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Emma Wilkinson

@emmajourno.bsky.social
2.4K followers 1.4K following 1.6K posts

Freelance journalist writing about medicine/health/biosciences. Bylines in BMJ, Pulse, Pharmaceutical Journal, Sunday Times, Lancet, BBC and more. Co-founder Freelancing for Journalists. Co-author of Ultra Women. Often found running up Sheffield hills.

PostsRepliesMedia
Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 7h
Slim now, pay later: online pharmacies promote sales of new diet drugs despite ad ban observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk
Slim now, pay later: online pharmacies promote sales of n...
Campaigners say failure of drugs regulation has allowed use of ‘shocking’ tactics to boost sales
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 20h
Are blood test subscriptions an early warning or a waste of money? www.thetimes.com/article/19f2...
thetimes.com
Are blood test subscriptions an early warning or a waste of money?
Celebrity-fronted companies promise regular private testing will ‘revolutionise’ healthcare, but GPs say unreliable results are clogging their schedules
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
It’s so obvious you should not do this but of course people are going to do this
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I’m not really a betting gal but a decade from now might be interesting to see how much osteoporosis we have going on… (point also made in the piece)
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Also this is my usual face when catching up on the news
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Hey news I’d like more of this sort of thing Comedy wildlife photography award finalists 2026 – in pictures www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
theguardian.com
Comedy wildlife photography award finalists 2026 – in pictures
A selection of the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2026 finalists – from a shortlist featuring a caiman wearing a wig, a leopard doing a handstand, a strutting white-tailed eagle and a polar bear appeari...
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The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
If you're in my GP's office any time soon, prepare yourself for what many are calling the greatest mnemonic of all time. Come for E and P, but sit down and clap for I.
A screen in my GP's office advertising a mnemonic of signs to spot SEPSIS.

S slurred speech of confusion 
E extreme shivering or muscle pain 
P passing no urine all day
S severe breathlessness
I ot feels like you are going to die
S skin mottled or discoloured
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Mun-Keat Looi @munkeatlooi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Trump, Mounjaro, and medical misogyny articles win BMJ honours at prestigious awards buff.ly/cQFSFUP
buff.ly
Trump, Mounjaro, and medical misogyny articles win BMJ honours at prestigious awards
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I should clarify the 25% uptake is of Y13 students who are the easier population to measure quickly. It is freshers who are most at risk so something to really keep an eye on 😬
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@ukhsa.bsky.social say that 75% of Y13 and university students eligible for meningitis B vaccine have not had the jab as of Sept 20th. This is really worrying. It feels like you 'could' do mass vaccination at school/uni rather than asking teenagers to book through a pharmacy but what do I know 🫠
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It's the Sure Start hokey cokey everyone (let's be clear this announcement is good news because it never should have been disbanded in first place as highly evidenced effective way to spend money but also gahhhhhh) www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinica...
pulsetoday.co.uk
Infant feeding and mental health support to be rolled out across England by 2028
Parents will get enhanced infant feeding and mental health support, supported by health visitors and midwives, at more than 1,000 Family Hubs.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Someone commits a horrific crime as a clearly disturbed and vulnerable teenager then serves 30 years in prison. Feels like the story should end there. FYI, the 5 countries with most death penalty executions - China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and USA www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike survives execution attempt after two injections
Killer Christa Pike's lawyer says she is being given "life-saving measures" in hospital after two syringes of pentobarbital.
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 01/10/2026
BREAKING: Tennessee governor puts a halt on executions after inmate Christa Gail Pike survives a lethal injection attempt.
bit.ly
Tennessee governor halts executions after inmate survives lethal injection attempt
Media witnesses say Tennessee officials were unable to carry out the execution of Christa Gail Pike for a 1995 murder on Wednesday.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 01/10/2026
A ‘hero’ pilot, plumber and dentist among those who saved flydubai flight to Israel
theguardian.com
A ‘hero’ pilot, plumber and dentist among those who saved flydubai flight to Israel
Swift actions of attacked pilot Smit Machchhar allowed passengers and other off-duty pilots to assist in subduing co-pilot and allowing plane to land safely Smit Machchhar was lying on the floor of the flydubai flight deck, covered with blood, when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to gain entry, overpower his attacker and save 174 passengers on board. Moments earlier, Machchhar’s fellow pilot had stabbed him, in an apparent effort to crash the plane which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Machchhar, an Indian citizen from Mumbai, is being treated in a hospital in Saudi Arabia’s north-western city of Tabuk, where the plane landed safely. Continue reading...
