Georgia Banjo
@georgiabanjo.bsky.social
Writer at The Economist, mainly covering Britain and health.
Forever working on a memoir about brain injury
Forever working on a memoir about brain injury
Pinned
Hello everyone! Since we're all quite new here and The Economist has no bylines (a blessing & a curse!) I thought I'd share a few of the articles I'm most proud of.
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
Enjoyed writing about the two faces of Harley Street this week. Home to 40% of London's private healthcare market, it's known for its quality and treating royals. It's also where TikTokkers go for botched penis-filler ops and sperm-salmon facials. A townhouse was once a hub for international fraud
Harley Street resists a facelift
The world-famous medical district wants science, not salmon-sperm facials
www.economist.com
May 30, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Enjoyed writing about the two faces of Harley Street this week. Home to 40% of London's private healthcare market, it's known for its quality and treating royals. It's also where TikTokkers go for botched penis-filler ops and sperm-salmon facials. A townhouse was once a hub for international fraud
My take on England’s daftest sport: Should cheese rolling be protected as British heritage?
economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com/britain/2025...
Should cheese rolling be protected as British heritage?
The government mulls making England’s daftest sport official
economist.com
May 29, 2025 at 7:55 AM
My take on England’s daftest sport: Should cheese rolling be protected as British heritage?
economist.com/britain/2025...
economist.com/britain/2025...
The PM has just announced the abolition of NHS England, the body responsible for running the £192bn NHS.
That was just a formality though: it's death was confirmed with a DOGE-style purge that I wrote about this week. Too soon to say whether it will devolve power or centralise it even further.
That was just a formality though: it's death was confirmed with a DOGE-style purge that I wrote about this week. Too soon to say whether it will devolve power or centralise it even further.
DOGE comes to England’s health service
Death by several thousand cuts
at a vast public-sector body
www.economist.com
March 13, 2025 at 12:38 PM
The PM has just announced the abolition of NHS England, the body responsible for running the £192bn NHS.
That was just a formality though: it's death was confirmed with a DOGE-style purge that I wrote about this week. Too soon to say whether it will devolve power or centralise it even further.
That was just a formality though: it's death was confirmed with a DOGE-style purge that I wrote about this week. Too soon to say whether it will devolve power or centralise it even further.
This is only getting clearer by the day.
America is finished as the dominant global power which made the world in its image. This is only the beginning of the end, but it is the end. Now it behaves like any other brazen empire
Trump: The US will take over the Gaza Strip… we’ll own it
March 1, 2025 at 1:22 AM
This is only getting clearer by the day.
I’m well aware of the risks of trial (or retrial) by media but much about the Lucy Letby case seems deeply troubling. There seems to be a distinct possibility that what was thought to be signs of a killer nurse may actually have just been poor medical care www.economist.com/britain/2025...
It increasingly looks as if Lucy Letby’s conviction was unsafe
The case of a nurse jailed for killing babies exposes deep problems with British justice
www.economist.com
February 11, 2025 at 8:07 AM
I’m well aware of the risks of trial (or retrial) by media but much about the Lucy Letby case seems deeply troubling. There seems to be a distinct possibility that what was thought to be signs of a killer nurse may actually have just been poor medical care www.economist.com/britain/2025...
America is finished as the dominant global power which made the world in its image. This is only the beginning of the end, but it is the end. Now it behaves like any other brazen empire
February 5, 2025 at 7:38 AM
America is finished as the dominant global power which made the world in its image. This is only the beginning of the end, but it is the end. Now it behaves like any other brazen empire
This chart from my article this week is pretty scary. 12-hour waits in emergency departments were non-existent in the 2010s in England. Now they're the new normal and are leading to thousands of extra deaths a year: www.economist.com/britain/2025...
January 31, 2025 at 9:40 AM
This chart from my article this week is pretty scary. 12-hour waits in emergency departments were non-existent in the 2010s in England. Now they're the new normal and are leading to thousands of extra deaths a year: www.economist.com/britain/2025...
There are many reasons why rising flu cases are putting pressure on A&E this winter. But if this government is really serious about shifting to prevention, now would be a good time to look at inadequate vaccination programmes, and the number of old people we have living in cold and damp homes
January 9, 2025 at 11:37 AM
There are many reasons why rising flu cases are putting pressure on A&E this winter. But if this government is really serious about shifting to prevention, now would be a good time to look at inadequate vaccination programmes, and the number of old people we have living in cold and damp homes
I don't agree with Kate Andrews often but she does have a point here. In a tax-based system more money for the NHS does mean less money for schools, local govt, defence etc. The answer is to focus more on the wider determinants of health and do NHS reform, but that does mean higher taxes.
