The NHS is running ‘stress test’ exercises and providing targeted care for vulnerable patients, as it strengthens its plans to winter-proof the health service. Throughout September, local NHS leaders will test the robustness of their winter plans by participating in scenario exercises such as staff shortages, rapid increase in demand, and multiple virus outbreaks. Local […]

Thousands of mums-to be in England living with type 1 diabetes are to receive a pregnancy-specific, ‘artificial pancreas’ from the NHS to protect mothers and babies’ health. Under a first of its kind initiative for the NHS in England, local healthcare systems are offering an enhanced type of hybrid closed loop system – also known […]

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, […]

Hundreds of thousands of newly pregnant women across England can now self-refer online to get their “all-important” first midwife appointments quicker, ensuring the best and most personalised care for their baby. By completing a simple online form on NHS.uk, mums-to-be can now refer themselves directly to their local maternity services without seeing a GP first. […]

The NHS’s top midwife is urging newly eligible pregnant mothers that “now is the time to act” and get the RSV vaccine to protect their baby ahead of this winter. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant mortality around the world and a main cause of child hospitalisations every year – with […]

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, […]

The NHS has started vaccinating people against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), for the first time in its history. RSV, a leading cause of infant mortality around the world, is a common cause of coughs and colds but can lead to severe lung infections like pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis, which are highly dangerous to older people and young children. […]

Smoking rates among mums-to-be are at an all-time low thanks to support from NHS teams. This year also saw the biggest annual fall in smoking during pregnancy since records began, meaning 6,000 fewer pregnant women smoked when compared to the previous 12 months, protecting thousands of babies from potential harm. NHS England is working to […]

All new mums in England will receive a more comprehensive mental and physical check-up from their GP in the weeks after they give birth, thanks to new NHS guidance published today. GPs will carry out the comprehensive postnatal check-up 6 to 8 weeks after women give birth covering a range of topics such as mental […]

Premature babies are to be routinely offered a “life-changing” treatment to prevent blindness on the NHS for the first time, the head of the health service has announced today. The drug, ranibizumab, could save the eyesight of babies born with a condition known as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which affects blood vessels in the retina, […]