Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 01/05/2026open access, in the BMJ by me and @LarkinJames The NHS and industry partnerships: risky alliances bmj.com/content/393/bm…bmj.com 060
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyDeb Cohen @debscohen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026A few years ago, Grail launched NHS trial of Galleri 50 cancer test, despite concerns from experts about its sensitivity as @mgtmccartney.bsky.social & I reported for @bmj.com & the BBC. Today investors were told main endpoint- a statistically significant drop in Stage III–IV cancers was not met 0103
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 05/03/2026CMA investigation private dentistry following one on vets. thetimes.com/business/compa… Treating healthcare as a market doesn't work. From 2016: GP is going to do a dentist-still headed that way bmj.com/content/354/bm����� (medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreftreforevide… opening for booking soon)thetimes.com 011
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 10/01/2026Centre for Evidence and Values in Healthcare - 5th Feb in St Andrews. Screening can be confusing, numbers, ethics, communication....PSA, whole body scans, influencers telling you to get bloods for 'wellbeing'... low cost, non profit, no sponsorship medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreforevi... 063
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyUnHerd @unherd.com · 25/11/2025Prostate cancer, left alone, often does not affect male lifespans. We should be careful not to increase diagnosis rates without actually stopping men dying of the disease | Margaret McCartneyunherd.comHow increased prostate cancer screening can harm menDavid Cameron has joined the King as the latest public figure to disclose his diagnosis of prostate cancer. In an interview with the Times this week, the former British prime minister revealed that,… 093
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyclare-turnbull.bsky.social @clare-turnbull.bsky.social · 04/01/2026"Media coverage and PATHFINDER2: hype, simplification, and free advertising". Commentary on new GRAIL Galleri study published in: @thelancetoncol.bsky.social thelancet.com/journals/lan... From @mgtmccartney.bsky.social @paulpharoah.bsky.social, Sullivan,Houlston,Aggarwal,Schuh,Hogarth,Callisterthelancet.comMedia coverage and PATHFINDER2: hype, simplification, and free advertisingThe recent media coverage of interim results from the PATHFINDER2 study of GRAIL's Galleri multicancer detection blood test exemplifies a troubling and recurring trend in science communication: the co... 102
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyThe BMJ @bmj.com · 13/11/2025The UK media is overstating the benefits of prostate specific antigen tests, which can result in risk without benefit. Men need fair information about screening for prostate cancer, writes @mgtmccartney.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/391/... 12318
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 03/11/2025thanks so much @dnblane.bsky.social not just for this, but the support and all the incredible work you are doing. 030
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyNick Hopkinson @copddoc.bsky.social · 02/10/2025Healthcare: what is it for? Inaugural event of the Centre for Evidence and Values in Healthcare: Sir David Haslam. Fri Oct 31st: events.st-andrews.ac.uk/events/centr... @mgtmccartney.bsky.socialevents.st-andrews.ac.ukHealthcare: what is it for?Please join us online at the first event of the Centre for Evidence and Values in Healthcare. We are delighted to 011
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 01/10/2025Free to access Delphi study on what would make it easier to make and understand declarations of interest. Thankyou to everyone who took part. Next is to build it…. t.co/igfJKeybX5t.cohttps://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/9/e103058 030
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyAdam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 29/09/2025"Here I am, this middle-aged black man, I'm in my best suit. I actually argued the case at the Supreme Court that we were trying to implement. I've got all these degrees and awards. And I'm still required to laugh at my own humiliation." Bryan Stevenson with @katiecouric.bsky.socialyoutube.comThe Exhausting Reality of Being a Black Lawyer - Bryan Stevenson's TruthYouTube video by Katie Couric 9335105
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 26/09/2025sign up sign up come along to our first event 31st october or add yourself to our mailing list for a streamed section of the day. it's going to be excellent. no sponsorship, independent, and amazing people are coming medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreforevi...medicine.st-andrews.ac.ukThe Centre for Evidence and Values[et_pb_section fb_built=1 disabled_on=off|off|off admin_label=Header Image and Nav Box _builder_version=4.27.4 _module_preset=default background_color=#FFFFFF background_image=https://medicine.st-andr... 035
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyJames Larkin @jameslarkin13.bsky.social · 23/09/2025🚨Publication🚨 Grateful to be part of this publication with @mgtmccartney.bsky.social and colleagues Take home: lots of hormone replace therapy social media claims don't align with best practice recommendations. And lots of the posters have conflicts of interest. Full study: tinyurl.com/2rxpfwnrtinyurl.comDoes online information about hormone replacement therapy (or menopause hormone therapy) reflect indications from the British National Formulary and guidance from the National Institute for Health and...Objectives To describe: (1) the most visible information (from individuals or organisations) on UK social media regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT)/menopause hormone treatment for menopause; (... 002
