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drrachelclarke.com
Dr Rachel Clarke
@drrachelclarke.com
44K followers 960 following 1.2K posts
Palliative care doctor 👩🏻‍⚕ Author 📚 Winner: 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 🫀 Founder: Hospice Ukraine 🇺🇦 Rep: Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander 📝
www.drrachelclarke.com
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Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Jun 13
This is a dream come true, a once in a lifetime honour. I am so utterly thrilled to have won the 2025 @womensprize.bsky.social for Non-Fiction.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who gave me such generous support in writing The Story of a Heart, especially Max & Keira’s incredible, wonderful families 🩷🫁🫀
Women’s prize trophy & photo of book of story of a heart
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
john-abernathy.bsky.social
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 2:57 PM
drrachelclarke.com
"Ozempic is a miracle drug, a rebuke to a century of condemnation of those who are obese, and a profound challenge to the very definition of what it means to be human."

A pleasure to review Aimee Donnellan's fascinating new book for @theguardian.com 💉

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Off the Scales by Aimee Donnellan review – inside the Ozempic revolution
A fascinating deep dive into the discovery, use and implications of a revolutionary new treatment
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
profrachelgan.bsky.social
Following coverage over the weekend of Sir Paul Nurse's comments that suggested that the only reason that a Fellow should be expelled from @royalsociety.org is scientific misconduct, I have written to him to explain the risks such an attitude poses of increasing sexual harassment in STEM.
Dear Sir Paul, Re: Royal Society Code of Conduct I am sure that many scientists have written to you about the specific question of Elon Musk’s Fellowship and whether, under the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct, his retaining that Fellowship is appropriate. I will not rehash these issues. Instead, as a female scientist with extensive experience of activities aiming to increase equality, diversity and inclusion in the engineering and physical sciences sector, I am writing to you (in a personal capacity) to ask you to reconsider the statements you have recently made in this context to the UK press about the Royal Society’s Code of Conduct and how it is applied. A 2018 report from the joint National Academies of the United States of America, concluded that “sexual harassment is common in academic science, engineering, and medicine” and that “greater than 50 percent of women faculty and staff and 20–50 percent of women students encounter or experience sexually harassing conduct in academia”. This report described codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated as a “powerful incentive for change”. The authors also noted that sexual harassment can have significant and damaging effects on the integrity of research. In my own praxis, I have found that clear and consistently-implemented codes of conduct that address these issues make female scientists and engineers safer, and allow them to focus more effectively on their research. For codes of conduct to have such a positive effect, it is vital that sanctions for actions which transgress the code are meaningful and substantial. I was hence aghast to realise that in an interview with the Financial Times published on 9/1/26, you appear to have suggested that the Royal Society “should only expel fellows if their science proved “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective””. Moreover, in a further interview with the Guardian on 11/1/26 you suggested that the code “may need to be looked at again”, with the implication that your aim would be to remove the option of sanctions on Fellows for reasons not strictly related to faults or defects in their research. I suggest that changing the Royal Society’s code of conduct so that the likelihood of serious sanctions for sexual harassment is reduced, would directly endanger women who interact with the Royal Society at events or otherwise, and would provide a licence to harass to the already powerful people on whom the Society bestows fellowship. The implications of your words - that under your leadership the only infringements of the code which are likely to receive the sanction of the Fellowship being removed are those related to research misconduct - already risk empowering harassers. You stated, in the Financial Times interview, that “there’s many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances”. Given this awareness of the possibility of bad actors in our scientific community, it is wholly irresponsible to suggest that the Royal Society would not act to sanction these people if they harass more vulnerable scientists. I am hence writing to request that you retract any suggestion that the Society’s Code of Conduct should be changed so that the only reason a Fellow might be sanctioned by the removal of their Fellowship is “faulty or fraudulent or highly defective” research. This action is necessary to safeguard female scientists, a requirement placed on the Society by safeguarding legislation and UK statutory guidance. Yours sincerely, Professor Rachel A. Oliver.
January 12, 2026 at 8:59 AM
drrachelclarke.com
Musk's X has turbo-charged the anti-science movement & amplified misinformation, racism, misogyny & hate. It permits the creation of digital child porn at one click.

If these aren't grounds to eject him from the Royal Society, then what are?

Shame on them.

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:33 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
carolinelucas.bsky.social
This is beyond shocking - how can this be allowed to happen? Why on earth can’t they be released on bail? They have a right to a fair trial, appropriate medical treatment, & the removal of punitive Prison Service conditions. Govt’s ban on Palestine Action is simply intolerable
January 12, 2026 at 8:53 PM
drrachelclarke.com
As the former pandemic vaccines minister, wasn’t Nadhim Zahawi “at all bothered that Reform had given a platform to a medic who said the king’s cancer had been caused by the Covid vaccine?”

Apparently not. Savagely brilliant piece @mrjohncrace.bsky.social 🔥

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Step forward, Nadhim Zahawi: the latest, highest-profile rat to flee the Tory ship | John Crace
As a member of Reform, Nadhim was adamant he had more to give. Even if none of us really wanted him
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:38 PM
drrachelclarke.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:30 PM
drrachelclarke.com
On this day eight years ago, my dearest Dad died at home of bowel cancer.

His death was a good as it can possibly be - cocooned within the love of his wife, children and grandchildren, with his symptoms palliated beautifully. 🧵
December 26, 2025 at 9:50 AM
drrachelclarke.com
I've written this open letter to Keir Starmer &
@rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social because, though I am desperately worried about NHS patients over the next 5 days, I know this strike by resident doctors is a desperate act of last resort.

