"No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of a lack of means."
"The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with faith to fight for it."
Nye Bevan, 1948
This week's CST activities page focuses on 'World Health Day', which is on 7th April 2024.
Around the world, the right to health of millions is increasingly coming under threat. Diseases and disasters loom large as causes of death and disability. Conflicts are devastating lives, causing death, pain, hunger and psychological distress. The burning of fossil fuels is simultaneously driving the climate crisis and taking away our right to breathe clean air, with indoor and outdoor air pollution claiming a life every 5 seconds.
The 'WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All' has found that at least 140 countries recognize health as a human right in their constitution. Yet countries are not passing and putting into practice laws to ensure their populations are entitled to access health services.
To address these types of challenges, the theme for World Health Day 2024 is 'My health, my right’. This year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.
Discussion Questions
The NHS is the biggest employer in the UK, with 1.5m staff members. Ask members if they have any family or friends who work or worked in the NHS. Or perhaps they did?
Discuss how the NHS had changed over recent years. Answers might include: - Increased life expectancy through new treatments. - Population growth and more demands on the NHS. - Increased specialisation within the service. - Changes in uniform (remember the starched hats that nurses were expected to wear, for no particular reason!). - Societal changes and different disease and injury profiles - reduced smoking, working down the pits is no more and safer occupations generally, including more blue and white collar roles.
- A, generally speaking, less fit population, with obesity on the increase. - Advances in treatment and care, including new technologies for earlier diagnosis and treatment. - Increased used of alcohol and drugs, leading to more pressure on A&E departments. - Increased knife and gun crime, rarely seen previously. - Sadly, abuse of NHS staff (a fairly new phenomenon). - Different status of NHS staff, (some) improvements in pay, less vocational and more professional. (Matrons were expected not to marry!) - Some disappearing roles, e.g. Matron.
And of course, these last few years we had the COVID-19 pandemic to contend with.
Discuss the ups and downsides of lockdown, wearing masks and the vaccination programme.
IDIOMS
Complete these well known phrases with members ...
- As fit as a FIDDLE
- Alive and KICKING
- Prevention is better than CURE
- Go under the KNIFE
- Under the WEATHER / DOCTOR
- A bitter pill to SWALLOW
- A frog in your THROAT
- Black and BLUE
- Break out in a cold SWEAT
- Catch your death of a COLD
- Feed a cold, starve a FEVER
- As sick as a DOG
- As white as a SHEET
- Green around the GILLS
- A taste of your own MEDICINE
- Rub salt in your WOUNDS
- As deaf as a POST
- As blind as a BAT
- Sick and TIRED
- Be on the MEND
- Back on your FEET
- An apple a day keeps the DOCTOR AWAY
- Just what the doctor ORDERED
- A clean bill of HEALTH
- A new lease of LIFE
FIRST SONG. 'Dry Bones', Delta Rhythm Boys
Ask members to sing and clap along.
QUIZ
Round 1. Human Body
 | What are the different blood types? (Has anyone given blood recently?) (Sweden informs donors by text message if their blood has been used and for what purpose.) OR. Does anyone know their blood type? |
 | When was the UK’s first successful heart transplant operation? & Where was it? |
 | What is the largest and strongest bone in your body? & How many bones are there in the human body? |
 | Where is ... ? (Point to ...) - Your thyroid gland - Your patella - Your retina - Your 'funny bone' - Your diaphragm - Your tympanic membrane |
 | What is the organ that produces insulin? |
 | What is it impossible to keep open when sneezing? |
 | What are the five senses? |
 | What are the five basic tastes? |
 |
What are you if you are Hirsute?
|
Name some fruit and vegetables?
Name some starchy foods (carbohydrates)?
Name some foods high in protein?
Name some dairy foods?
Name some fatty or sugary foods?
What is YOUR favourite go to snack?
How many fruit and veg portions should you have a day?
SONG. 'Stayin' Alive', The Bee Gees - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa9n7GirhsI
Who is pictured here and what film is this song from?
ROUND 2. Health Heroes
 | Name this nurse who went to the Crimean War to nurse wounded soldiers? What was her nickname? |
 |
Name this Polish-French physicist who conducted pioneering research into radioactivity and x-rays in the 1890s?
