Midwives and other NHS staff have helped almost 15,000 mums-to-be in England quit smoking over just three years, new analysis shows today. Latest figures show that the smoking rate for pregnant women at the time of birth fell to 9.1% in 2021-22, the lowest annual rate on record, and down from 10.6% prior to the […]

Patients with long-lasting symptoms from COVID will have access to more convenient tests and checks closer to home, under new NHS measures announced today. Specialist clinics, dedicated to long COVID, will now be able to send people for tests at local one stop shops and mobile clinics, rather than people going back to their GP […]

Issued on Monday, July 25, 2022 8:49am Temperatures are not expected to reach heatwave threshold values until further notice. Hot weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients. Find out more about how to cope in hot weather. You can find the government Heatwave plan for England here. More details about the weather alert […]

The NHS in London, along with local public health teams, will be accelerating the rollout of the monkeypox vaccine from this week, prioritising individuals who are most likely to get the virus. NHS staff across the country have already started vaccinating eligible gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men (GBMSM), along with the […]

Issued at 9.17am on Thursday 21 July 2022 There is a 60% probability of Heat-Health Alert criteria being met between 9am on Thursday and 9am on Monday in parts of England. Hot weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients. Find out more about how to cope in hot weather. More details about the […]

Issued at 01.00 am on Wednesday 20 July 2022 There is a 90% probability of Heat-Health Alert criteria being met between 1am on Wednesday and 9am on Thursday in parts of England. Hot weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients. Find out more about how to cope in hot weather. More details about […]

Patients across the country will benefit from improved access to dental care under changes announced by NHS England today. New reforms to the dental contract – the first in 16 years – mean NHS dentists will be paid more for treating more complex cases, such as people who need three fillings or more. Dental therapists […]

Over 140,000 people have flocked to take part in the world’s largest trial of a blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer, as part of the latest NHS drive to catch the disease when it is generally easiest to treat. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced the latest milestone in NHS […]

The first new mesothelioma treatment to be approved in nearly 15 years will be made available for hundreds of patients with aggressive respiratory cancer, the NHS announced today. The life extending treatment, which has been approved for use today by NICE after the NHS struck a new commercial deal for the medicines, will combine nivolumab […]

New figures out today show the NHS performed its highest ever number of diagnostic tests for the month of May, while A&E attendances and emergency ambulance call-outs hit an all-time high for any June on record. Monthly performance data released today show 2.1m diagnostic tests were carried out in May – the most checks ever […]