Report - Health Misinformation: Public Perceptions of Threat to the UK

A London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine report

Published: 28 September 2026

Authors: Pete Wilton & Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush

Foreword

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has a long track-record of developing innovative approaches to countering false or misleading health information (health misinformation). While health misinformation has always been with us, in the last few years changes to the technological and political landscape have enabled it to spread further and faster around the world, threatening to undermine trust in health experts and institutions.

That was why in January 2025 LSHTM launched a new initiative focusing on fighting dangerous health misinformation in the UK through interventions in the media, online, and on social media. While misinformation is global the response often has to be national or even local and what we quickly realised is that there is still a lot we don’t know about the prevalence and impact of health misinformation in the UK.

How equipped are Britons to identify false or misleading health claims? What do they do to factcheck if these claims are true? Are our fears about the harms of health misinformation on the UK population justified? And, if they are, who is being harmed and how can we help them to protect themselves? These were just some of the questions we had.

Of course one survey was never going to give us all the answers, but we believe the findings detailed in this report are an important first step towards gathering some of the ‘missing evidence’ on health misinformation in the UK. We hope that this report will help to motivate and inform all those working to make ours a healthier, stronger society.

Professor Liam Smeeth
Director, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Continued . . .

My source: BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour - 36mins 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032qn8

'How can medical misinformation harm women, and how do we combat dangerous myths? Nuala McGovern is joined by former consultant breast surgeon and cancer survivor Liz O'Riordan and Dr Rachael Kent, whose academic research focuses on the impact of digital technology on mental and physical health.' 

Ex Carta & The Writer's Map

'Ex Carta - The Nurse's Map'

The bookshop is lost to me now, but I have seen Huw Lewis-Jones's The Writer's Map before, and was well impressed. So it was worth leafing through the Times's Luxx supplement to learn of an exhibition on this theme:

Ex Carta - Zentralbibliothek Zürich

Includes:  Signposts for Navigating Moral Landscapes

Tuesday, 17. November 2026 - 18:00 - 20:00 o'clock

How do people find their bearings when faced with moral conflicts and life-changing decisions? 

Drawing on the ancient motif of Heracles at the Crossroads, Professor Emeritus Paul Michel explores the symbolic significance of paths, crossroads and choices of direction. The lecture examines how such visual and narrative motifs have been used since antiquity to illustrate questions of virtue, responsibility and the conduct of life. It also considers why these enduring images continue to resonate today. At its core is the question of what forms of guidance can help us navigate the moral landscapes of the contemporary world. 

Free of charge. Please register in advance. The event will take place on site at the Zentralbibliothek Zürich and will be held only in German. 

Huw Lewis-Jones, (2018) The Writer's Map - An Atlas of Imaginary Lands, Thames & Hudson.
https://www.thamesandhudson.com/products/the-writers-map

These two resources bring home the unique nature of care and caring and the journey of assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation, with the 'return' point often uncertain. Based on person-centredness alone this is unique. Of course, there is much additional variation and complexity as 'The Nurse's Map' may of course be that of another profession. The application of Hodges' is unique to the participants.

My source: Richard Askwith. Adventures into imaginary universes, Luxx. The Times, 3.10.26. pp.82-85.

Laws, Rules, Promises & Campaigns

They are not all represented on W2tQ, but many have been posted over the years. Campaigns launched in the aftermath of avoidable deaths within NHS delivered care. The initiatives seek to translate grief into positive affirmative action by making a difference to patient safety, the quality of professional care, policy and funding in some instances. At least drawing attention to the latter.

It is staggering that staff need to be 'reminded' of what should be professional, practice-based, and philosophical (personal - team, ethics and ethos, and values integral to nursing, and healthcare interaction that should be integral and ingrained. 

I thought "What's my motivation?" was a theatrical cliché?

Poppy's Promise is a commitment to making every healthcare experience more compassionate, respectful and person-centred. It supports staff to work in partnership with patients, families and carers, ensuring every voice is heard and every person feels valued.

Oliver's Campaign: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training. The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced a statutory requirement that CQC-registered providers must ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role.  