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 21/09/2025hi @drlouisenewson.bsky.social . someone just sent me a link to a 'Perimenopause, menopause and mental health: a global survey' but the questions seem so biased that I am having difficulty believing that this is part of research project? has it ethics approval? thankyou. 060
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyMargaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 01/09/2025VERY EXCITING launch of the CENTRE FOR EVIDENCE AND VALUES IN HEALTHCARE at the Uni of St Andrews first event 31st October with Sir David Haslam and Scotland's new patient safety commissioner Karen Titchener find out more here medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreforevi... please sign up and come 12316
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 03/09/202520 years post TGN 1412, later , are drug trials safer? v pleased to be doing this for @BBCRadio4 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - The Drug Trial That Went WrongWhat lessons have been learned from a 2006 clinical trial at Northwick Park Hospital? 023
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 01/09/2025VERY EXCITING launch of the CENTRE FOR EVIDENCE AND VALUES IN HEALTHCARE at the Uni of St Andrews first event 31st October with Sir David Haslam and Scotland's new patient safety commissioner Karen Titchener find out more here medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreforevi... please sign up and come 12316
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 15/08/2025www.bmj.com/content/390/...bmj.comLifestyle medicine shouldn’t be a separate branch of medicineWhat is lifestyle medicine? It’s a massive hit on social media, where it seems to have captured the zeitgeist of a generation of doctors who are noticing, rightly, that many chronic health conditions ... 283
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyGreg Fell @felly500.bsky.social · 30/07/2025Good to see @mgtmccartney.bsky.social & @debscohen.bsky.social back out on tour 252
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyThe BMJ @bmj.com · 01/08/2025The UK’s flagship health research programme promises breakthroughs, but beneath an NHS branded facade, critics are asking who really benefits from the database, heavily backed by industry and government. @mgtmccartney.bsky.social and @debscohen.bsky.social investigate www.bmj.com/content/390/... 02813
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 20/07/2025ARE YOU A UK MEDICAL STUDENT OR DOCTOR? Please take part in this short survey about medical education in the UK. Thankyou! standrews.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...standrews.eu.qualtrics.comQualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience ManagementThe most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today. 044
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 22/06/2025notes on rcgp council yesterday margaretmccartney.com/2025/06/22/r...margaretmccartney.comRCGP council 21/6/25As ever, I can only report what I say, and I try not to repeat what others have. Council members have 2mins only to speak on subjects. I do have problems with this; it’s not a good quality co… 051
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 14/05/2025Big claims in the @thetimes today on weight loss drugs and preventative impact. thetimes.com/uk/healthcar.... however;thetimes.comWeight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy hold key to longer lifeResearch suggests weight loss drugs such as Wegovy could delay age-related illnesses and halve heart attack deaths, even in those who are not obese 142
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 25/04/2025free link, to me and Susan Bewley editorial in the @bmj.com www.bmj.com/content/389/...bmj.comSex and gender should not be conflated in medical dataThe target of any sex question should be sex Accurate data are essential to clinical care, research, and health service planning. But in some data sets, the NHS and the wider medical profession have ... 031
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 16/04/2025It really should not be necessary for a group of volunteer women - work run on donations and good will- to take the scot gov to court to point out their illogicality. Thankyou for all your hard work over many years. Congratulations @ForWomenScot 3184
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 12/04/2025one of the key things to consider with screening is how the test results will affect advice to minimise health risks vs advice you would have been given anyway without these additional tests being done. so I will leave this here. www.thetimes.com/life-style/h...thetimes.comTim Spector: I took a dementia test – with surprising resultsWith a family history of the condition, the nutrition expert was keen to understand his own risk. Cutting edge tests revealed early warning signs, but not the ones he expected 0153
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 09/04/2025me in the BMJ, free access #parkrun #socialprescribing Prescribing parkrun: medicalising a walk in the park www.bmj.com/content/389/... 7337
