News about the NHS

Guardian Staff · Nov 11, 2024

National screening programme for prostate cancer urgently needed | Letter Too many men are being diagnosed late, says Oliver Kemp, especially those in high-risk groups Wes Streeting’s order to review prostate cancer screening guidance could not come at a more important time (Report, 5 November). Prostate cancer is the second-most deadly cancer among men. High-risk groups, including those with a family history and black men, are twice as likely to die from it. The existing “informed choice” system, which requires men to request testing, is failing. As a result, too many are being diagnosed late – as Chris Hoy was – which drastically reduces their chances of survival. A screening programme for high-risk groups could reverse the rise...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 11, 2024

Breathing issues cause more emergency NHS admissions than any other condition Figures for England show one in eight of all unplanned hospital admissions in 2023-24 were for respiratory system diseases Serious breathing problems lead to more emergency admissions to hospital in England than any other medical condition, NHS data reveals. More people with asthma, bronchitis or emphysema have to go into hospital for treatment because they are struggling to breathe than those with heart disease, joint problems or cancer. Continue reading... By Denis Campbell Health policy editor Breathing issues cause more emergency NHS admissions than any other condition to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Ben Quinn · Nov 11, 2024

Nurses quitting profession early puts health reforms in England at risk, says union Numbers leaving within 10 years of registering rose by 43% between 2021 to 2024, finds Royal College of Nursing Increasing numbers of UK-trained nurses are set to leave the profession in England within a decade of registering, in a trend that could jeopardise the government’s overhaul of healthcare, according to a union. More than 11,000 will have quit the register within their first 10 years on it, according to analysis by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) of the latest official figures. Continue reading... By Ben Quinn Nurses quitting profession early puts health reforms in England at risk, says union to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For...

Jack Thorne · Nov 10, 2024

‘Rachel had been ready to leave me if our IVF hadn’t worked’: writer Jack Thorne on how his family’s fertility struggles inspired his new film The screenwriter behind hit TV dramas National Treasure and Kiri, as well as the Harry Potter stage play, talks about his new, more personal project created with his wife - a feature film, Joy, celebrating the birth of IVF In 1968, three people decided to cure infertility. In the 10 years between 1968 and 1978, Robert (Bob) Edwards, a scientist, Patrick Steptoe, an obstetrician, Jean Purdy, an embryologist, worked together, with many others, to do something incredible. Basing themselves in an outbuilding at Oldham general on scraps of money, with nurses volunteering their time, and patients...

Donna Ferguson · Nov 9, 2024

NHS in ‘last-chance saloon’, says former health secretary Alan Milburn Milburn set to take senior health department role and says crisis is ‘million times worse’ than when he was in office The NHS is “drinking in the last-chance saloon” and needs to change, the former health secretary Alan Milburn has said as he prepares to take up a senior role in the Department of Health. Milburn, who brought about radical changes, such as the introduction of NHS foundation trusts, when he was a minister for Tony Blair, called for “cultural change” in the health service and said “big reforms will be needed to make it fit for the future”. Continue reading... By Donna Ferguson NHS in ‘last-chance saloon’, says former health secretary Alan...

Chaminda Jayanetti · Nov 9, 2024

NHS patients dying because of problems sharing medical records, coroners warn IT issues and restrictions on access to information are leaving staff unaware of crucial background details Coroners in England and Wales have issued 36 warnings this year over inadequate sharing of NHS patient information, with some patients dying because clinicians couldn’t access important details about their needs. Problems caused by conflicting IT systems, restricted access to medical records and obstacles to sharing information outside the NHS mean staff often struggle to access details about the patients they are treating. Continue reading... By Chaminda Jayanetti NHS patients dying because of problems sharing medical records, coroners warn to...

Guardian staff and agency · Nov 9, 2024

First recipients of Elizabeth Emblem for those who died in line of duty revealed Award given to next of kin of more than 30 public servants after campaign by fathers of murdered police officers More than 30 former firefighters, police officers and other public servants who died in the line of duty have become the first recipients of an award in recognition of their service. The Elizabeth Emblem, named after the late queen, will be awarded to the next of kin of those who died in public service. Among those honoured are PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, who were murdered by Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in 2012. Continue reading... By Guardian staff and agency First recipients of Elizabeth Emblem for those who died in line of...