Jess’s Rule makes sure GPs take a ‘fresh eyes’ approach with patients, making them think again to diagnose and catch serious illnesses earlier. Jess’s Rule – Three Strikes and we Rethink - was launched in England on the 23rd September 2025 by Department of Health and NHS England and in The Isle of Man on the 31st March 2026 by Manx Care. It is endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Martha’s Rule helps us notice early signs that someone may be deteriorating and gives you the right to request a rapid review if you’re worried that your or your loved one’s condition is getting worse. This may include a review by the Critical Care Team. Sometimes small changes happen before they show in tests. These can be early warning signs. Martha’s Rule makes sure we listen to concerns and act on them.

Nobody should be separated from the people they love and who care for them. John's Campaign works for the right of people with dementia (and other disabilities or individual needs) to be supported by their family carers — in hospitals, in care homes, and wherever care happens.

Dáithí's Law: Dáithí Mac Gabhann was born in October 2016 with a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which basically means that Dáithí was born with half a working heart with the left side not forming correctly in the womb. More information on HLHS can be found here. Dáithí has now been waiting for the gift of a new heart for over 7 years.

Activism is not restricted to patients, parents or guardians but key campaigns have followed through staff efforts:

A message from Kate about the campaign…
“Hello, my name is Dr Kate Granger MBE and I’m the wife of Chris and the co-founder of the #hellomynameis campaign”

⃟ 

The initial website for Hodges' model 1998-2015 and now archived, featured four pages of links to resources associated with the domain they represented. The SOCIOLOGY links included:

Patients, Carers & Self-Care

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

Patient - Nurse ...	Patient - Nurse ...
Guardian - Parent Family Carer	Government Funding Policy makers

In Hodges' model, if neglect, accidents, untoward - serious - never incidents, what is complex, complicated, preventable signify anything; it is the collapse of a situation to the individual-group axis.

For the people involved they will simultaneously hear and feel a catastrophe.

Armed with Hodges' model, plus early insights into informatics, the oscillation between the person on your caseload, and not just beyond the spouse, partner and family but out to the political-zone of aggregation that is your caseload, the local and national population and statistical reports has always been fascinating.

Viewed theoretically, or practically the vertical axis of Hodges' model appears simple, and yet holds great power. A gift of abstraction and dramatic effect - for actor and audience alike. As an 'actor' we can see  our practice and its character humanistic - mechanistic played-out literally through the horizontal axis. Before we act, we can reflect upon the quality and humanity of our care. The audience, peers, families, managers, community, commissioners can also follow the 'narrative', (or lack of it!). Is there a paradox here in these virtual-digital times that the what is really material in care and caring is missing? We must hope the coroner does not need to attend [the play], being able to concentrate on other matters.

Previously: 'compassion' : 'communication' : 'safety' : 'listen' : 'motivation'

Poppy's Promise: "What happened next would change our lives forever"

April 2021:

'After my due date passed, I was admitted to hospital to be induced. Labour began and everything appeared normal. As first-time parents, we trusted that our baby was safe and that if something was wrong, someone would tell us. We had no reason to think otherwise.

During labour, opportunities to recognise that Poppy was in distress were missed.

Monitoring that should have taken place did not happen.

By the time concerns were recognised, panic had replaced reassurance.

I was rushed to theatre frightened, confused and not fully understanding what was happening to my baby. ...'

Poppy's Promise read more ...

My source: BBC Radio 4 Today 0736 mins:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032fq8

POISONING THE WELL AND SILENCING IN ARGUMENTATION: ONLINE WORKSHOP - Student Commentators Needed!

WE ARE LOOKING FOR STUDENT COMMENTATORS FOR THE ONLINE WORKSHOP ON POISONING THE WELL AND SILENCING IN ARGUMENTATION.

The expressions of interest from student commentators deadline is November 15^th (the submission deadline for the associated Topoi issue is 15^th February) PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS!

 

What is this about?

Among the fallacies traditionally regarded as particularly dangerous, poisoning the well stands out. The literature describes poisoning the well as an argumentative move that consists in providing information about an interlocutor to diminish the credibility of what they have already said, or will say, thereby “poisoning” their ability to contribute - silencing them. Despite the fallacy’s importance, work on it and on silencing in argumentation is limited. 

 

The Poisoning the Well and Silencing in Argumentation Online Workshop (and the associated call for papers at Topoi) will contribute to filling this gap.

 

Student Commentators Needed!

We are now looking for student commentators! Student commentators will receive the paper they comment on two weeks before the workshop. Commentaries will be ten minutes long.

