Cases of flu have climbed quickly in the past week, indicating that the season has begun earlier than normal.

Read the full report: gov.uk/government/sta…

In other wildlife news…

Last week in the North West Highlands of Scotland I saw this large bird fight and kill a large gull in the shallow water just off the beach.

My guess is that it is a Great Skua but would welcome a more knowledgeable opinion.

After a busy week, a beautiful morning in West Oxfordshire.

I don’t mean to worry anyone, but the list of UK Cabinet Committees was quietly updated today, and the National Science and Technology Council is no longer on it… 😬

Marking the release of our new report Fixing the NHS, Prof Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard writes for The Times and The Sunday Times on the NHS we have, the NHS we want and the NHS we can afford: thetimes.co.uk/article/this-w…

I am recruiting:

Principal Research Physician at Protas,
our new not-for-profit organization focused on
Smarter Randomized Trials for Better Public Health

- provide expert scientific & clinical leadership
- deliver major impact on clinical care

protas.co.uk/positions/prin…

I am recruiting:

Head of Biostatistics at Protas,
our new not-for-profit organization focused on
Smarter Randomized Trials for Better Public Health

- Large-scale RCTs
- Efficient design & delivery
- Effective use of routine data
- Innovation+Impact

protas.co.uk/positions/head…

Delighted that my Life Scientific with Jim Al-Khalili is now available for listeners outside the UK thanks to the wonders of BBC World Service

A wonderful chance to discuss my early scientific influences & the motivation behind RECOVERY trial.

bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3c…

E-cigarette maker Juul agrees to pay $438.5m to settle claims by 34 US states and territories that it downplayed its products’ risks and targeted underage buyers.

Read more: aje.io/zr0rjc

Taxi rank at St Pancras has gone up a notch!

' #Statins rarely cause muscle pain'

Listen to Professor Colin Baigent discussing brand-new research into statins on BBC World Service's Health Check

#CardioTwitter

Listen ⬇️
bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3…

🆕We’re transforming clinical trial recruitment

As the Clinical Trials Operations Manager for NHS DigiTrials, Andy Rees discusses how routine NHS data has supported the fastest recruitment ever to a large-scale randomised trial.

Read the blog here⬇️
digital.nhs.uk/blog/data-poin…

Calling all trainee nephrologists: Apply to join EMPA-KIDNEY as a University of Oxford @OxfordNDPH clinical research fellow to work on subsidiary analyses and post-trial follow-up!!!! (i hope the link works)

Job Details my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit…