Teachers, school nurses, and GPs will be offered NHS support to spot the early signs of eating disorders, so no child is left to ‘suffer in silence’. The NHS has overhauled eating disorder services in response to rising demand with the number of children and young people treated rising two fifths since the pandemic (from […]

Hundreds of thousands of families with young children will be offered protection against chickenpox as part of their routine childhood vaccinations from today. The NHS’s vaccination programme is being expanded to include chickenpox (also known as varicella) for the first time to help shield young children from getting seriously ill. From now on, GP practices will start to offer children a […]

An innovative 15-minute blood test which can fast-track the diagnosis of children with potentially life-threatening conditions is being trialled by the NHS this winter. The hi-tech blood test can distinguish between bacterial or viral infections much more quickly than traditional tests – so serious diseases like sepsis or meningitis can be picked up sooner.  NHS […]

Millions of children and pregnant women are set to get their flu vaccinations from today, as the NHS kicks off its vital autumn vaccine roll out to protect people ahead of winter. Vaccine teams across the country are ramping up efforts to make it as easy as possible for those eligible to get their jabs, […]

Thousands of premature babies at risk of life-threatening infection can now be protected against the common respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this winter, with a single long-lasting injection available on the NHS for the first time. The NHS in England is rolling out drug nirsevimab from late September to provide protection against RSV to around 7,000 […]

Thousands of severely obese children are being supported to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles thanks to the roll-out of specialist NHS clinics and new digital ‘smart scale’ technology to deliver expert care at home. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, new technology is now being piloted at 15 Complications from Excess Weight (CEW) clinics, which enables […]

Hundreds of thousands of pupils sitting exams this week have been helped to manage stress and anxiety by NHS teams in the classroom. Almost 600 hundred colleges and sixth form centres have NHS clinicians offering one-to-one support, workshops, and training for teachers on how to support pupils struggling with their mental health. More than 250,000 […]

Hundreds of children with severe epilepsy will be able to benefit from a groundbreaking new treatment on the NHS that could significantly reduce their seizures, providing new hope for them and their families. The drug, fenfluramine, will be funded for NHS patients in England from today (Thursday 20 February) after the National Institute for Health […]

The NHS website saw more than 18,000 hits in an hour on its spina bifida pages following Sunday night’s episode of Call the Midwife. Spina bifida is a rare condition that occurs when a baby’s spine and spinal cord does not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine. In the BBC One episode, […]

Online searches for NHS advice on common childhood illnesses surged in 2024, according to new figures compiled by NHS England. Five of the ten most visited health conditions on the NHS website last year mostly affect children, with three of them seeing significant increases compared to 2023. Visits to the hand, foot and mouth disease […]