse! The screens!" as "Keep taking the tablets"…

Pills

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Well, according to the television news last night, Scotland drinks about a quarter more alcohol than the rest of the UK.
That amounts to – according to the report – two glasses of wine a week.
Now, call me Mr Cynical, or Mr Media Studies, but that means (if my maths is correct) that in the rest of the UK they drink 8 glasses a week while Scotland drinks ten? Can that be all?
Hmm… I've been for nights out in England from London to Leeds and a good few places in between, and I'd have to say that I've seen people who – never mind 8 glasses a week – are on the 8th glass by about 9pm.
This isn't to defend the Scots alcohol figures – just to say that the figures themselves don't tell the whole story. All 'per capita' figures ever do is provide a statistical tool whereby certain things can be predicted, inferred or quantified. What they can't do is actually provide a figure for each 'capita' – if one guy in England drinks nil glasses a week, and another drinks 15, then the average is 7.5. But only one of them has actually had a drink. Extrapolate that over milliions in a nation and the picture gets impossibly complicated. When you factor in social, economic and cultural components, then the figures don't really say that much at all. Some people are drinking too much? Well, some people always did drink too much.
But it looks like, right now, too many people are drinking too much. Price may be a part of it, but then I've been to places in Europe where the booze is cheaper than lemonade and nobody goes around pie-eyed.
I don't have an answer to this problem (nobody does) but my feeling is that the solution can't come simply from putting tax on bottles, or prohibition or anything thet tends towards governmentalism. It's got to come from offering people more in life than  bottles of wine. Educating them in the pros and cons of alcohol might help. And people who are well informed can then make well informed choices. Choices about things like diet, lifestyle and private medical insurance, and how to get the most from life.

Wine

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It is a time of dramatic change for the NHS, but as this Guardian piece points out, "the scale of what is being proposed has yet to sink in".
So what happens now is anyone's guess. Expect a lot of shouting regardless of what happens. Cameron no doubt wants to save money but the scale of change looks more like a rejigging of the actual organisational structure than a few money-saving exercises.
There are also a few interesting opionions from within the profession on today's Telegraph letters page. With one FRCS telling us that in his career at the NHS a "a modest-sized cadre of administrators" has been replaced by "a bloated swath
of 'managers',
given authority to tell the professionals what to do".
Hopefully any cost savings will be ones that optimise the NHS and allow it to continue to be there training and employing medical staff. I think the balance of private medical provision in this country along with the NHS is a good thing. Any change needs to be carefully and confidently carried out: anything else is going to be more than simply controversial.
My guess would be though that private medical care will increase over time – there are many reasons for this. But think of it like dentists' or opthalmologists' work – private provision for these has increased as the nationalised service hasn't been one size fits all and many choose some of the private as it suits their pocket. Nothing wrong with that art all. But for private medicine to grow healthily, it has to be done in the right way.

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…in which we take a look at health, fitness, and medical insurance stories taken from around the world and conveniently placed on the internet for us to have a read.
First up – a 'sweetened beverage' can apparently 'reduce aggression' according to a report in Telegraph. well, I'm not going to argue with that [said he, slurping a sugarless coffee...]
The Beeb reports on new EU laws regarding health food claims.Now, we all know that a bit of poetic license is allowed on food packaging? Maybe not for much longer…
Over at The Guardian: top doctor calls for urgent action on salt and fats in food. Err, call me Mr Cynical, but haven't top doctors been calling for this since the Cretaceous Period??
Intriguing headline from the Herald: Poverty is not single cause of Glasgow’s ill health. What is then? Well, poverty is part of it, along with 'other factors'. Will be interested to see how this one develops.
Across the pond, the New York Times reports that Obama is set to bypass the senate in appointing the new Medicare/Medicaid chief. I don't know the significance of the senate being bypassed here, but it definitely makes Obama sound decisive and no-nonsense.
Strangest headline of the week goes to the AXA blog, with AXA PPP healthcare praises world's fastest Leprechaun.
If you know of a faster leprechaun, or just have any general comments on the above or suggestions for health news sources we should follow, drop us a comment.

Rainbow_Leprechaun

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For a while now I've been wondering how the economy has been affecting the health club industry. After all, memberships could be seen as either a luxury or a necessity, depending on your point of view.
According to this interesting report from Reuters, health clubs are doing rather well, with Europe being one of the most advanced markets in the sector.
So, if you haven't yet joined up with a health club, now might be a good time to start thinking about it – it's a competitive, growing market, and in the current recession conditions it's likely that you'll be able to find a good deal that suits your needs and your pocket.
The report quoates a professional who calls the growth of the industry "a shift towards wellness".
It's not surprising that, after a century when most occupations were sedentary rather than physically active, we are now all on the move in our leisure time. It's also a good time to be thinking about private medical insurance, just to keep all bases covered and have peace of mind as well as a healthy body.

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Help On Hand In Asia

Health_Insurance

Due to rapid economic growth in Asia private health companies
are seeing this as a fantastic opportunity to cash in with the investment of
Asia’s healthcare sector as Asia’s healthcare systems simply can’t keep up.

It seems as if more and more older residents of the area are
becoming a burden to the government and private companies are seeing this as a
great time to cut in and help out the government with patients.

One company that’s been named taking this chance is Phillips
Healthcare. They have decided to open a heart centre in the Philippines, this
speeds up diagnosis of disorders to the heart and also allows more analysis
into heart conditions.

This can only be seen as good news to the residents around
this area. More help can only be seen as a good thing and more help means less
time waiting for operations.

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Office workers healthy lifestyle benefits

In these continually challenging economically times, the smarter companies around the world are becoming increasingly aware that retaining their staff, improving and nurturing their health and wellbeing is vital to sustain the the success of their business.
Any job benefits that can be offered as part of a package are a crucial element of this. However, a recent survey from simply health reports findings of only 41% of UK Public Sector organisations offer private healthcare for their employees, compared to over 90% in the private sector. Sectors with the highest levels of private health cover include:  Transportation sector (93.7%), Retail (91.4%), Manufacturing (90.7%) and Telecommunications (90.2%).
HR experts are continually impressing upon businesses that any medical insurance perks can be a big ‘pull’ in attracting talent to a company – with the added longer term benefits of reduced sickness rates and increased job satisfaction.
What are you're thoughts on this? Would you choose one job over another if health cover was included as a benefit? (even if the salary was lower). It's an interesting question, no doubt……….

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