 

Look here (scroll down a little) to find the papers that will be presented at the workshop: 
Critical Thinking and Civic Engagement Lab.

 

If you are interested in commenting, please contact Amalia Haro Marchal/Katharina Stevens under 
ahmarchal AT fcsh.unl.pt and katharina.stevens AT uleth.ca by November 15th!

 

Make sure to state your first, second and third choice for papers to comment on with a short explanation, we will assign based on interest and compatibility!

 

My source (and via KS): Philos-L "The Liverpool List" is run by the Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/philos-l/ Messages to the list are archived at http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/philos-l.html.

DSA & Q-Lab: 'In an Age of Answers, Questions Matter More Than Ever'

This afternoon I joined an online webinar organised by THE DIGITAL STATECRAFT ACADEMY:

'Gaining understanding by structuring inquiry: 
probing data with one right question after another is almost here'

The art, science, and practice of governing well in the algorithmic age

The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA) is a global hub for cultivating visionary public leaders ready to navigate the complexities of data, AI, and digital governance. Backed by world-leading academic and policy institutions, DSA equips today’s leaders with the tools, knowledge, connections, and foresight to govern ethically, strategically, and resiliently in a rapidly evolving digital world.

 

There is a manifesto to read and endorse: and Ten Principles of Digital Statecraft

 

Also highlighted was Q-Lab 

About Q-Lab

Questions shape what becomes visible, what is investigated, what is funded, and ultimately what societies come to know. They are fundamental not only to scientific inquiry but to a wide range of sectors and practices—from education and journalism to policymaking, medicine, law, and business, among others.

Despite this foundational role, questions are seldom treated as objects of systematic study. Established fields examine intelligence, knowledge production, and decision-making, yet few, if any, take questions themselves as their subject.

How should we define a good question? Which questions are most likely to serve as stepping stones toward breakthrough insights? Who determines which questions matter most? In short, what do we actually know about questions?

Questions Lab (Q-Lab) is the first multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to establishing questions as a field of study and practice, understanding how questions emerge, how they evolve, which questions make the greatest impact, and how they shape the trajectory of knowledge across disciplines and generations, in order to help individuals and institutions navigate complexity, deliberate more thoughtfully, and set better priorities.

I look forward to more events in future.

 

Previously: Questions in eclipse : 'question'

Hodges' model: Is it a virus: or a universal vaccine?

The arrival of 'imposter syndrome' well-over a decade ago(?), from the speaker's podium was an interesting surprise. A case of lived experience, as I'd felt this in trying (and failing) to grapple with the ever-growing, morphing development stack of a software program. Long gone are the days of Sinclair and BBC BASIC. The mountain and learning cliff, was CMS content management system: Drupal. 

What contributed to that feeling back then? Well there was the people I was sat by and sharing time at various European DrupalCons. It was I who was the 'con'. A hobbyist, from pre-PC days. Seeing and hearing what they were creating and the great community. Fascinating also, to see web design fashions come-and-go.

I've written before about Hodges' model being an over-valued idea to me. As a mind-mapping meme it infected me decades ago. Is it a virus? If it is I clearly had no resistance, no immunity. I've always tried to acknowledge, reminded myself that the model is not the be-all-and-end-all.

While the specific mathematical is complex, it is worth trying to grasp some of the intent and meaning (even at the risk of exacerbating imposter reactions). Hestenes provides a paper (and several others):

'ABSTRACT. The discovery of Mathematical Viruses is announced here for the first
time. Such viruses are a serious threat to the general mental health of the mathematical
community. Several viruses inimical to the unity of mathematics are identified, and their
deleterious characteristics are described. A strong dose of geometric algebra and calculus
is the best medicine for both prevention and cure.'

Hestenes, D. (1992). Mathematical Viruses. In: Micali, A., Boudet, R., Helmstetter, J. (eds) Clifford Algebras and their Applications in Mathematical Physics. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 47. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8090-8_1

'The computer virus (CV) owes its name and perhaps its genesis to the biological virus
(BV). Like a BV, a CV cannot function by itself, but when attached to a host it replicates
repeatedly until it impairs the functioning of the host, sometimes to the point of disabling
the host altogether. ...

