Patients urged to cancel appointments rather than just not show up. More than 15 million general practice appointments are being wasted each year because patients do not turn up and fail to warn surgeries that they will not be attending. There are around 307 million sessions scheduled with GPs, nurses, therapists and other practice staff […]

Making a New Year’s resolution to take up a free NHS health check could stop people developing dementia as well as catching physical conditions, a top doctor said today. The national health check – a 20-minute, pain-free assessment carried out by a GP or nurse and involving tests on blood pressure, weight and height – […]

In the NHS’s 70th year, dozens of NHS staff have been recognised in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list, including 15 leading nurses, an array of doctors, dentists, physiotherapists and other health professionals, and those who led the response to terror attacks and major incidents. The awards include OBEs for Dr Malik Ramadhan, who was […]

NHS England will increase funding for children’s hospices to as much as £25 million a year, chief executive Simon Stevens announced today. Medical advances mean the NHS can help seriously ill children and young people with more complex health issues live longer, more fulfilling lives. NHS England’s hospice grant programme currently provides £11 million a […]

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has today backed a scheme that lets overweight football fans train at their club’s stadium, encouraging them to get fit and live a healthier, more active life. Five clubs from the English Football League Trust are already taking part in the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme, first run […]

Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, today thanked the hundreds of thousands of staff who are caring for patients over Christmas and praised their hard work during the Health Service’s 70 birthday year. The NHS chief said the milestone had showed that, as the country has hotly debated its future, people were united in […]

Weight worries and pregnancy are among the health concerns that drive thousands of people to seek medical advice on Christmas Day, new data shows. They are among the most popular searches on NHS.uk, the NHS’s official website, on December 25 in recent years. More than people searched information on pregnancy on Christmas Day. With traditional […]

People should look out for signs of depression and dementia among older family members and friends over Christmas, NHS England expert Professor Alistair Burns urged today. Problems that may have been hidden can come to the surface or be easier to spot as families or friends get together over the festive season, Prof Burns said. […]

Spinal surgery for spina bifida for babies in the womb is among new, innovative treatments that will be routinely available on the NHS for the first time, NHS England announced today. The cutting edge procedure for unborn children with spina bifida, whose spine and spinal cord do not develop properly, allows pregnant women to be […]

NHS England will help fund so-called ‘drunk tanks’ to take the pressure off hospital and 999 services over Christmas and New Year, chief executive Simon Stevens announced today. Supervised areas where revellers who have over-indulged can be checked over and even sleep it off, rather than being taken to casualty or monitored by the police, […]