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyThe Aural Apothecary @auralapothecary.pharmsky.app · 04/04/2025🚨 New Episode! Skinny Jabs and Conflict of Interests with @mgtmccartney.bsky.social A vocal advocate for Evidence Based Medicine, newspaper columnist and contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Inside Health. An insightful and no-holds barred chat. Do not miss it!theauralapothecary.com7.8 Dr Margaret McCartney - Conflicts of Interest and the Skinny JabsThis episode we are joined by Dr Margaret McCartney a practising General Practitioner and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in General Practice at the University of St And… 276
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 03/04/2025Met one of my long term heroes today. The amazing Angela Raffle 370
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyDeb Cohen @debscohen.bsky.social · 20/03/2025My and @mgtmccartney.bsky.social critical look at Zoe for both Unherd and The BMJ has sure had legs.... Great to see our work being cited in today's Economist economist.com/britain/2025...economist.comZOE, a British personal-nutrition app, is growing fastBut does it actually work? 282
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 06/03/2025Call me a Luddite but things to stop burnout should be based in evidence. If the job is so bad that people can’t do it- change the job, not the amount of yoga. Opportunity cost for covering for staff having sabbaticals to prevent burnout may be…burnout 3383
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 14/02/2025ARE YOU A UK MEDICAL STUDENT OR DOCTOR? Please take part in this short survey about medical education in the UK. Thankyou! standrews.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...standrews.eu.qualtrics.comQualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience ManagementThe most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today. 0613
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 14/02/2025publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...publications.parliament.ukTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (11th February 2025) 030
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyThe BMJ @bmj.com · 05/02/2025"Three things concern me about the structural way in which Leadbeater’s private member’s bill is being processed." Using a private member’s bill to legislate on assisted dying lacks the necessary preparation for an informed debate, writes @mgtmccartney.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/388/... 074
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 04/02/2025assisted dying, the problem with private members bills, and the need for independent evidence www.bmj.com/content/388/...bmj.comUsing a private member’s bill to legislate on assisted dying lacks the necessary preparation for an informed debateHaving more pre-legislative stages would allow better quality debate Private members’ bills are introduced by individual members of parliament, rather than cabinet ministers or peers. One type of pri... 086
Reposted by Margaret McCartneysalwalk.bsky.social @salwalk.bsky.social · 29/01/2025Read Margaret’s evidence….it’s the best article I’ve read on this difficult subject, and I’ve been reading a lot. It moves away from the emotional and personal views and is so helpful. 056
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyNick Hopkinson @copddoc.bsky.social · 02/02/2025Reminded that Living with Dying by @mgtmccartney.bsky.social is the best book about end of life that I have read. Get yourselves a copy. www.waterstones.com/book/living-... /nwaterstones.comLiving with Dying by Margaret McCartney | WaterstonesBuy Living with Dying by Margaret McCartney from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25. 282
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 04/02/2025Trying to find the new guidance from ?@TheGPhC trailed on am radio. With something about private providers contacting GPs re weight loss drugs. NHS GPs absolutely cannot take on service work for the private sector. hope this isn’t what it sounded like . Anyone got a link 253
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 01/02/2025just wondering where the best place to post about existential despair is these days 2110
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyMargaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 28/01/2025Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidence here's mine margaretmccartney.substack.com/p/terminally... www.parliament.uk/business/new...parliament.ukTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidenceTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidence 21710
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 28/01/2025Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidence here's mine margaretmccartney.substack.com/p/terminally... www.parliament.uk/business/new...parliament.ukTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidenceTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: call for evidence 21710
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 25/01/2025from me and @debscohen.bsky.social on early diagnosis unherd.com/2025/01/the-...unherd.comThe truth about private health scans 12111
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 24/01/2025spent 20mins trying to get access to a 1955 paper and thankyou @princetonupress.bsky.social I have managed it v proud 031
Margaret McCartney @mgtmccartney.bsky.social · 24/01/2025just reading the original vicious book reviews of a tome published in 1955 which is now the go-to ref for a niche area and cited >3000 times. last laugh etc 092
Reposted by Margaret McCartneyDeb Cohen @debscohen.bsky.social · 20/01/2025 Spotify's Daniel Ek's latest tech is Neko Health. Its full body scans a "health check for your future self". Tech enthusiasts are applying mechanistic thinking to complexities of the body. But it's not so simple. @mgtmccartney.bsky.social and and me for @unherd.com unherd.com/2025/01/the-... 1147