Place, Space and Reputation: The Changing Role of Harley Street in English Health Care

Humphrey, Christopher

doi:10.1057/palgrave.sth.8700029

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…28 were clustered in the London West End areas of Marylebone, Covent Garden, and Fitzrovia which have an association with wealth and private healthcare (Rappaport, 2000 ). 15 facilities were located on Harley Street alone, which is well-known as an epicentre of elite healthcare and medicine that also has a history of attracting criticism focused around concerns over questionable scientific integrity and ‘bogus doctors’ (Humphrey, 2004 ). Indeed, it has been suggested that Harley Street’s association with alternative medicine and dubious practices provides an ideological focus of distaste for orthodox medical practitioners: Harley Street constitutes a useful ‘other’ for orthodox medicine to unite against (Humphrey, 2004 ) ( Figures 1 and 2 ).…”

Section: Mapping the Uk Stem Cell Therapy Marketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marketing Experimental Stem Cell Therapies in the UK: Biomedical Lifestyle Products and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine in the Digital Era

2019

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Stem cell research has attracted much public and biomedical anticipation centred on the possibility of using stem cells to treat various diseases and conditions, but the number of evidence-based therapies is currently limited. Numerous commercial direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses are nonetheless marketing experimental stem cell therapies online for myriad medical conditions and aesthetic ailments, which has attracted critique due to safety and efficacy concerns. Existing research has largely focused on the problem of unproven therapies and regulatory pathways for addressing it. The proliferation of these experimental products must also be examined, however, in the broader socio-technological context of consumer culture and changing practices of knowledge-making in the digital era. DTC stem cell therapies have emerged as a new biomedical 'lifestyle' product that blurs the boundaries between 'science,' 'medicine,' and 'consumer culture.' In using, conceptualising and marketing stem cells, commercial businesses build on and commercially co-opt alternative epistemic and ontological frames that challenge scientific medicine. They advance promissory narratives about their potential that tap on cultural aspirations around the future of medicine and health. This is key, not only for understanding how and why these therapies have proliferated but also in conceptualising what the 'problem' around them actually is.

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Section: Mapping the Uk Stem Cell Therapy Marketmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marketing Experimental Stem Cell Therapies in the UK: Biomedical Lifestyle Products and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine in the Digital Era

2019

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“…Such travel was traditionally the province of wealthy patients or those driven through desperation to risk trying the latest untested techniques abroad. Indeed, a number of specific places, including Harley Street in the UK, the Cleveland Centre and Mayo Clinic in the USA for example, have gained reputations for high quality care and continue to attract large numbers of overseas patients (Humphrey 2004; Gurwitz and Kingsley 1982).…”

Section: Medical Tourism and Patient Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Exploring the Policy Implications of UK Medical Tourism and International Patient Flows

2012

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It is estimated that over 50,000 individuals from the UK each year elect to fund their own treatment abroad. Such treatments commonly include cosmetic and dental surgery; cardio, orthopaedic and bariatric surgery; IVF treatment; and organ and tissue transplantation. The UK has also experienced inward flows of patients who travel to receive treatment and pay out of pocket, being treated in both private and NHS facilities. The rise of 'medical tourism' presents new opportunities and challenges in terms of treatment options for consumers/patients and health policymakers. Such developments denote a commercialization, commodification and internationalization of health care in a way that UK policy has not experienced to date.This article addresses four key issues. We explain the rise of medical-related travel (applied to the UK), identify key policy considerations for the future, highlight important research gaps and explore conceptual frameworks which might help us understand better the observed patterns of medical tourism. Whilst the context for policy and practice is undoubtedly dynamic, we argue the need for greater clarity in understanding the emergent implications for health policy and health care delivery.

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“…The location and décor of doctors’ rooms reflect the social status of the client group for whom the obstetrician caters. There is no Santiago equivalent of London's iconic Harley Street as the centre of élite private healthcare consulting rooms (Humphrey 2004). For an aspiring obstetrician, however, an élite address on the right side of town is an important factor in generating a desirable clientela (private client base).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The promotion of private health insurance and its implications for the social organisation of healthcare: a case study of private sector obstetric practice in Chile

Murray

Elston

2005

Sociology Health & Illness

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This paper examines some of the implications of the process of privatisation of a national healthcare system for the delivery, organisation and, ultimately, the outcome of services. Through a case study of obstetric care in Chile, we illuminate the relationships between the macro-level of political decisions, the meso-level of the organisations through which government reforms were enacted, and the micro-level of clinical practice. We show that, for a significant proportion of Chilean women seeking maternity care, privatisation has led to expanded access and to ostensibly highly-personalised relationships with specialists. However, because of the fragmentation of maternity services, the altered work patterns for obstetricians occasioned by changes in healthcare financing and the relatively weak market position of most obstetricians, this personalised care is dependent on highly technologised obstetric practices. By examining the specific organisational arrangements under which private maternity care is conducted in Chile we shed light on the connection between privately-funded maternity care and high caesarean section rates in this setting.

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Place, Space and Reputation: The Changing Role of Harley Street in English Health Care

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Marketing Experimental Stem Cell Therapies in the UK: Biomedical Lifestyle Products and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine in the Digital Era

Marketing Experimental Stem Cell Therapies in the UK: Biomedical Lifestyle Products and the Promise of Regenerative Medicine in the Digital Era

A Framework for Exploring the Policy Implications of UK Medical Tourism and International Patient Flows

The promotion of private health insurance and its implications for the social organisation of healthcare: a case study of private sector obstetric practice in Chile

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