Caroline Kimeu, Kitty Drake, Stephen Burgen · Nov 9, 2024

Bland, soggy slop or scratch-cooked chilli and pancakes? The best and worst hospital food around the world – in pictures From Kenya to Brazil, patients need tasty, nutritious food more than most – so which countries do it best? • ‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why is UK hospital food so bad? One of the best meals of my life was the platter of food that I ate in a Taipei hospital after I gave birth to my son last year. There was tofu braised in five-spice, shiitake mushrooms, steamed cauliflower with diced carrot, and sauteed spinach with ginger. It was paired with plenty of liquid: rice porridge, black sesame soup, and vegetable broth peppered with daikon. Continue reading... By Caroline Kimeu, Kitty Drake, Stephen...

Mina Holland · Nov 9, 2024

‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why can’t British hospitals serve better food? After spending years in and out of hospital with my daughter, I know the patients’ food isn’t usually very good. But does it have to be this way? • The best and worst of hospital food around the world – in pictures ‘We tend to think of this as a nutritional holiday,” said the dietician, as we looked down at the blue plastic tray on my four-year-old daughter Vida’s overbed table. Vida was about to start a long-awaited bone marrow transplant at a major London hospital, a process requiring an intensive chemotherapy programme that would affect her appetite and ability to eat. We needed to prioritise her weight over healthy eating, said the...

Mark Sweney · Nov 8, 2024

NHS-branded baby formula could prevent parents paying too much, watchdog says CMA sets out potential measures, including price cap on retailers, to combat high prices and lack of choice The government could offer its own low-cost baby formula under a brand such as the NHS to combat the high prices and lack of choice in the market, the UK competition watchdog has suggested. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said another “backstop” measure could be for the government to regulate and set a price or profit-margin cap on retailers as a way to bring prices down for parents more quickly. Continue reading... By Mark Sweney NHS-branded baby formula could prevent parents paying too much, watchdog says to Continue reading...

Guardian Staff · Nov 7, 2024

The ketamine crisis has crept up on British youth | Letters Samantha Sherratt says young adults are presenting with life-changing bladder problems, while another reader writes that her daughter took her own life after years of addiction Our hearts and gratitude go to “Nick” and Jack Curran for so bravely sharing the devastating impact ketamine has had on their lives (The agony of ketamine addiction: ‘I felt like I was peeing glass’, 5 November). Their stories starkly illustrate the unexpected crisis unfolding in urology clinics nationwide as more young adults present with bladder issues tied to their recreational use of the drug. Last month, Jasmine King, a urology specialist nurse practitioner with North Bristol NHS trust...

Editorial · Nov 6, 2024

The Guardian view on fixing the Mental Health Act: an overdue return to dignity | Editorial There is a long way still to go, but the government is taking action to end injustice in the treatment of severe mental illness The 1983 Mental Health Act provides for some extraordinarily coercive powers. A person with acute mental illness can be detained without their consent and sometimes forcibly removed from their home for that purpose. This is necessary when someone poses a danger to themselves or others, but that imperative must always be applied with clinical sensitivity and regard for fundamental rights. Mental illness is not a criminal offence. Too often, the boundary between medical intervention and arbitrary detention has been...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor · Nov 6, 2024

NHS doctors say lengthy disciplinary processes have left them feeling suicidal Many say they felt ‘guilty until proven innocent’ amid fears misconduct claims used to silence whistleblowers UK doctors are having suicidal thoughts because disciplinary proceedings against them by their NHS employer take so long to resolve, research has found. Medics who have been accused of misconduct say the current system of investigating allegations is “brutal” and “humiliating” to go through and can feel “like a witch-hunt”. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic abuse helpline is 0808 2000 247. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on...

Editorial · Nov 5, 2024

The Guardian view on Badenoch v Starmer: tussling over a shift to bigger government | Editorial This parliament’s real battle won’t be cultural, it will be over the size of the state Kemi Badenoch was still wooing votes from Conservative members last Wednesday, the day the budget was delivered. Now leader of only 120 MPs, she can do little more than tut over the finance bill. Nevertheless, it’s the budget that sets out the great philosophical divide between Ms Badenoch and Sir Keir Starmer. It lies not in a particular policy or even a political commitment, but most acutely in a graph. It’s an exhibit that has received precious little discussion, yet it represents an ideological battleground that could help shape this parliament. You...

