Midwives, nurses and doctors in maternity and birthing units are ‘always standing ready’, as the country sees the annual peak in births today. Thanks to a spike in conceptions over the Christmas holidays, around 2,000 babies are born on 26 September in England and Wales – more than any other day of the year – […]

Children in England with a rare condition which leads to early death are set to receive treatment on the NHS, after the health service struck a deal with manufacturers. Young people with Batten Disease – an incurable illness which affects the nervous system, causing seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death – will now […]

High dose statins could be made available directly from high street pharmacies as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to cut heart disease and stroke, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens has announced. In a new review confirmed today, England’s top pharmacist Dr Keith Ridge and newly-appointed director of primary care, Dr. Nikki Kanani, will […]

A revolutionary new gene therapy which restores sight will be provided by the NHS, chief executive Simon Stevens has announced today. Babies born with inherited retinal dystrophies disorder have poor sight which swiftly deteriorates, with most losing their vision completely in childhood. Until now no treatment has been available. The life-changing treatment for children and […]

The NHS has saved more than £700 million from the annual medicines bill to reinvest in new treatments as part of the Long Term Plan. An NHS-wide campaign has supported patients and doctors to maximise the use of ‘generic’ and best value ‘biologic’ treatments to treat conditions including arthritis and cancer. New figures show that the […]

NHS England is to fund a life changing treatment for thousands of people with severe Haemophilia, which will dramatically cut their risk of life-threatening bleeds and reduce treatment time. The new treatment is part of a package of measures set out in the NHS Long Term Plan which will save lives through access to the […]

NHS England will provide a promising new treatment which can prolong the lives of children with a rare genetic condition after negotiating a deal with the manufacturer. Nusinersen, also called Spinraza and made by Biogen, is the first treatment that targets the underlying cause of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The condition affects the nerves in […]

An army of experts have been recruited by NHS England to help prevent care home residents being given too many medicines as part of a package of measures to improve older people’s health and care in the NHS Long Term Plan. Care home residents are prescribed an average of seven medicines a day, with many […]

Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) will have routine access to a drug that can slow disability under a deal struck between NHS England and the manufacturer Roche, paving the way for its approval by NICE. Ocrelizumab (also known as Ocrevus) is the first treatment that can modify or change the course of the disease to […]

The NHS will find and cure tens of thousands more people with hepatitis C as part of a ground-breaking deal that could help England become the first country in the world to eliminate the deadly virus. Over 30,000 people have already benefitted from new drugs which cure hepatitis C being made available on the NHS […]