"Where will the money come from?" - Kate Andrews keeps asking, in order to press her attack on the NHS funding model.
Well, where will the money come from under ANY other model? Does adding a profit-making insurance layer make healthcare cheaper? No. It just makes it less fair. ~AA
Well, where will the money come from under ANY other model? Does adding a profit-making insurance layer make healthcare cheaper? No. It just makes it less fair. ~AA
December 17, 2024 at 4:29 PM
I don't agree with Kate Andrews often but she does have a point here. In a tax-based system more money for the NHS does mean less money for schools, local govt, defence etc. The answer is to focus more on the wider determinants of health and do NHS reform, but that does mean higher taxes.
How is it that an influencer with a financial interest in promoting quackery can end up as a main source of info for health and wellness? This man has 8.6m YouTube subscribers and his show is saying things like diet can reverse autism. Another consequence of the distrust in mainstream media!
Steven Bartlett sharing harmful health misinformation on Diary of CEO podcast
Disproven health claims are accepted with little challenge by host on number one podcast, BBC investigation finds.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 13, 2024 at 4:03 PM
How is it that an influencer with a financial interest in promoting quackery can end up as a main source of info for health and wellness? This man has 8.6m YouTube subscribers and his show is saying things like diet can reverse autism. Another consequence of the distrust in mainstream media!
This is staggering even for me who covers the NHS every week. Report out estimating that the NHS spends £15bn a year treating patients harmed by its own care. That doesn’t include negligence claims
NHS spends £14.7bn a year treating patients in England hurt by care mistakes, says report | NHS | The Guardian
Experts from Imperial College London cite ‘alarming declines’ in 12 key metrics of patient safety
amp.theguardian.com
December 12, 2024 at 8:27 AM
This is staggering even for me who covers the NHS every week. Report out estimating that the NHS spends £15bn a year treating patients harmed by its own care. That doesn’t include negligence claims
It never fails to amaze me how whenever I get on a train everyone (including me right now) is on their phones. The world transformed in a generation
December 10, 2024 at 9:45 AM
It never fails to amaze me how whenever I get on a train everyone (including me right now) is on their phones. The world transformed in a generation
Best news of the day: Swedish study finds that the occasional sweet treat is good for your heart (or at least it needn’t be bad).
The study tracked 70,000 participants and found that those who ate a few sweets/pastries a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t eat any
The study tracked 70,000 participants and found that those who ate a few sweets/pastries a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t eat any
Sugary drinks significantly raise cardiovascular disease risk, but occasional sweet treats don’t, scientists find
A large-scale study in Sweden suggests that drinking sweetened drinks significantly increases your risk of serious cardiovascular disease, but limited consumpti
www.frontiersin.org
December 9, 2024 at 6:04 PM
Best news of the day: Swedish study finds that the occasional sweet treat is good for your heart (or at least it needn’t be bad).
The study tracked 70,000 participants and found that those who ate a few sweets/pastries a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t eat any
The study tracked 70,000 participants and found that those who ate a few sweets/pastries a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t eat any
Reposted by Georgia Banjo
One more reason for the govt to get its act together on #socialcare reform. If you’re going to change the way local govt is funded, best to have an idea of what councils will need to spend on their single largest area of expenditure - adult social care. ifs.org.uk/publications...
Reforming local government funding in England: the issues and options | Institute for Fiscal Studies
A new, up-to-date system for allocating funding between councils is vital, and reforms must align with the broader vision for local government.
ifs.org.uk
December 9, 2024 at 8:27 AM
One more reason for the govt to get its act together on #socialcare reform. If you’re going to change the way local govt is funded, best to have an idea of what councils will need to spend on their single largest area of expenditure - adult social care. ifs.org.uk/publications...
Agree this is good, but tightening eligibility criteria (as governments always do) won’t solve the problem.
We have stagnant real wages and the stingiest unemployment benefits in Europe: until we fix both we’ll always oscillate between incentivising gaming of incapacity and leaving people destitute
We have stagnant real wages and the stingiest unemployment benefits in Europe: until we fix both we’ll always oscillate between incentivising gaming of incapacity and leaving people destitute
Good piece by JBM on economic inactivity and health www.ft.com/content/1409...
What if the UK isn’t actually the sick man of Europe?
Britain’s illness-related inactivity crisis looks increasingly like a mirage
www.ft.com
December 6, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Agree this is good, but tightening eligibility criteria (as governments always do) won’t solve the problem.