Guardian Staff · Nov 5, 2024

In analysing the budget, take account of the social wage too | Letters Better infrastructure and public services are in store with Rachel Reeves’ plans, says John Boaler. Plus letters from Richard Churcher, Ian Simpson, Mike Lake and Les Bright You published an analysis of how the budget might affect people’s personal finances (Budget 2024: what it means for you, 30 October), like most other newspapers and the BBC website did. While people want to know how their income might be affected, this analysis takes no account of how we all benefit from improvements in the NHS, including reductions in waiting times, and investment more generally in our public services. Denis Healey used to call this the “social wage”. If I can see a doctor...

Guardian Staff · Nov 5, 2024

Labour promised GPs more money. Why hit them with higher national insurance? | Letter Primary care will suffer from exposing doctors to the rise in national insurance – they should be exempt, writes Phil Taylor The chancellor’s decision to spare the public sector from the increase in national insurance but not to include general practices, where 90% of patient contacts happen, is a clear example of the Treasury’s failure to support much-needed change (Services for most-vulnerable people at risk after NICs rise, charities say, 1 November). The Treasury chief secretary, Darren Jones, justified this by saying that many GP practices are private businesses, but a way must be found to ensure that investment in GPs and their staff is not...

Andrew Gregory Health editor · Nov 5, 2024

Children as young as two treated for obesity-related illness in England NHS data shows one in 10 reception-age pupils now have obesity as experts warn of public health crisis Thousands of children as young as two in England are being treated for health complications linked to severe obesity as leading experts warned of an “escalating public health crisis”. NHS data shows that one in 10 children joining primary school have obesity: 9.6% of reception-age children in 2023-24, up from 9.2% in 2022-23. Continue reading... By Andrew Gregory Health editor Children as young as two treated for obesity-related illness in England to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Jamie Grierson and Andrew Gregory · Nov 5, 2024

Streeting orders prostate cancer review after Chris Hoy calls for early tests Cycling star, who has terminal cancer, tells men under 50 with family history of prostate cancer to ask for test The health secretary has ordered the NHS to review its guidance on testing for prostate cancer in light of Sir Chris Hoy’s “powerful” call for men to be screened in their 40s. The Olympic cycling champion Hoy, who has terminal cancer, urged men with a family history of prostate cancer to see their GP for a blood test even if they are under 50. Continue reading... By Jamie Grierson and Andrew Gregory Streeting orders prostate cancer review after Chris Hoy calls for early tests to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For NHS Staff | Patient Forums

Nicola Davis Science Correspondent · Nov 4, 2024

New NHS campaign urges people to call 999 at first sign of stroke Update of Act FAST made as data for England shows average time between first symptom and call is 88 minutes Dialling 999 as soon as stroke symptoms occur is crucial to saving lives and preventing lasting damage, a new NHS England campaign is to stress as data reveals people wait almost an hour and a half on average before making an emergency call. About 100,000 people in the UK have a stroke each year. The potentially life-threatening condition occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off . Recent data suggests that the number could increase to 151,000 a year by 2035. Continue reading... By Nicola Davis Science Correspondent New NHS campaign urges...

Richard Brooks · Nov 3, 2024

‘They remind me there’s a life after cancer’: how paintings in NHS hospitals help patients feel better Feedback on the benefits of displaying pictures on wards, now gathered in a new book, is backed by scientific studies Art, of course, brings pleasure. Now there is evidence that paintings can also help alleviate medical conditions, as well as boosting NHS staff. A new book produced by the charity Paintings in Hospitals (PiH), which has a collection of 3,500 works and prints, including by Andy Warhol, Maggi Hambling and Bridget Riley, in medical settings across the UK, contains feedback from dozens of patients and medical staff about the “invaluable” benefits of seeing the art. Hospitals, health centres, surgeries and hospices can...

Tom Wall · Nov 2, 2024

NHS £22.6bn funding boost in England ‘not enough’, warn health experts The chancellor’s budget spending increase will largely be absorbed by pre-existing plans, says top thinktank Medical experts have warned the boost to NHS funding in England unveiled in the budget will not be enough to rebuild the country’s ailing health service and that it will take time for patients to see improvements Rachel Reeves last week announced an additional £22.6bn over this year and next for the NHS, which she claimed was the biggest spending increase for the health service – outside the Covid pandemic – since 2010. Continue reading... By Tom Wall NHS £22.6bn funding boost in England ‘not enough’, warn health experts to Continue reading... NHS...