My purpose here is to call your attention to another kind of virus - one which can
infect the mind - the mind of anyone doing mathematics, from young student to professional
mathematician. As I believe this is the first published paper to explicitly identify
such viruses, I take the liberty of naming and describing them as follows: A mathematical
virus (MV) is a preconception about the structure, function or method of mathematics
which impairs one's ability to do mathematics. Just as a CV is program which impairs the
operating system of a computer, an MV is an idea which impairs the conceptualization of
mathematics in the mind. Indeed, as one definition of "virus," Webster gives "something that
corrupts the mind or soul." Since the identification and classification of MVs has only
just begun, it would be premature to attempt a more precise definition. The better course
is to examine some specific viruses to form a form empirical base for further study.
My first example is an easily recognized MV which is extremely virulent and as common
as the common cold. I call it the coordinate virus, designating it by MV/C to denote genesis
and type, and characterizing it as follows:' pp.1-2. (online copy)

Hestenes' biohistory is an interesting conceptual and interdisciplinary bridge. Another construct to add to our  collection. Is there a virus in the models deployed within medicine and healthcare to date? You know, the bed-round of the medical, biomedical, bio-psycho-social? The round were you don't need to count the number of beds, except in the event of a pandemic. Is the omission of the political, even as the socio-economic reality is now a constant point of reference a symptom of a centuries-long infection? 

For a long time now* the legacies that successive cohorts of students, and newly qualified professionals encounter have stood out. Another question is, just how far back in time do we need to travel to find can the origin of this situation? Was there an initial crisis involving the overt expression of 'power'? Can this be found the as the Hippocratic oath butted up - literally - against triage on the battlefield?

Now: Time won't tell (or will it?). Now that - is some virus.

ERCIM News 146 Special Theme: "Quantum Technology"

Dear ERCIM News reader,

Quantum technology is increasingly becoming part of real-world systems. 

This issue looks at quantum algorithms, secure communication, hybrid computing, software and sensing, highlighting recent advances and the challenges of putting them into practice. The Special Theme was guest edited by Miroslav Dobsicek (RISE), Sebastian Raubitzek (SBA Research) and Filippo Vella (CNR-ICAR).

Introduction

by Miroslav Dobsicek (RISE),  Sebastian Raubitzek (SBA Research) and Filippo Vella (CNR-ICAR)

In recent years, major advances in quantum hardware, algorithms and software have created great  opportunities for scientific discovery and industrial innovation. What can be observed is that quantum technology is entering a new phase where systems are becoming the central focus. Progress is no longer defined only by better qubits, individual algorithms or isolated demonstrations, but increasingly by whether quantum components can be integrated with classical computing, software, networks, sensing platforms and real applications. This transition, from quantum components to quantum systems, is changing both the research questions and the criteria by which progress should be judged

Read more ...

Includes:

Quantum Retina: A Quantum Eye on the Brain and Other Things, pp.43-44. (brain imaging, Parkinson's disease)

Read the October 2026 Issue

This issue in PDF

Next Issue

No. 147 — January 2027
Special Theme: Data Spaces
Call for Contributions

See also:

https://www.ercim.eu/events (AI - ethics, ...)

My source with thanks: peter.kunz AT ercim.eu

The Lancet Series on the digital determinants of health: (What only three papers?)

Published: October 4, 2026

Executive summary

Digital technologies have become embedded within the systems and environments that shape health and wellbeing. They influence how people access information, communicate, learn, work, access health care, participate in society, and make decisions about their lives. Understanding and governing these determinants has therefore become a critical public health priority. This three-paper Series proposes a new approach for conceptualising and responding to the digital determinants of health, and sets a bold agenda for future research, practice, and governance.

https://www.thelancet.com/series-do/digital-determinants-of-health

My source: 'Unnecessary Services in Clinical Medicine & Public Health' group. 

Whether it is a journal, a clinic, community disciplinary team, a government committee, or an APPG - all-party parliamentary group, a university course (outside 'general studies') ... we are dealing with knowledge silos. Even more so, in the case of a journal series, special issue, or most conferences. 

There is always a case for expertise, in-depth perspectives and evidence-based understanding. Finding cures for cancer, diseases, the future of AI as relates to humanity's continuity are prime examples. When we speak of integrated care, if that care begins with education and self-care, then we need to consider all the determinants. Not only that, we need to conduct this investigative task concurrently with all the literacies. Otherwise, theory, practice, management, policy and ongoing research may struggle to cohere. Integration is essential, to facilitate sustainability, measurement and subsequent reporting. Hodges' model can assist.

