Amy Gandon
@amygandon.bsky.social
Big fan of big ideas about big issues. Mostly public services, civil service and civic governance.
Ex-Cabinet Office, DHSC and RSA. Now freelance.
Ex-Cabinet Office, DHSC and RSA. Now freelance.
🏛️ And critically, they wanted government to back them up in tackling the wider forces - social media and technology, unhealthy food environments and work pressures - that no family could tackle alone.
Handy infographic for clarified roles in a new social contract below:
Handy infographic for clarified roles in a new social contract below:
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 AM
🏛️ And critically, they wanted government to back them up in tackling the wider forces - social media and technology, unhealthy food environments and work pressures - that no family could tackle alone.
Handy infographic for clarified roles in a new social contract below:
Handy infographic for clarified roles in a new social contract below:
1 in 3 had not received any antenatal education - increasing to 2 in 5 of the least financially secure - and 85% agreed that they learnt 'as you go along' rather than through any structured support.
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 AM
1 in 3 had not received any antenatal education - increasing to 2 in 5 of the least financially secure - and 85% agreed that they learnt 'as you go along' rather than through any structured support.
5/ 🏋️♂️ Parents felt significant responsibility and influence over their children's health, but were struck by how little preparation or support they received in performing this critical role.
November 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM
5/ 🏋️♂️ Parents felt significant responsibility and influence over their children's health, but were struck by how little preparation or support they received in performing this critical role.
This may reflect younger parents' greater immersion in the digital world, or else the reality of becoming parents when the NHS can no longer be relied upon for timely support.
November 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM
This may reflect younger parents' greater immersion in the digital world, or else the reality of becoming parents when the NHS can no longer be relied upon for timely support.
4/ 📱 In this context, the online world is playing an increasingly central - and confusing - role in health advice.
Parents under 35 were twice as likely to list social media and online forums among their top trusted sources of guidance as those over 45.
Parents under 35 were twice as likely to list social media and online forums among their top trusted sources of guidance as those over 45.
November 24, 2025 at 9:19 AM
4/ 📱 In this context, the online world is playing an increasingly central - and confusing - role in health advice.
Parents under 35 were twice as likely to list social media and online forums among their top trusted sources of guidance as those over 45.
Parents under 35 were twice as likely to list social media and online forums among their top trusted sources of guidance as those over 45.
Parents were clearly shouldering more of the burden in response to clear strain within the NHS, with parents describing rushed or transactional interactions, turning to costly private care or cobbling together their own 'DIY' solutions for their children's health issues.
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Parents were clearly shouldering more of the burden in response to clear strain within the NHS, with parents describing rushed or transactional interactions, turning to costly private care or cobbling together their own 'DIY' solutions for their children's health issues.
3/ 🚧 They also described growing barriers to that ideal – from the cost of healthy food and activities to pressures from work, new technology and overstretched public services.
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
3/ 🚧 They also described growing barriers to that ideal – from the cost of healthy food and activities to pressures from work, new technology and overstretched public services.
2/ 🌱 Parents’ defined a healthy childhood holistically.
They wanted their children to feel safe, loved and free to be themselves, with varied, active experiences compared to the screen-based childhoods they feared were becoming the norm.
Meanwhile health services barely featured.
They wanted their children to feel safe, loved and free to be themselves, with varied, active experiences compared to the screen-based childhoods they feared were becoming the norm.
Meanwhile health services barely featured.
November 24, 2025 at 9:17 AM
2/ 🌱 Parents’ defined a healthy childhood holistically.
They wanted their children to feel safe, loved and free to be themselves, with varied, active experiences compared to the screen-based childhoods they feared were becoming the norm.
Meanwhile health services barely featured.
They wanted their children to feel safe, loved and free to be themselves, with varied, active experiences compared to the screen-based childhoods they feared were becoming the norm.
Meanwhile health services barely featured.
So if govt is serious about its shifts prevention & community care, it has to break the silence on family life.
See our infographic below - there is so much untapped potential, aligned to families own preferences, in this top right quadrant 👇
See our infographic below - there is so much untapped potential, aligned to families own preferences, in this top right quadrant 👇
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 AM
So if govt is serious about its shifts prevention & community care, it has to break the silence on family life.
See our infographic below - there is so much untapped potential, aligned to families own preferences, in this top right quadrant 👇
See our infographic below - there is so much untapped potential, aligned to families own preferences, in this top right quadrant 👇
I cannot think of a more inappropriate use of ‘the wrong side of history’.
