• Simar Bajaj – Nature: The World Was on Track To End the Aids Epidemic. Then Came Trump
• Jessica Hamzelou – MIT Technology Review: A strange kind of limbo
• Margaret McCartney, Deborah Cohen – BMJ: Galleri promises to detect multiple cancers—but new evidence casts doubt on this much hyped blood test

The Mental Health Story of the Year category includes a nomination for Adele Waters, of the BMJ, for telling the powerful story of DAUK’s GP co-lead Dr Sarah Jacques.

MJA Awards

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, which takes place in central London on Wednesday. Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK co-chair, said: “We’re really delighted to be supporting the MJA Awards again this year. “Good medical journalism makes such a difference. It helps the public understand complex issues, shines a light on the challenges we face in medicine, and tells the human stories. “We value our close relationship with the MJA, and we’re pleased to play a part in recognising and supporting journalists doing such important work.”

DAUK and the MJA

DAUK has strong links with the MJA. We sponsored Feature of the Year (Specialist Audience) category at last year’s awards. The award was won by Carolyn Wickware, executive editor, The Pharmaceutical Journal, for her work published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, Uncompassionate use: the inconsistent offering of life-saving unlicensed medicines. DAUK has also supported the MJA’s annual symposium. Emma Wilkinson, the association’s vice-chair, took part in a discussion on medics and the media at our recent conference. You can watch the discussion again on our YouTube. And plans are in the pipeline for the MJA to host a webinar to give doctors a greater understanding of how to work with journalists. DAUK committee members are all volunteers and speak to the media about issues facing frontline doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Left to right: Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK co-chair, Carolyn Wickware, executive editor of The Pharmaceutical Journal, and Dr Sian Williams, awards host. (Credit: Vicki Sharp Photography)

DAUK sponsored the Feature of the Year (Specialist Audience) category, with vice chair Dr Ellen Welch presenting the award.

It was won by Carolyn Wickware, executive editor, The Pharmaceutical Journal for her work published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, Uncompassionate use: the inconsistent offering of life-saving unlicensed medicines.

The judges said: “An excellent piece of investigative journalism requiring a hugely impressive amount of research, with the patient perspective making it a more emotive read.”

Dr Welch said: “Congratulations to Carolyn and all of the worth winners. DAUK was delighted to be part of such an brilliant evening.

“One of the strengths of being part of DAUK is our ability to speak more freely to the media about issues within our profession without fear of repercussions from an NHS employer.

“We feel it’s important to forge links with journalists and build relationships, which is why we were thrilled to sponsor an award.”

The awards ceremony was held on the 17th floor of the News Building at London Bridge, and was hosted by former BBC journalist Dr Sian Williams, who is now an HCPC-registered counselling psychologist.

Hannah Barnes was the big winner on the night, picking up the coveted best-of-the-best award for Outstanding Contribution to Health and Medical Journalism.

Hannah also collected the  prize for Feature of the Year (general audience) for a piece for the New Statesman on birth trauma, and she won Science Explained and the Dr David Delvin award for Sex and Sexual Health Journalism.

A full list of the MJA Awards winners and links to their work is available on the MJA website.

Support the work of DAUK by signing up as a member.

Dr Nicholl was taking part in a panel discussion on the subject of Whistleblowing in the NHS.

He spoke about recent work and surveys by the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) to help doctors across the UK shine a light on the issue of physician associates.

“There was a real fear among people that they could couldn’t speak within their organisations,” he said.

“Junior doctors were really nervous about being identified.”

DAUK is working with Whistleblowers UK – a not for profit organisation which aims to change how society thinks about whistleblowing.

The work aims to reframe whistleblowing, seek reform of UK legislation, and call for better protections for those who highlight issues in the NHS.

Speaking at the symposium, which was supported by DAUK and City University Journalism Department, Dr Nicholl said: “I would argue, and this is something that DAUK are arguing with Whistleblowers UK, that there needs to be reform.

“PIDA (the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998) we don’t think is fit for purpose, and there should be an Independent Office for the Whistleblower.”

The MJA symposium heard a range of presentations including from Dr Ravi Jayaram, who spoke about raising concerns and not being heard.

There were talks on how journalists deal with sensitive leaked information and how they build trust, as well as fact checking, using data to build trust and working with whistleblowers.

Dr Lizzie Toberty, DAUK’s GP lead, said: “It was a brilliant day, with fascinating presenters and speakers who knew their subjects inside out.

“There was lots of interesting and lively debate and discussion, lots of information to digest and to take away, and lots of networking and new contacts being made.

“Medical journalists play a vital role in communicating the workings of healthcare and medicine, and everything that goes with that, and we at DAUK were really pleased to be able to collaborate with the Medical Journalists’ Association.”

Emma Wilkinson vice-chair of the MJA who put the programme together said: “The speakers had so much wisdom and experience to share, and it prompted some incredible questions and discussion, as well as ideas for areas ripe for future investigation.

“It has also encouraged me to reflect on my own work and how I approach sensitive stories and conversations.”