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Ian McMillan @imcmillan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
First cup of tea: liquid subtlety, liquid nuance, liquid transcendence.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
'An update to Google Maps has revealed the extent of devastation during the three-year Gaza war and the severity of the continuing humanitarian crisis faced by the territory’s 2.3 million inhabitants.'
theguardian.com
New Google Maps images reveal massive scale of devastation in Gaza
Satellite imagery shows further destruction of homes, businesses and places of worship since fragile ceasefire
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Please don’t feed your child black market unpasteurised milk you found on Facebook…. www.propublica.org/article/cali...
propublica.org
A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.
California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...
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Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Gut-wrenching that so many families are still suffering so much after such intense scrutiny - and support. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
East Kent NHS admits 'failing families' over stillbirths
An independent review ordered by the trust finds systemic issues lay at the heart of the failures.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"There are serious questions to answer for the national and regional NHS England support teams who have been intensively trying to help this trust and trying to help others elsewhere and it's not working”. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
East Kent NHS admits 'failing families' over stillbirths
An independent review ordered by the trust finds systemic issues lay at the heart of the failures.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wonder where we'd be now if Sure Start was never disbanded in the first place... (vaccine uptake, child mental health, obesity, etc, etc) www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Healthy Babies programme to be expanded across England
Scheme will follow principles of Sure Start, helping families with infant feeding, mental health and bonding with babies
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Off to secondary school open evening tonight for the littlest. Just passed the middle (almost 13yo) kid at the front door who grunted as he went off to play football with his friend. Seems a long time since we couldn't stop them giggling at bedtime.....
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I regularly ask pharmacists about medicines shortages and it’s basically now normal to spend hours every day dealing with it… www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Hospitals in England hit by shortages of common drugs such as paracetamol
NHS trusts also report disruption to supplies last winter of co-codamol and blood pressure medication ramipril
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
God following this story is hard work…. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Rubio says foreign actor was ‘clearly’ behind suspected RAF Fairford bomb plot
The US secretary of state offered no evidence for his claims, and also said many people were ‘disturbed’ that the five suspects had been released on bail
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Jim Waterson @jim.londoncentric.media · 28/09/2026
Releasing the five people arrested by the airbase on bail after 24 hours is so weird, would be fantastic if it turns out they were just up to no good on an unrelated minor jape and accidentally created an international security story.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It’s been an odd day news wise
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Who could have guessed that using AI as constant surveillance of 'performance' would cause staff to have a breakdown.... www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Teachers at Euan Blair firm report ‘horrendous stress’ after AI used to rate their work
Exclusive: Instructors at tech training company Multiverse hit out at ‘remorseless’ and ‘unnerving’ monitoring system
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 27/09/2026
Millionaires who breathlessly announce that they are leaving the country because a social policy subject risks mildly inconveniencing them should never be allowed back over the border.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This actually solves quite a lot of heated family debate To rinse or not to rinse? For recycling that’s no longer the question www.thetimes.com/article/6040...
thetimes.com
To rinse or not to rinse? For recycling that’s no longer the question
Veolia wants us to stop worrying — and stop thinking plastic bottles are the devil
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Just ban them now!!! There is no reason for tanning beds to exist How social media helped make sunbeds dangerous again observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk
How social media helped make sunbeds dangerous again
Melanoma is now one of the most common cancers in people aged 15 to 34, and attributed to a growing trend in sunbed use fuelled by TikTok and Instagram
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Venture capitalist backed medical services - what could go wrong 🤷‍♀️ I paid for a £2000 embryo transfer – then the clinic emailed to say it was closing observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk
I paid for a £2000 embryo transfer – then the clinic emai...