And I cannot see any way in which history does not look back on the situation in Gaza as a stunning failure of global leadership, in an era where humanitarian foreign policy has been made toxic by populists.
And I cannot see any way in which history does not look back on the situation in Gaza as a stunning failure of global leadership, in an era where humanitarian foreign policy has been made toxic by populists.
May 23, 2025 at 8:42 AM
I cannot think of a more inappropriate use of ‘the wrong side of history’.
And I cannot see any way in which history does not look back on the situation in Gaza as a stunning failure of global leadership, in an era where humanitarian foreign policy has been made toxic by populists.
And I cannot see any way in which history does not look back on the situation in Gaza as a stunning failure of global leadership, in an era where humanitarian foreign policy has been made toxic by populists.
I’m on two minds about all of this. I believe in democracy - it’s been clear for a long time that the British people want lower immigration.
But in a healthy democracy, political figures debate and shape public opinion as well as simply responding to it.
But in a healthy democracy, political figures debate and shape public opinion as well as simply responding to it.
May 12, 2025 at 11:17 AM
I’m on two minds about all of this. I believe in democracy - it’s been clear for a long time that the British people want lower immigration.
But in a healthy democracy, political figures debate and shape public opinion as well as simply responding to it.
But in a healthy democracy, political figures debate and shape public opinion as well as simply responding to it.
Take the Plan for Change below - 'money in working people's pockets' right next to 'Net Financial Debt' and hackneyed platitudes about economic stability, sound money, economic responsibility etc etc.
May 2, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Take the Plan for Change below - 'money in working people's pockets' right next to 'Net Financial Debt' and hackneyed platitudes about economic stability, sound money, economic responsibility etc etc.
Focus groups expressed frustration at powerful forces affecting their health - forces they felt unable to contest.
In particular:
- Big business - esp food and tech
- Irresponsible landlords
- Exploitative employers
who were felt to profit at the expense of their health.
In particular:
- Big business - esp food and tech
- Irresponsible landlords
- Exploitative employers
who were felt to profit at the expense of their health.
April 24, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Focus groups expressed frustration at powerful forces affecting their health - forces they felt unable to contest.
In particular:
- Big business - esp food and tech
- Irresponsible landlords
- Exploitative employers
who were felt to profit at the expense of their health.
In particular:
- Big business - esp food and tech
- Irresponsible landlords
- Exploitative employers
who were felt to profit at the expense of their health.
These groups were actually *more* in favour of public health interventions than the national average.
See the chart below - except for junk food ads (where Con '19-Lab '24 voters are bang on avg) - support from these groups (yellow and green) consistently exceed the national average (blue).
See the chart below - except for junk food ads (where Con '19-Lab '24 voters are bang on avg) - support from these groups (yellow and green) consistently exceed the national average (blue).
April 24, 2025 at 10:19 AM
These groups were actually *more* in favour of public health interventions than the national average.
See the chart below - except for junk food ads (where Con '19-Lab '24 voters are bang on avg) - support from these groups (yellow and green) consistently exceed the national average (blue).
See the chart below - except for junk food ads (where Con '19-Lab '24 voters are bang on avg) - support from these groups (yellow and green) consistently exceed the national average (blue).
🏦 As well as on the public finances more generally.
- Reducing the burden on the NHS was the public’s top-voted direct benefit of improving the nation’s health.
- Reducing reliance on welfare was fourth, ahead of seven other factors.
Focus groups expressed similar worries:
- Reducing the burden on the NHS was the public’s top-voted direct benefit of improving the nation’s health.
- Reducing reliance on welfare was fourth, ahead of seven other factors.
Focus groups expressed similar worries:
April 24, 2025 at 10:03 AM
🏦 As well as on the public finances more generally.
- Reducing the burden on the NHS was the public’s top-voted direct benefit of improving the nation’s health.
- Reducing reliance on welfare was fourth, ahead of seven other factors.
Focus groups expressed similar worries:
- Reducing the burden on the NHS was the public’s top-voted direct benefit of improving the nation’s health.
- Reducing reliance on welfare was fourth, ahead of seven other factors.
Focus groups expressed similar worries:
4/ 💷 Economic pressures were felt to weigh particularly heavily on health.
81% agreed that ppl's work environment had a significant impact on their health.
Focus groups spoke of “always-on” jobs, financial stress + being too tired or cash-strapped to make healthy choices.
81% agreed that ppl's work environment had a significant impact on their health.