Matthew Weaver · Nov 1, 2024

Ministers urged to protect GP practices, charities and care homes from NIC rise Doctors and care providers warn increased costs will cause job losses and cuts in services Ministers are under pressure to reimburse or exempt GP practices, charities and care homes from increases in national insurance amid warnings they will cause job losses and cuts in services. The rise in national insurance contributions (NICs) has prompted post-budget alarm from doctors and the voluntary and social care sectors, and pleas to ministers for exemptions to avoid widespread cuts to provision. Continue reading... By Matthew Weaver Ministers urged to protect GP practices, charities and care homes from NIC rise to Continue reading... NHS Forums - For...

Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor · Nov 1, 2024

MPs who are also medics urge colleagues to support assisted dying bill Exclusive: Cross-party group’s letter comes after health secretary said he doubted NHS could enact the change A cross-party group of MPs who are practising medics and former NHS staff have written to MPs urging them to back the assisted dying bill, after the health secretary expressed doubt that the health service was fit to enact such a big change. The six Labour and Conservative MPs, including two GPs and two surgeons, said they had extensive experience of working in and around palliative care and stressed that a tightly defined bill would give dying patients genuine choice. Continue reading... By Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor MPs who are also...

Editorial · Oct 31, 2024

The Guardian view on health spending: the NHS needs more than a shot in the arm | Editorial The chancellor has given the health service a boost. But huge challenges remain It was predictable that Wes Streeting’s department would emerge as the winner from this week’s budget, given the scale of the difficulties facing the NHS, particularly its vast waiting lists, and the strength of public feeling about this. The promised increase of £22.6bn over two years, plus £3.1bn for repairs and equipment, will bring the average annual increase in day-to-day spending in England up to 4%. Big as these numbers are, they are far from transformative. The historic average increase is 3.6%. Ageing populations, new drugs and medical technology mean...

Guardian Staff · Oct 31, 2024

Rachel Reeves has left the social care sector in deep trouble | Letters Rachael Dodgson of Dimensions says the budget adds to the pressure not-for-profit social care providers already face. Richard Robinson and Andrea Nicholas-Jones of Hourglass call on the chancellor to think again The budget is alarming for not-for-profit social care providers because it will put us under pressure to meet the increases in tax costs across our workforce. Our initial analysis indicates that the changes to national insurance will cost us £5m next year. In addition to this, the increase in the national living wage will increase our wage bill by £10.2m and give us less scope to maintain differentials between entry-level and more experienced colleagues...

News about the NHS

Show only:

National screening programme for prostate cancer urgently needed | Letter

Breathing issues cause more emergency NHS admissions than any other condition

Nurses quitting profession early puts health reforms in England at risk, says union

‘Rachel had been ready to leave me if our IVF hadn’t worked’: writer Jack Thorne on how his family’s fertility struggles inspired his new film

NHS in ‘last-chance saloon’, says former health secretary Alan Milburn

NHS patients dying because of problems sharing medical records, coroners warn

First recipients of Elizabeth Emblem for those who died in line of duty revealed

Bland, soggy slop or scratch-cooked chilli and pancakes? The best and worst hospital food around the world – in pictures

‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why can’t British hospitals serve better food?

NHS-branded baby formula could prevent parents paying too much, watchdog says

The ketamine crisis has crept up on British youth | Letters

The Guardian view on fixing the Mental Health Act: an overdue return to dignity | Editorial

NHS doctors say lengthy disciplinary processes have left them feeling suicidal

The Guardian view on Badenoch v Starmer: tussling over a shift to bigger government | Editorial

In analysing the budget, take account of the social wage too | Letters

Labour promised GPs more money. Why hit them with higher national insurance? | Letter

Children as young as two treated for obesity-related illness in England

Streeting orders prostate cancer review after Chris Hoy calls for early tests

New NHS campaign urges people to call 999 at first sign of stroke

‘They remind me there’s a life after cancer’: how paintings in NHS hospitals help patients feel better

NHS £22.6bn funding boost in England ‘not enough’, warn health experts

Ministers urged to protect GP practices, charities and care homes from NIC rise

MPs who are also medics urge colleagues to support assisted dying bill

The Guardian view on health spending: the NHS needs more than a shot in the arm | Editorial

Rachel Reeves has left the social care sector in deep trouble | Letters

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