Incredibly proud to announce @IcelandCharity as headline supporter of Nacoa’s Chasing Yesterday Marathons. In July 2026, four runners @CalumBest, @josh_ffw, @StringerSport and Scott Murdoch will take on a world-first challenge. 🎗️ Join us on this extraordinary journey.

The government has confirmed that NICE will consider updating the guideline for treating anxiety following our letters. This is a significant win for the 75 organisations, academics, practitioners and policymakers calling for change. (1/3)

Rishi Sunak’s evidence exposes continued denial of the excluded Rishi Sunak gave evidence to the Covid Inquiry on Monday 15 December and Tuesday 16 December, reflecting on his time as chancellor during the pandemic. Across two days of testimony, he repeatedly defended the Treasury’s actions while once again failing to acknowledge the scale of exclusion caused by government policy. Throughout his evidence Sunak spoke at length about the speed and size of the economic response, frequently returning to the furlough scheme and business support packages as proof that the government acted decisively. What was striking was not only what he said, but what he continued to ignore. From the earliest days of the pandemic, ExcludedUK repeatedly warned Sunak and the Treasury that millions of people were falling through the cracks. These were not small gaps but vast chasms. Newly self employed people, freelancers, PAYE workers with mixed incomes, company directors paid through dividends, people returning from parental leave or illness, and many others were left with no income at all. These warnings were made clearly, consistently and publicly. They were ignored. Despite this, Sunak told the inquiry that schemes were designed as well as possible within constraints, and that difficult trade offs had to be made. What he did not acknowledge was that the government made a conscious decision to do nothing for those excluded. There were options available. Partial grants, hardship payments or even temporary basic income style support were all proposed. Instead of doing something imperfect, the Treasury chose to do absolutely nothing. Sunak again referred to Bounce Back Loans as part of the support offered, repeating a familiar line that excluded people had access to loans if grants were not available. This claim continues to misrepresent reality. Bounce Back Loans were not an option for many of those excluded because eligibility required businesses to have been trading for at least two years. Large numbers of the newly self employed and those who had changed working patterns shortly before the pandemic did not meet this criterion. Others quite reasonably refused to take on debt simply to survive, especially when they had lost all income through no fault of their own. Loans are not income replacement. Presenting them as an alternative to grants ignores both the eligibility rules and the ethical problem of forcing people into debt while their peers received non repayable support. Sunak also made statements implying that he had engaged with ExcludedUK during the pandemic. This is not borne out by the facts. ExcludedUK repeatedly requested meetings and meaningful engagement. No such meeting with Sunak took place. Correspondence was ignored or met with generic responses from officials. To suggest otherwise is misleading and avoids accountability for deliberate political choices. A recurring theme in Sunak’s evidence was that the government acted in good faith and under immense pressure. While pressure was real, accountability matters. The exclusion of millions was not an unintended oversight that was quickly corrected. It was a known problem that was raised repeatedly and consciously left unresolved. By continuing to frame the pandemic response as a success story with minor imperfections, Sunak fails to take responsibility for the harm caused to those abandoned by policy. Many lost homes, savings, careers and mental health. Some are still dealing with the consequences today. The Covid Inquiry exists to uncover the truth, not to recycle well rehearsed defences. Sunak’s evidence so far suggests a continued refusal to acknowledge the human cost of exclusion, and a determination to rewrite history rather than confront it. ExcludedUK will continue to ensure that the voices of those ignored during the pandemic are heard, whether or not those responsible are willing to listen. You can watch the recording of the ExcludedUK members who took part in the Module 9 Impact Film here: youtu.be/IgZZQ2r3Bhs?si=vjwI… #ExcludedUK

LIVESTREAMING NOW: FDA Expert Panel on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Pregnancy x.com/i/broadcasts/1yoKMowNV…

How revealing - the Royal College of Psychiatrists' most popular CPD module is about "discharging risky patients". In my work I've seen a desire to give up responsibility for patients with very real clinical needs. More than this - a wish to do so with a blessing.

Angie Stone 🕊

Kestrel hovered above it all. She had learnt not to overreact or jump straight into situations before she was sure of her next step. It wasn’t fear, just caution. With patience, she waited till she knew what she wanted. The world was there for the taking when she was ready. charlottestrawbridge.co.uk/p… #whenbeastsspoke #kestrel #patience

I'm absolutely heartbroken by this news. Maria was a trailblazer for the working class in this profession, and a wonderful, immensely supportive colleague and friend. I will miss her more than I can say.

There is a condolence page here for @MariaAlbertsen_. I've posted and invite others to join me padlet.com/c8jwbjjnnr/condol…

Gisèle Pelicot leaving court in Avignon after taking the stand. ‘I want all woman victims of rape..I want those woman to say: Mrs Pelicot did it, we can do it too. When you’re raped you feel shame,but it’s not for us to have the shame –it’s for them.’ Pic ⁦@CatherineField⁩

Could have been me, could have been any Black man I know and living in constant fear of being criminalised on sight by the police. In 2020 I was told repeatedly that George Floyd’s murder was only possible in the US, I beg to differ. Thoughts are with his family.

Chris Kaba’s family has issued a statement: ‘The not guilty verdict leaves us with the deep pain of injustice… this decision shows his life - and many others like him - does not matter to the system.’ Full statement attached.

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Solidarity to those saying the same thing over and over again until everyone’s heard it: babies and babyhood really matter. For right now and for the future.

Totally

Just a reminder that binge eating is NOT an addiction. To treat it, clinicians don’t need addiction knowledge, they need specific knowledge on the psychology and physiology of eating and nutrition, and a robust knowledge of contemporary psychotherapy to treat the root causes.

excited that my new book on the amazing life of the foetus and the experience of pregnancy will be out soon

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“A scientific study of more than 10,000 therapy cases showed therapy follows a dose-response curve. It takes more than 20 sessions before 50% of patients show clinically meaningful improvement and >40 sessions before 75% of patients show improvement” thelancet.com/journals/lanps…

"Go back to the @educationgovuk & rip up the behaviourist approach to education. It creates a world where neurodiverse children, those with anxiety, mental health and even the timid cannot survive." Absolutely agree @RachaelMaskell 👏 @teamsquarepeg @NotFineinSchool