Which flower is associated with the UK charity named after her?
|
 | Name this French microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination and pasteurization (in 1881 he helped invent a vaccine for Anthrax)? |
 | Name this Scottish physician and microbiologist, who discovered Penicillin in 1928? |
 | Name this Austrian Neurologist who pioneered psychoanalysis in the treatment of mental illness in the 1920s? |
 |
Name this Welsh politician who founded the NHS in 1948?
|
 | Name this pioneering pair who are credited for discovering DNA in 1953? |
 |
Name this English doctor who pioneered IVF treatments in the 1980s?
|
 | What was the name of the Health Secretary who led us through the COVID-19 pandemic? |
Name these TV health gurus?
SONG. 'Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor Doctor)', Robert Palmer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlPHmYtqSdA
What is a doctor who specialises in mental health called?
... heart care and treatment? ... cancer care and treatment? ... stomach and bowel care and treatment? ... skin care and treatment?
... women's reproductive problems?
ROUND 3. TV & Movies
 | Who starred in the 1955 film 'Doctor At Sea'? |
 |
Who starred in the 1965 film 'Doctor Zhivago'?
|
 |
Who played the part of Dr. Kildare in the 1960s TV series?
|
 | Who played Doctor and Matron in the 1972 'Carry On' movie? |
 | What was the sister in charge's name in the 1975 movie 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'? |
 | Which 1982 film was about a cross dressing male actor played by Dustin Hoffman starring in a daytime soap as Hospital Administrator Beverley Kimberley? |
 |
Name this 'Star Trek' character and the actor who played him?
(Can anyone make the 'Vulcan Salute'?)
|
 | Name the Doctor & actor? Name his arch enemies? |
 | Name the fictional hospital in which the drama 'Casualty' is set? Name these two characters? |
 | Name this TV doctor and the actor who played him? Where was the TV series set? What phobia did he have?
|
SONG. 'M.A.S.H. Theme Song' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmLq87RU97w
What does 'M.A.S.H.' stand for?
ROUND 4. Music
'When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman', Dr Hook - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVXVO_vF2Io What are the seven known health benefits of being in love? Have a guess.
'Ain't Got No - I Got Life', Nina Simone - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5jI9I03q8E
Listen carefully. What is the only body organ that features in this song's lyrics?
'Every Breath You Take', The Police - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs
What is the telephone number to call if you need an ambulance, or the police for that matter?
'Fever', Peggy Lee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REryc1TpeY8
Above which temperature (degrees centigrade) do you have a fever?
'The Clapping Song ', Shirley Ellis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyIOX3fsEIQ
Can anyone click their fingers? Go around the room.
(Clap along with the song. Do some of the moves....)
'Spoon Full Of Sugar', Mary Poppins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftxnr28LDXc
What are these medicines for?
- Statin
- Analgesic
- Antihypertensive
- Antihistamine
- Suppository
'Doctor, Doctor', Thompson Twins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf0_Be5PPPU
At this point you could move to the 'Doctor Doctor' jokes below.
'Alive And Kicking', Simple Minds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljIQo1OHkTI
You could go around the room and ask members what keeps them "alive and kicking"?
'The First Cut Is The Deepest', Rod Stewart - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5NRH_DxWJE
Which type of doctor uses a scalpel? What operations have people had, that hey would like to talk about?
Final songs - 'Keep Young And Beautiful', Annie Lennox - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfk8kLJMab0
Or you could finish with this song, getting members to do all the moves ...
SONG. 'Y.M.C.A.', The Village People - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k
PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES
Just for fun ask members to do the following difficult or nearly impossible things with their various body parts. - Raise one eyebrow (like Mr. Spock in 'Star Trek') - Make a 'V' between your first two fingers and second two fingers (again like Mr. Spock) - Lick your elbow - Twitch your nose (like Samantha in 'Bewitched') - Wiggle your ears - Touch the tip of your nose with your tongue - Make a tube shape with your tongue - Tickle yourself (doesn't work unless somebody else does it for you!) - Try bending your middle finger and putting your hand on the table, with your middle finger touching your palm. Now try lifting your ring finger off the table. It's impossible! - Try putting your fist in your mouth (not too hard for some!) - Try 'writing' the number 6 with your right forefinger whilst making clockwise circles with your leg. It's impossible!
- Try rubbing your tummy in circles and patting your head at the same time
- Try humming a tune while holding your nose Anyone got any tattoos, that they can show us?
Is anyone double-jointed?
Is anyone ambidextrous?
Does anyone go to a health related class or session?