Insiders claim Portugal-based Ovom Care knew for years it was running out of money, but it kept performing to the very end, leaving many British patients trapped in limbo
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In today’s episode of all the things we don’t know about women’s bodies/health…. www.wired.com/story/ovary-...
wired.com
The Ovary Is Surprisingly Active After Menopause. Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out Why
A growing body of research is putting the ovary in a new light, not as an egg factory with an expiration date, but as an organ that shapes women’s health long after the fertile years have passed.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Elephants treat themselves with medicinal plants, witnesses say
African elephants use dozens of different medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families when they are sick, research reveals.
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's really helpful that these women are speaking out so that others might see and think twice but also the ease with which some people say 'please cut open the skin around my eyes for no reason' 🫣 😬 🤯 Just written about impact on NHS of this stuff. It's getting worse. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Open wounds and eyes that can't close - women warn about cheap bleph eyelid surgery
A concerning number of patients are reporting problems from treatment abroad, say doctors.
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Alice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Will the government be announcing its new National Centre for Information Defence on X or
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The number of people at academic conferences willing to brazenly put up their hand to ‘ask’ a question and then just start rambling speeches about their own work/perspective.
static.klipy.com
Alex Moffat Asks 'What Is Your Question?' on SNL
ALT: Alex Moffat Asks 'What Is Your Question?' on SNL
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sianushka.bsky.social @sianushka.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is terrifying. The government needs to get a lot more serious about the rise of the violent militant and organised far right www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy in Channel with blade while rescue worker onboard
Thomas called followers to protest against arrival of asylum seekers in Gosport, but Border Force instead transported them to Dover
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Emma Wilkinson @emmajourno.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Only 1/3 trains running late yesterday by 7 min late in the end!?! Amazing. Is this the Burnham Bounce we’ve been hearing about
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Getting ready to welcome our finalists for the #MJAawards tonight at the amazing News UK offices overlooking the Thames and St Pauls.
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We’re off! 1st award of the evening is Newcomer & it goes to Emily Warner from the Pharmacist for her story on ICBs & Mounjaro prescribing Congratulations Emily!!! @webershandwickes.bsky.social #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Next up The Podcast Award goes to Noel Titheradge & team for ‘Impulsive’, a BBCRadio4 investigation into Parkinson drugs. Many congrats Noel Titheradge, Lucy Burns, Matt Willis #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Many congratulations Sarah Neville winner Health & Climate Change Award for her report on how climate change adds to pregnancy risks. Congratulations Sarah! @financialtimes.com #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Time for the Dr David Delvin Award for Sex/ Sexual Health Journalism Congrats to Kate White Laura Foster & Martin Smith for their BBC Radio 4 piece for ‘About the Girls: A Puberty Puzzle’ #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Next up is Case Study award which goes to Mark Thomson, Laura Bundock & the team @news.sky.com for The Gift: A hand transplant journey. Many congrats to you all! #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And the Mental Health Story award goes to Tom Moberly @bmj.com for his article looking at the speculation around Donald Trump’s mental health. Congratulations @tommoberly.bsky.social #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Outstanding Contribution to Health or Medical Journalism goes to @hannahsbee.bsky.social @newstatesman1913.bsky.social for ‘Britain’s Next Maternity Scandal’. Urgent, vital, solid reporting our judges said. Huge congrats!!! @novartis.bsky.social #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Next up is Feature (Broadcast) Congratulations to @sharonbarbourbbc.bsky.social & the brilliant team at BBC News Rhoda Buchanan Gail Champion Joel Mapp MaryO'Reilly for Hidden Scars - supported by Blue Lozenge #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And now to Feature (Specialist) The winner is Adele Waters for her investigation into outpatient gynaecological procedures for @bmj.com . Many Congratulations Adele! #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We’re already at Feature (General)! Congratulations to the winner Hannah Barnes @newstatesman1913.bsky.social for her article Britain’s Next Maternity Scandal. Well deserved! #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Winner of the Freelance award is Robert Galloway for 3 articles in @dailymail.co.uk including a moving personal piece on rare genetic conditions in childhood Congratulations! @drrobgalloway.bsky.social #mjaawards
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Medical Journalists' Association @mja-uk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
News Story (Broadcast) goes to the team @news.sky.com for ‘Corridor Care Crisis’ Rebecca Barry, Imogen Barrer, Phil Sime, Judith Welikala Congratulations all! - supported by Virgo Health #mjaawards Well done!!
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