Focus groups spoke of “always-on” jobs, financial stress + being too tired or cash-strapped to make healthy choices.
April 24, 2025 at 9:43 AM
4/ 💷 Economic pressures were felt to weigh particularly heavily on health.
81% agreed that ppl's work environment had a significant impact on their health.
Focus groups spoke of “always-on” jobs, financial stress + being too tired or cash-strapped to make healthy choices.
81% agreed that ppl's work environment had a significant impact on their health.
Focus groups spoke of “always-on” jobs, financial stress + being too tired or cash-strapped to make healthy choices.
71% felt govt had a part to play, while - strikingly - more people felt the food industry (84%) were responsible for the nation's health than the NHS (79%).
Focus groups emphasised that people view their health as intimately bound up with their work, social and family lives.
Focus groups emphasised that people view their health as intimately bound up with their work, social and family lives.
April 24, 2025 at 9:25 AM
71% felt govt had a part to play, while - strikingly - more people felt the food industry (84%) were responsible for the nation's health than the NHS (79%).
Focus groups emphasised that people view their health as intimately bound up with their work, social and family lives.
Focus groups emphasised that people view their health as intimately bound up with their work, social and family lives.
3/ 🧩 The public doesn’t see health as something for individuals to solve alone.
78% say people take a great deal of responsibility for their own health—but they also see a big role for others (ctd.)
78% say people take a great deal of responsibility for their own health—but they also see a big role for others (ctd.)
April 24, 2025 at 9:25 AM
3/ 🧩 The public doesn’t see health as something for individuals to solve alone.
78% say people take a great deal of responsibility for their own health—but they also see a big role for others (ctd.)
78% say people take a great deal of responsibility for their own health—but they also see a big role for others (ctd.)
Another in a series of ‘is this @BBCNews or the sidebar of shame’ moments.
Since when did the UK’s foremost news outlet - respected around the world for its serious + credible journalism - start calling anyone a ‘struck-off sex GP’
A sex GP. Come on, it’s getting silly now.
Since when did the UK’s foremost news outlet - respected around the world for its serious + credible journalism - start calling anyone a ‘struck-off sex GP’
A sex GP. Come on, it’s getting silly now.
December 12, 2024 at 6:45 AM
Another in a series of ‘is this @BBCNews or the sidebar of shame’ moments.
Since when did the UK’s foremost news outlet - respected around the world for its serious + credible journalism - start calling anyone a ‘struck-off sex GP’
A sex GP. Come on, it’s getting silly now.
Since when did the UK’s foremost news outlet - respected around the world for its serious + credible journalism - start calling anyone a ‘struck-off sex GP’
A sex GP. Come on, it’s getting silly now.
I repeat: a Z-list celebrity having an offensive hissy fit is not more important to UK citizens’ lives than say…
- The uprising in Syria
- The war in Ukraine
- The Irish elections
Or pretty much any domestic or foreign policy issue going. Sort it out, BBC, honestly.
- The uprising in Syria
- The war in Ukraine
- The Irish elections
Or pretty much any domestic or foreign policy issue going. Sort it out, BBC, honestly.
December 1, 2024 at 11:49 PM
I repeat: a Z-list celebrity having an offensive hissy fit is not more important to UK citizens’ lives than say…
- The uprising in Syria
- The war in Ukraine
- The Irish elections
Or pretty much any domestic or foreign policy issue going. Sort it out, BBC, honestly.
- The uprising in Syria
- The war in Ukraine
- The Irish elections
Or pretty much any domestic or foreign policy issue going. Sort it out, BBC, honestly.
*BBC newsfeed inanity alert*.
Literally, why are: Cate Blanchett’s thoughts on AI, Greg Wallace’s (admittedly gross) behaviour at work and a man buying a smooth Mars bar in the top 10 stories?
Literally, why are: Cate Blanchett’s thoughts on AI, Greg Wallace’s (admittedly gross) behaviour at work and a man buying a smooth Mars bar in the top 10 stories?
November 30, 2024 at 4:22 PM
*BBC newsfeed inanity alert*.
Literally, why are: Cate Blanchett’s thoughts on AI, Greg Wallace’s (admittedly gross) behaviour at work and a man buying a smooth Mars bar in the top 10 stories?
Literally, why are: Cate Blanchett’s thoughts on AI, Greg Wallace’s (admittedly gross) behaviour at work and a man buying a smooth Mars bar in the top 10 stories?