Yoga, Aqua-aerobics, Zumba, Pilates etc
Discuss the health benefits of walking, jogging, cycling, swimming etc.
DO SOME EXERCISE TOGETHER
BEST DOCTOR DOCTOR JOKES
Nurse - Doctor, doctor! There's a man here who says he's turning invisible!
Doctor - Tell him I can't see him.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor! I keep thinking I'm a pair of curtains.
Doctor - Pull yourself together man!
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Patient - Doctor, doctor! I keep thinking I'm a dog.
Doctor - Take a seat.
Patient - I can't, I'm not allowed on the furniture.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor! I think I need glasses.
Man - You certainly do, this is a pet shop.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor! My son has swallowed my pen, what should I do?
Doctor - Use a pencil till I get there.
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Patient - Doctor doctor! I think I am a worm!
Doctor - Well just wriggle onto the chair.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor I’m addicted to brake fluid.
Doctor - Nonsense man, you can stop any time.
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Patient - Doctor doctor! I feel like a dog.
Doctor - How long have you felt like this?
Patient - Since I was a puppy.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor, I feel like a pack of cards.
Doctor - I'll deal with you later.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor, everyone keeps ignoring me.
Doctor - Next please!
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Patient - Doctor, doctor, I feel like a bell.
Doctor - Take these pills, and if they don't help, give me a ring.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor. Every time I drink a cup of tea, I get a pain in my eye.
Doctor - Take the spoon out of the cup.
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Patient - Doctor, doctor, I can't get to sleep.
Doctor - Sit on the edge of the bed and you'll soon drop off.
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ANSWERS
Round 1
O-positive: 38 percent O-negative: 7 percent A-positive: 34 percent A-negative: 6 percent B-positive: 9 percent B-negative: 2 percent AB-positive: 3 percent AB-negative: 1 percent
1979 / Papworth Hospital
Femur / 206
Thyroid gland - near Adam's apple Patella - Kneecap Retina - Eye 'Funny bone' - Elbow Diaphragm - (muscle wall between thorax and abdomen) Tympanic membrane - Eardrum
Pancreas (Islets of langerhans)
Eyes
Taste, sight, touch, smell and sound
Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami - pleasant savoury taste
Hairy
"5 a day"
John Travolta / 'Saturday Night Fever'
Round 2
Florence Nightingale / 'Lady With The Lamp'
Marie Curie / Cancer / Daffodil
Louis Pastuer
Alexander Fleming
Sigmund Freud
Nye Bevan
Francis Crick & James Watson
Robert Winston
Matt Hancock
Green Goddess (Diana Moran), Dr Hilary Jones, Mr Motivator (Derrick Evans)
Dr Christian Jensen ('Embarrassing Bodies'), Claire Rayner, Dr Raj Singh
Psychiatrist Cardiologist Oncologist Gastroenterologist Dermatologist
Gynaecologist
Round 3
Dirk Bogarde
Omar Sharif
Richard Chamberlain
Hattie Jaques & Kenneth Williams
Nurse Ratched
'Tootsie'
Doctor Spock / Leonard Nimoy
'Dr Who' / David Tennant / Cybermen & Daleks
Holby City / Charlie & Duffy
Doc Martin / Martin Clunes / Port Wenn (Port Isaac) / Blood phobia
'Mobile Army Surgical Hospital'
Round 4
(Happily) Married couples have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE
Hugging and kissing MAKES YOU FEEL CALMER AND MORE SECURE
When in love, dopamine is released, activating the brain's pleasure centre. MAKES YOU FEEL HAPPIER
Neurochemicals in the brain give you a rush similar to addictive drugs. LOVE MAKING GIVES YOU A RUSH
Love alters your mood and impacts your experience of pain. IMPROVES MOOD & NUMBS PAIN
Your brain activates the vagus nerve, which is connected from the brain to your gut. HENCE GIVES YOU 'BUTTERFLIES'
Forming a bond with your partner can bring about physiological changes that LOWERS LEVELS OF STRESS & ANXIETY
Liver
999
Normal temperature is 36.1C - 37.2C
- Statin - LOWERS CHOLESTEROL
- Analgesic - REDUCES PAIN
- Antihypertensive - REDUCES BLOOD PRESSURE
- Antihistamine - REDUCES THE EFFECTS OF ALLERGIES
- Suppository - CAN BE USED TO SORT OUT CONSTIPATION OR ADMINISTER MEDICINES QUICKLY
A SURGEON uses a scalpel