Living and Loving Dangerously

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

identity - choices   Memory - Cognition DEMENTIA - Early onset Inability to consent   inhibition-disinhibition  mental capacity	My liberty, my choices "What! I'm married to you? Oh!" Treatment - medication  'Secure (safe)' environment 'Holistic assessment'?
Marital/Initimate Relationships Social (our) identity Existing relational behaviours Interrelational needs Interpersonal grief Social identity/expectations Yes, but we're married ... had 40 years together ... Family bias, prejudices.. A 'new' step-parent ... Access to support:  relational - mutual vulnerability	Informed consent Assumed consent Rape, Sexual abuse, crime Capacity to give consent Consistency in decisions Lasting power of attorney - finance; health External safeguards Human rights Access to supervision - clinical & management

Prompts:

Previously post: Living and Caring Dangerously

Danny Leigh. Critic's choice - Films on release: Queen at Sea. Life&Arts, FTWeekend, 19/20 September, 2026, p.18.

https://depijp.rialtofilm.nl/en/films/queen-at-sea

So many difficult conversations. All on their own unique continuum in terms of sense-making for all concerned. 

A 'new' diagnosis at age 60; versus one at 44. Families seeking to control disclosure of the diagnosis from the patient. Clinical and family debate about this.

Finding a person locked-in the house, while their partner 'nips' to the shops. A person having their freedom to go out, on their regular walk  -despite acknowledged risks. (When they are known by people on their route - community care in action. Receiving a call from a neighbour; or the neighbour who knows where you park and can intercept you, on arrival or departure to express concerns. Or, even as you venture out for a walk with their neighbour of many a year. Categorise them as you will: [nosey, caring, concerned, public spirited, neighbourly, or (healthily) curious]?

Other discussions of grief at the loss of a person they have loved - in every way. A grief that presents new dark dimensions to what has gone before. Complicated by a state of early onset of memory loss. An ongoing disintegration of personhood and identity. An inability to consistently express thoughts, wishes, and choices. An inability to give informed consent. A loss taunted by retained physical desirability. What does love, sex, compassion mean now? What is the sum now, of love expressed over 'x' years? Hearts hollowed out, of what can be so important to a couple. Not vital to all. But for others, a source of conjoined affirmation, joy, warmth, companionship, a celebration of life and being human.

How to share that grief even amid close friends and family, who cannot cope themselves and withdraw? What of the preparedness of professions to manage such situations? What structures are in-place for team meetings, clinical supervision and inclusion in training, especially safeguarding?

From the bibliography (lower sidebar):

Hodges, B.E. (1989) The Health Career Model, IN, Hinchcliffe, S.M. (et al.) 1989 Nursing Practice and Health Care, 1st Edition only, London, Edward Arnold.

Adams, T. (1987) Dementia is a family affair. Community Outlook, Feb, 7-8.

Merritt MK, Procter N. Conceptualising the functional role of mental health consultation-liaison nurse in multi-morbidity, using Peplau's nursing theory. Contemp Nurse. 2010 Feb-Mar;34(2):158-66. doi: 10.5172/conu.2010.34.2.158. PMID: 20509800.

Murphy, K., Welford C. (2012) Agenda for the future: enhancing autonomy for older people in residential care.International Journal of Older People Nursing. 7, 75–80.

Kernohan, W. G., & Jones, P. (2023). Hodges’ Health Care Model as a Framework for Quality. Paper presented at Interprofessional work: developing oral care and the health workforce for the future, Brescia, Italy.
https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/publications/hodges-health-care-model-as-a-framework-for-quality

Jones, P. (2025). A Conceptual Mapping Exercise of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in Residential & Community Care Using Hodges' Model and Threshold Concepts. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 31: e70085. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.70085

Jones, P. (2025), A Generic Model and Conceptual Framework to Prime Curiosity Across Health and Social Care Disciplines to Facilitate Lifelong Learning. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 31: e70252. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.70252

Previously: 'capacity' : 'consent' : 'law' : 'safeguarding'

World Health Congress 2027 Prague - 20-22 August

Dear Friends,

The World Health Congress 2027 Prague is a global professional gathering focused on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM/CAM) and evidence-based medicine (EBM).

Under the motto “Health Knows No Boundaries – Let Us Seek a Common Path,” the congress provides a platform for professionals to come together, share knowledge and experience, engage in professional dialogue, and foster international cooperation in healthcare.