Please read.
An Open Letter to Keir Starmer & Wes Streeting as NHS Resident Doctors Commence Their 5-day Strike 17/12/25 Dear both, In 2016, when junior doctors (as we were then called) went on strike against Jeremy Hunt’s reviled new contract, he deployed exactly the same tactics as you do today. He tried to divide and rule BMA leaders from their members, to turn public opinion against striking doctors, to smear us to the press at every opportunity. His favourite term of abuse was “militants”, though you favour words like “self-indulgent”, “irresponsible”, “dangerous”, “reckless,” “abandoning patients in their hour of greatest need.” Jeremy Hunt learned from his mistakes. He has spoken publicly about bitterly regretting his bullying tactics. You, on the other hand, appear to have learned nothing from 2016. You assume the worst of the young doctors out on strike today – that they care only about self-enrichment, that they don’t give a damn about their patients. You could not be more wrong. They hate striking, which is a desperate act of last resort. But what choice do they have? Today’s young doctors face something beyond ludicrous - the modern farce that is NHS doctor unemployment. You, Wes Streeting, the man responsible for NHS workforce planning, lead a system so broken that there are doctors today literally unable to find jobs in the NHS you claim to be rebuilding. What a travesty in a country so desperately short of psychiatrists, GPs, radiologists, acute medics and NHS doctors of every kind. You offer the creation of some (not enough) new training posts to striking doctors as though this is benevolent, gracious. Well it’s not. It is frankly grotesque to say, “I won’t pay you more, but I am willing to decrease (though not eradicate) the chances of you being unemployed next year.” Small wonder we’re losing resident doctors to Australia in droves. Every attack and smear you deploy against resident doctors over the next five days only exacerbates their despair. Slo…
December 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
drrachelclarke.com
The art of Saturday morning snoozing. Nobody does it quite like Queen Harley 🤎🐾
A Labrador snoozing on the sofa!
December 13, 2025 at 10:59 AM
drrachelclarke.com
Such a treat to hear Philip Pullman read from The Rose Field tonight in Oxford's magnificent @bodleian.ox.ac.uk. The conversation beautifully chaired by @richove.bsky.social. Every word captivating 🌹
Philip Pullman reading from The Rose Field
December 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
drrachelclarke.com
Glorious to hear the Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden interview Philip Pullman tonight at @bodleian.ox.ac.uk - including this priceless anecdote about some exceptional timing from Philip’s recent anaesthetist on the small matter of Dust … 💉🩺🤣
December 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
drrachelclarke.com
It was an absolute pleasure to be a guest on @assocanaes.bsky.social's podcast to discuss the power of storytelling with anaesthetist Joe Pick.

We talked about the essential humanity of healthcare & the need to ensure that humanity isn't stripped away by tech & spreadsheets 💙

Links below 👇
assocanaes.bsky.social The Association of Anaesthetists @assocanaes.bsky.social · Nov 27
In our latest podcast episode, we are joined by best-selling author and palliative care doctor, Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke

She discusses the importance of storytelling in medicine and how you can make it part of your day-to-day practice

🎧 buff.ly/7lcDzmb
🍏 buff.ly/E5b7QfG
November 28, 2025 at 2:49 PM
drrachelclarke.com
🧵/ Today a damning parliamentary report on the state of palliative care services in England was published.

Services are patchy, underfunded & “ill-equipped” to address end-of-life needs.

Bereavement support is “frequently inaccessible.

The palliative care workforce is in a “critical” situation”.
November 28, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
bylines.scot
A must read. via @drrachelclarke.com

#Covid19Inquiry
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
carolecadwalla.bsky.social
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.

Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise

bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
stuarthedges.bsky.social
This article is quietly and forensically furious at the bluster and the lies. Lord knows I'd love to forget about covid but we mustn't - the lessons from this are too important for next time - and there will be a next time.
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace
Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?
www.theatlantic.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
profaliceroberts.bsky.social
“Have they given up? Are they just deciding to build up herd immunity by watching us die? The government has given up, hasn’t it? They are throwing us into the slaughterhouse.”
It’s not hindsight - we knew this at the time @drrachelclarke.com writes:
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
kaisersnooze.bsky.social
Our GP practice was trying to get masks from local DIY shops at the end of February 2020. It’s ludicrous that there are people trying to suggest that the criticism of Boris is due to hindsight
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
theartofcharts.bsky.social
Essential reading - and add to this the ongoing toll from both LongCovid and increased Covid-driven risks of cardiac events, shingles, early onset dementia - you name it.

The ongoing failure to ventilate indoor spaces and treat Covid as the airborne disease we know it is is just unforgiveable.
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
scullingmonkey.bsky.social
2020 and early 2021 were years I don’t want to think back to. We were completely abandoned. From all sides. I remember not being allowed to wear masks initially, smuggling goggles into the hospital which my neighbours donated, a self imposed decontamination before entering my home, no ppe for …
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
katenicholls1.bsky.social
This is a searing article by Rachel Clarke. A heartbreaking read. Her rightful anger sings off the page.
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Dr Rachel Clarke
profnaomifulop.bsky.social
‘Herd impunity’

Brilliantly scathing piece by @drrachelclarke.com on Boris Johnson’s response to covid inquiry report. He says we’re ’wangling on’ about deaths.

His & others’ re-writing of history & ridiculous critique of ‘hindsight’ will not succeed.

@cbffjuk.bsky.social
drrachelclarke.com Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Nov 23
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 11:30 AM