Author Archives: Matthew Shelley

Our political leaders are fond of telling each other to ‘get a grip’ when they fail to deliver on a promise. Well, perhaps it’s time that the healthcare IT sector told the DH to do precisely this on the repeatedly … finish reading Information Revolution risks becoming a ‘Data Damp Squib’

It was my 47th birthday last week and the thought of being so close to the half century made me grumpy. But this Tuesday’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture, by president of the Royal Society Sir Paul Nurse, persuaded me to stop … finish reading Science, superstition and the future of health

Stand still for a moment, point one ear westwards, and you’ll hear the low rumble of a vast technological tsunami rolling across the Atlantic. Start reading US healthcare IT publications and the sound resolves into an excited chatter about how … finish reading Mobile health apps – gift from cyber heaven or Pandoras Box?

What’s in a word? I was looking at the entries for the DH’s Maps and Apps project which invited people to submit ideas for improving health with mobile technology – it had a great with response with nearly 500 entries. … finish reading The mobile conundrum

Hours after the key House of Lords vote on the Health and Social Care Bill I went to hospital for one of those uncomfortable minor procedures often required by men of middle years. It was part of a package of … finish reading Off to hospital following Lords vote on NHS reform

The human ability to take wonderful technology and do something dumb with it is truly astounding. As a young newspaper features editor I was given a pristine two litre VW Golf GTI. Within a month I’d bent an axle and … finish reading Full speed ahead to better data security

Gordon Brown’s allegations about how The Sun discovered his son Fraser had cystic fibrosis have put the issue of NHS data security back into the limelight once again. Two decades as a journalist, and a good few years in PR … finish reading Protecting patient data from prying eyes

Money matters in journalism – by that I mean financial figures such as contract values. Many years spent writing on business for magazines and newspapers dramatically reinforced the point that a story with sterling signs has more chance of getting … finish reading Money matters in selling stories to the media

I was about to order from a website on Sunday when I noticed that the last news update was 2009 – same with the blog. It wasn’t anyone I’d done business with before, and I suddenly felt doubts. Perhaps they … finish reading What does your website say about you?