The previous congress attracted more than 1,000 participants from 50 countries worldwide and brought together prominent experts and organizations.

If you are considering actively participating in the 5th World Health Congress 2027 Prague, to be held from 20–22 August 2027, and are planning to submit an abstract for your presentation, please give some thought to the following four questions. They reflect the direction envisioned for the upcoming Congress. This direction will also be embodied in the Congress’s concluding document, the Prague Declaration.

1. How can we build bridges between TCIM and EBM in healthcare?
2. How does your contribution help advance TCIM?
3. If you have participated in one of our previous congresses, what new perspectives does your presentation offer compared with your previous presentation?
4. What is the future of TCIM, and what strategies would you propose for the way forward?

Abstract submissions are now open. You can submit your abstract here:

ABSTRACTS

Warm greetings from Prague,

Tomas Pfeiffer
President of the 5th World Health Congress 2027 Prague
Soukenicka 21, 110 00 Prague 1
Czech Republic
www.whc2027prague.com 

Director
Institute for TCIM/CAM 

e-mail: info AT itcim.org
www.itcim.org

n.b. I have had some problems accessing the site - 'new domain'.

Gaps and Legacy Issues in Health and Education

 ... and across the Professions and Disciplines

I've just revised what may be table 1 of an exploratory paper. The table's role is to inform the motivation, scope and overall purpose within the introduction. The aim is to outline the gaps and legacies in health and education. Is this the combined inheritance of life chances, health and work career: gaps?

1. Theory-Practice gap

   A. Research in Practice – Translational Research;
    B. Education/Training: University – Apprenticeship (see 4.B);

2. There is no research-based conceptual framework taught and applied across health and social care systems and services.

3. Individual – Collective (Population) Health

4. Legacies of:
     A. Integrated care (global: funding / philosophy / location / disciplines / academic …);
     B. Parity of Esteem
          i   Mind - Body – Cartesian dualism;
          ii  Funding of Health Services [mental health - general];
          iii Research funding; Policy & Education);

C. Person-Centred Care – Service-Centred Care;

D. NHS - Social care;

5. (Ill-Health-Disease, see 4.B.ii) Treatment versus Prevention first 

6. Long-term policy Vs Short-termism

7. Personal, Local, Global: Developed – Developing Health Systems & Services 

8. Determinants of Health (Schrecker and Bambra, 2025)
   
   

Any thoughts, key sources ... are most welcome, e.g. should there be a place for sustainability, self-care, the literacies and the basis of funding public, private, or charitable (mixed)? h2cmng AT yahoo.co.uk
 

Schrecker, T., Bambra, C. (2025). ‘Lethal But Legal’: The Corporate Connections (Commercial Determinants of Health). In: How Politics Makes Us Sick. Palgrave Macmillan, London. 
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-96127-6_7

Paper - 'Women's voices in rural Malawi: antenatal care research and community learning'

Dear HIFA colleagues,

My friend, Ted Lankester, suggested I share my recently published research with this community.

The paper, published in PLOS Global Public Health, explores women’s perceptions of pregnancy and antenatal care in Chizenga village, Chikwawa, Malawi. It arose from my MSc dissertation at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, with co-authors Deborah Nyirenda and Terry Kana.

Through interviews with 14 pregnant women, we explored how understanding of antenatal care interacts with transport costs, distance, nutritional constraints, gender dynamics and experiences of respectful and disrespectful care. Women also expressed a desire for more community-based education and outreach.

The full open-access paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0005515

Layton H, Nyirenda D, Kana T (2026) A qualitative study to explore women’s perceptions of pregnancy and antenatal care in Chizenga village, Chikwawa, Malawi. PLOS Glob Public Health 6(9): e0005515. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0005515

Their accounts inspired me to develop the Sangalala Maternal Health Partnership Programme with local partners, through The Reach Foundation UK. Our first cohort (39 women and 1 man) has recently completed the programme in Uganda, and we are now learning from participants’ experiences to strengthen it.

I would welcome members’ experiences of making maternal health information accessible and useful in rural communities, particularly where information needs sit alongside practical barriers to accessing care.

I promised the women who participated that I would help raise their voices. Sharing their perspectives and learning from this community is one way I hope to honour that promise.

