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Whether charitable fundraising might play a part in funding Britain's ostensibly tax‐funded NHS has been a longstanding dilemma, which until recently has received only occasional scholarly attention. In 1946, Aneurin Bevan argued that one of the main goals of the reformed health care system was to liberate health care from the 'caprice of private charity'. Seven decades later, NHS Charities Together's Urgent Covid‐19 Appeal became a powerful societal rallying cry in the health emergency of the pandemic and raised £150 million in the process. This paper draws together findings from new archival research, a witness seminar with key actors in the NHS charity sector, and qualitative research based on interviews with NHS charity staff and trustees (N = 13), all conducted between 2021 and 2023. We investigate the way in which national appeals have been proposed, debated and implemented at different times in the NHS's history. We trace the recurrence of conflicting ideas about the acceptability of national fundraising for the NHS, about whether public loyalties are to their local services or the national 'brand' and about the introduction of national appeals into a complex ecology of local NHS charities. The history of charitable fundraising for the NHS is, we argue, neither a simple story of spontaneous public generosity, nor often of formal policy reform, but is an artefact of more complex dynamics between a changing cast of local and national actors over the last 75 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores findings from the fields of neuropsychology and art therapy as they relate to treating patients with dementia. It explains the biological, physical, and psychological manifestations of dementia, and current treatment modalities. Art therapy has been shown to be beneficial to patients with dementia. Unfortunately, it is the rare long-term care facility that offers such a program to its residents. The graphic indicators that manifest themselves in the art of patients with dementia are discussed along with four case examples that illustrate the benefits of art therapy programs for patients in varying stages of dementia. The implications of such treatments for society are explored, including the need for more studies integrating art therapy and neuroscience.

Students in higher education face a variety of learning hindrances while studying at university. These hindrances may negatively impact on learning by distracting from study, or may enhance learning by encouraging students to address challenges as they arise. In the current study students were asked to describe their learning hindrances at a single point early in semester, and to outline the strategies for overcoming these hindrances in future. Five hindrance clusters were determined and differences between student academic subgroups were identified. Hindrances associated with difficulties understanding were reported most frequently by improving students, who had demonstrated resilience by passing second year biomedical science courses after failing in first year. Improving students were also most likely to report learning strategies that promote understanding. These results suggest that early interventions to encourage students to critically evaluate their understanding may benefit struggling students.

Concerns about the limited influence of research on decision making have prompted the development of tools intended to mediate evidence for policy audiences. This article focuses on three examples, prominent in public health: impact assessments; systematic reviews; and economic decision-making tools (cost-benefit analysis and scenario modelling). Each has been promoted as a means of synthesising evidence for policy makers but little is known about policy actors' experiences of them. Employing a literature review and 69 interviews, we offer a critical analysis of their role in policy debates, arguing that their utility lies primarily in their symbolic value as markers of good decision making.