Jean Gray looks back over the past year in health care and reviews the people in the news and the events that made the headlines in 1991

January It was a grim start to the New Year with the Gulf crisis dominating the headlines and medical reservists being called up to join the British forces gathering in the desert. Scottish nurse Henry Power won his battle against the draft on a technicality, having declared that he would rather go to jail. In the build up to the outbreak of war with Iraq, the nursing profession went on red alert. Hospitals throughout the country prepared for the many anticipated casualties and the UKCC launched a 24-hour emergency service to give employers instant confirmation of volunteer nurses' qualifications. Nursing Standard made national news bulletins after publishing, in full, ‘confidential' Department of Health clinical guidance on dealing with possible war casualties. The department had sent the information only to regional directors of public health.