Best Wishes,

Helen

HIFA profile [and my source]: Helen Layton is a Nurse and Global Health Consultant; Founder & Clinical Director, The Marula Institute; Co-founder & Executive Director, The Reach Foundation UK/Spain. My professional interests include maternal and child health, global health equity, respectful maternity care, community-led health education, and translating research into practice. As Co-founder and Executive Director of The Reach Foundation UK and Founder and Clinical Director of The Marula Institute, I am particularly interested in strengthening health systems, workforce education, safe care for children with complex needs, and ensuring women’s and families’ voices inform care. 
Helen AT cathcom.org

cfp Special issue: Int. Journal of Social Robotics "Towards Ethical Deception in HRI"

Dear colleagues, 

We would like to invite you to submit your works at the special issue on "Towards Ethical Deception in HRI" in International Journal of Social Robotics whose submission deadline is 19 December 2026. 

The special issue explores the design and ethical implications of robot deception in human–robot interaction, emphasising autonomy, well-being, and the protection of vulnerable populations. 

Read below further information, and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

Kind regards,
Alessandra Rossi 

Alessandra Rossi, PhD 
Assistant Professor Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies - D.I.E.T.I. 
University of Naples Federico II Via Claudio, 21, 80125 - Naples, Italy 

w-page: https://alessandrarossi.net 
e-mail address: alessandra.rossi @ unina.it 
e-mail address: a.rossi @ herts.ac.uk

This Topical Collection focuses on deception in human-robot interaction and its ethical implications. In particular, robot deception is a complex yet potentially beneficial strategy. Intentional behaviours such as white lies or deliberate errors can foster trust, reduce distress, and improve therapeutic or educational outcomes. Robots may strategically omit information to maintain psychological stability or simulate imperfections to appear more relatable. While deception in human–robot interaction remains ethically controversial, its applications can enhance empathy, engagement, and learning. Ultimately, the capacity for controlled, prosocial deception highlights the need to reconsider moral frameworks governing social robotics, emphasizing the potential for nuanced, emotionally adaptive interactions.

This collection aims at exploring a design-centred and ethical-centred development of robotic deceptive behaviours for a successful human-robot interaction that, at the same time, is ethically acceptable and respect the autonomy and well-being of population, specially vulnerable individuals such as older people, patients and children. This Topical Collection is open to a broad audience from academia and industry researching social robotics, robot ethics, cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy of technology. It aims to attract an interdisciplinary audience that includes academics, industry researchers, designers, and policy-makers interested in exploring the integration of deceptive techniques in designed-centred and ethics-centred HRI. By collecting works addressing disciplinary and methodological boundaries, this collection seeks to promote a shared understanding of how social robots might responsibly employ complex behavioural strategies in human-centred contexts, such as education, healthcare and service.

Submission guidelines

All papers must be prepared in accordance with the Submission Guidelines. Articles for this Topical Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Editorial Manager. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Towards Ethical Deception in HRI" from the dropdown menu.

Submitted papers should present original, unpublished work, relevant to one of the topics of the Topical Collection. All papers will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, significance of contribution, technical quality, scholarship, and quality of presentation by at least two reviewers. It is the policy of the journal that no submission, or substantially overlapping submission, be published or be under review at another journal or conference at any time during the review process. Final decisions on all papers are made by the Editors-in-Chief.

My source: https://www.bcs-sgai.org/?section=server

Prof. George William Brown OBE, FBA (1930–2026)

"George Brown was a huge figure in sociology and social psychiatry. At a time when social science and psychiatry were so riven with conceptual differences they could not work constructively, George’s approach was collaborative, courageous and imaginative. His work addressed real-world problems and in so doing greatly enriched mental health research."

Professor Matthew Hotopf, Executive Dean, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/professor-george-william-brown-obe-fba-19302026

Starting in Warrington School of Nursing (Winwick Hospital) as a student mental health nurse in October 1977 you can how that curriculum and programme of study came about; and influences on Brian Hodges' early career.

 

Hodges' Health Career - Care Domains - Model

 

 An individual's 'health career' is impacted by their life chances and life events.

 

 

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

Individual Psychology Life events PSYCHIATRY psycho-	Life events EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHIATRY
social Group Psychology Life events SOCIAL & CULTURAL  PSYCHIATRY	LIFE EVENTS  PSYCHO-POLITICAL PSYCHIATRY

See also:

Wing, J.K., & Brown, G.W. (1970). Institutionalism and Schizophrenia: A Comparative Study of Three Mental Hospitals 1960–1968. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press. 

