The NHS is facing another period of significant disruption this week, with potentially thousands more appointments and procedures postponed due to the latest round of industrial action by junior doctors. From 7am on Friday 11 August until 7am on Tuesday 15 August, junior doctors across England will be on strike, as the NHS enters the […]
Nearly three in four babies born with a rare muscle-wasting disease are now surviving for two years or more thanks to advances in NHS treatment, new data shows. Around 70 children are born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) each year in the UK, a rare genetic condition that causes muscle weakness, progressive loss of movement […]
Hundreds of thousands of patients could benefit from a quicker diagnosis for a range of respiratory and heart conditions, through ambitious new NHS plans for fast-tracked tests and checks. As part of measures announced by the NHS today to speed up detection of major health problems, GP practices will be able to directly order diagnostic […]
The NHS is bracing itself for one of the toughest strikes in its history beginning on Thursday morning, England’s top doctor has warned. Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists will be taking strike action from 7am on Thursday until 7am on Saturday. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said that consultants will only provide […]
Almost a million more people (900,000) will become eligible for a shingles vaccination from September, the NHS announced today. Anyone who is severely immunosuppressed and over 50 will be able to get two doses of the Shingrix vaccine – currently the vaccine is only available to those over 70. From 1 September 2023, those turning […]
The NHS has launched plans to expand pioneering subscription-style drug contracts to develop lifesaving antibiotics of the future. It comes as data shows more people are contracting drug-resistant superbugs than ever before, with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) predicted to cause 10 million global deaths each year by 2050 if no action is taken. NHS England is […]
The number of people seeking advice on bites and stings from the NHS website is three times higher than last summer. Analysis by NHS England, which runs the NHS.uk website, found monthly visits to the insect bites and stings page reached 261,364 in June 2023 – triple those seen in June 2022 when there were […]
Retired doctors will have an option to “keep caring” and re-join the NHS to carry out outpatient appointments in a new initiative to help reduce waiting lists. From autumn, newly-retired doctors will be able to sign up to a new digital platform where they will be able to offer their availability to trusts across England […]
The number of hay fever sufferers seeking advice from the NHS website has more than tripled – reaching 122,650 visits last week. Analysis by NHS England, which runs the NHS website, found weekly visits to the hay fever page have increased by 252% in the past five weeks from 34,878 visits during the first week of […]
Strike action across England this week will significantly disrupt almost all routine care in the NHS, England’s top doctor has warned today. Professor Sir Stephen Powis said that industrial action by junior doctors, starting at 7am on Wednesday, meant thousands of routine procedures had already been postponed by trusts, as the NHS prioritises emergency and […]