We have stagnant real wages and the stingiest unemployment benefits in Europe: until we fix both we’ll always oscillate between incentivising gaming of incapacity and leaving people destitute
We have stagnant real wages and the stingiest unemployment benefits in Europe: until we fix both we’ll always oscillate between incentivising gaming of incapacity and leaving people destitute
This is why I still occasionally read The Mirror
December 6, 2024 at 9:48 AM
This is why I still occasionally read The Mirror
Lots going on in France but a lovely piece by @sophiepedder.bsky.social on the reconstruction of Notre Dame. Until his death last year it was led by Jean-Louis Georgelin, my old prof at Sciences Po & the most patriotic man I ever met (he insisted we call him “mon général”). He would've been proud!
Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
www.economist.com
December 5, 2024 at 8:52 PM
Lots going on in France but a lovely piece by @sophiepedder.bsky.social on the reconstruction of Notre Dame. Until his death last year it was led by Jean-Louis Georgelin, my old prof at Sciences Po & the most patriotic man I ever met (he insisted we call him “mon général”). He would've been proud!
Ominous
The number of people in hospital with flu has more than quadrupled compared with last year. Meanwhile ambulance trusts are under pressure and A&E's are rammed. Several NHS trusts have declared incidents in the past.
Tis the season.
Tis the season.
December 5, 2024 at 1:10 PM
Ominous
Men in Blackpool now have a shorter life expectancy than in Glasgow, according to new figures from the ONS.
It's now the worst in the UK and the same as Iran
It's now the worst in the UK and the same as Iran
December 4, 2024 at 5:53 PM
Men in Blackpool now have a shorter life expectancy than in Glasgow, according to new figures from the ONS.
It's now the worst in the UK and the same as Iran
It's now the worst in the UK and the same as Iran
Really interesting work from John Hopkins & @drjoshs.bsky.social quantifying the life expectancy gap between the US & the UK:
❤️ Cardiovascular disease 57% of the gap
💉Drugs overdoses 32%
🔫Gun-related deaths 20%
🚗Car crashes 17%
😷Covid & cancer -26% (UK worse for both)
shorturl.at/f3rBB
❤️ Cardiovascular disease 57% of the gap
💉Drugs overdoses 32%
🔫Gun-related deaths 20%
🚗Car crashes 17%
😷Covid & cancer -26% (UK worse for both)
shorturl.at/f3rBB
December 4, 2024 at 11:31 AM
Really interesting work from John Hopkins & @drjoshs.bsky.social quantifying the life expectancy gap between the US & the UK:
❤️ Cardiovascular disease 57% of the gap
💉Drugs overdoses 32%
🔫Gun-related deaths 20%
🚗Car crashes 17%
😷Covid & cancer -26% (UK worse for both)
shorturl.at/f3rBB
❤️ Cardiovascular disease 57% of the gap
💉Drugs overdoses 32%
🔫Gun-related deaths 20%
🚗Car crashes 17%
😷Covid & cancer -26% (UK worse for both)
shorturl.at/f3rBB
Put the Christmas tree up last night. Trouble with not having a kid is that there’s no one to blame for the decorations 😬
December 4, 2024 at 9:48 AM
Put the Christmas tree up last night. Trouble with not having a kid is that there’s no one to blame for the decorations 😬
Reposted by Georgia Banjo
Over the weekend we asked the public whether they thought Parliament made the right or wrong decision by voting in favour of the assisted dying bill - 62% said right decision and only 16% opposed.
A short 🧵 of other reactions from the public to the Bill's passage...
A short 🧵 of other reactions from the public to the Bill's passage...
December 3, 2024 at 2:21 PM
Over the weekend we asked the public whether they thought Parliament made the right or wrong decision by voting in favour of the assisted dying bill - 62% said right decision and only 16% opposed.
A short 🧵 of other reactions from the public to the Bill's passage...
A short 🧵 of other reactions from the public to the Bill's passage...
Waiting lists: not just a British problem!
Halifax woman waited 3 years for MRI that showed she had brain tumour. More than 25,000 Nova Scotians on MRI waitlist and most patients seen within 14 months, by Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbc-news.bsky.social #CanadaWAITS
www.cbc.ca
December 3, 2024 at 4:33 PM
Waiting lists: not just a British problem!
Hello everyone! Since we're all quite new here and The Economist has no bylines (a blessing & a curse!) I thought I'd share a few of the articles I'm most proud of.
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
December 3, 2024 at 11:01 AM
Hello everyone! Since we're all quite new here and The Economist has no bylines (a blessing & a curse!) I thought I'd share a few of the articles I'm most proud of.
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...