Brown, G. & Harris, T. (1978) Social Origins of Depression. A Study of Psychiatric Disorder in Women. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar 

Brown G.W. & Harris, T. (1979) Social origins of depression: a study of psychiatric disorder in women, London: Tavistock Publications.

Brown, G. W., & Harris, T. O. (Eds.). (1989). Life events and illness. The Guilford Press.

My source: Patrick Kidd. Forum, Obituary, The Observer. 20th September, 2026, p.42.
https://observer.co.uk/profile/obituary/article/george-brown-the-former-post-office-boy-who-unlocked-the-mystery-of-depression

Previously: 'social sciences' : 'psychiatry' : 'determinants'

THE PERIODICAL

The results of Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) 2026 are in! 

They show what is possible when thousands of organisations and individuals join forces. Advocates, NGOs, media, governments, communities, and corporates came together to drive awareness and action on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). All with one goal: creating a #PeriodFriendlyWorld for everyone. 

In 2026, we crossed the mark of 1,500 official partner organisations.
The MH Day movement continues to grow. 💪 

And so does our impact.
This year, the team tracked more than 3,000 MH Day events, 28,300 pieces of media coverage, and 299,000 social media contributions! 

Together, these efforts resulted in a new milestone: during the campaign period from 29 April to 10 June 2026: 

MH Day collectively reached 1.135 billion people worldwide. 

Isn’t that incredible? 

That’s nearly one in seven people on the planet, and the biggest reach in the history of MH Day! 

It shows that while MHH was a niche issue a few years ago, it is becoming more and more relevant for the mainstream of society. 

  Read more about the 
numbers,  trends,  and stories 
behind MH Day 2026  

Thank you for being part of this growing movement! Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld!

Warmly,
Ina, Aya and the team at the International Secretariat of MH Day / WASH United

c/o - WASH United gGmbH Fürbringerstrasse 7 Berlin 10961 Germany

Book review: 'Categories: A Study of a Concept in Western Philosophy and Political Thought'

Categories

 

To - Edinburgh University Press. 

Many thanks for this book -

O’Sullivan L. Categories: A Study of a Concept in Western Philosophy and Political Thought. Edinburgh University Press; 2024.

Requested in May, your response was quick. So, my apologies for the delay in picking this up. In mitigation, what I have been learning since, will help my reading of O'Sullivan's text.

As readers of W2tQ will have realised, there is a built in bias to my reading of any text. In short: It's all about the model. 

Categories was spotted in Foyles on a visit to London. It recommended itself instantly: title, Venn diagrams, sets and all.

A larger format paperback of 335 pages, the print quality, font and design match the values and usual care of the publisher. 

Given the subject, there are appropriately distinct indices of subjects and proper names.

At pages 2-3, I have already succumbed (my emphasis):

'As a result, there is widespread contemporary recognition that categories are both important and problematic. A non-exhaustive list of academic fields and disciplines in which issues to do with categories arise includes anthropology, critical theory, cultural studies, feminist studies, history, linguistics, philosophy, political science, political theory, post-colonial studies, post-modernism, post-humanism, psychoanalysis, psychology, rhetoric and sociology. It is clear, moreover, that this recognition reflects the situation in society at large. Popular authors articulate a pervasive feeling that "Things are in the wrong place. Religion is in the box where science used to be. Politics is on the shelf where you thought you left science the previous afternoon." Categorical worries have penetrated public as well as academic discourse.' pp.2-3.

But how did Luke O'Sullivan know? On page 3 having given us the informal uses of the word 'category':

'These, moreover, are only the informal uses; there are also formal, logical and mathematical, senses which we shall largely have to pass over.^'13

For me it is a disappointment that the formal aspects will be passed over. It is also a relief. 

For a model that is situated, as far as nursing theory, and models of nursing/care were concerned in 1997-8; Hodges' model had been left on the shelf - gathering dust.

I recognised a slide from a Youtube video this past week, care of Cheng I think? I'll share soon.

More to follow.

13 Eugenia Cheng, Cakes, Custard, and Category Theory Easy Recipes for Understanding Complex Mathematics (London: Profile Books, 2015) provides an introduction to mathematical category theory.