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 […]

Hundreds of thousands more people will be sent a home-testing kit that can help to detect signs of bowel cancer, as the NHS expands its lifesaving screening programme to individuals aged 54 in England. People aged 54 will now automatically receive a home test kit every two years by post when they become eligible. The […]

The NHS is facing weeks of major disruption at a time when services are already under significant winter pressure, England’s top doctor has warned today. Junior doctors take strike action from tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7.00am until 7.00am on Saturday (23  Dec). The NHS will prioritise urgent and emergency care as consultants step in to cover […]

Smoking-related hospital admissions in England increased by nearly 5% in 2022-23, compared to the previous year, but remain lower than before the Covid pandemic. Latest statistics from NHS England show that in 2022-23 there were an estimated 408,700 hospital admissions due to smoking, a rise from 389,800 in 2021-22 (an increase of 4.8%). The newly […]

Thanks to the hard work and widespread innovation of NHS staff the waiting list has reduced, new monthly data shows today, alongside faster ambulance response times across the country. Despite huge disruption from industrial action and ongoing record levels of demand for emergency care, monthly performance data shows the number of patients waiting for elective […]

Hundreds of new staff have joined the emergency care workforce ahead of winter – including as paramedics and call handlers – with warnings of significant pressure due to winter viruses over the next few months. The numbers of both 999 and 111 call handlers are up on last December (8% and 5% respectively), meaning hundreds […]

The NHS is setting out how it will increase national uptake of lifesaving vaccinations, ensuring millions more people receive protection against a range of diseases. Published today, the ambitious NHS vaccination strategy will outline how getting vaccinations will be made easier than ever before, including through expansion of the NHS App, ‘one stop shops’ and […]

An NHS pledge to roll out a new online GP registration service to 2,000 GP practices by the end of the year has been achieved ahead of schedule. The online Register with a GP surgery service, managed by NHS England, has been designed to make the process simpler and more convenient for both patients and […]

Frontline doctors are warning winter virus cases are “creeping up” alongside pressure on emergency departments, with new NHS data showing the number of flu patients in hospital is up more than half in a week. Today’s figures show an average of 234 people were in hospital with flu every day last week, up 53% on […]

A National Patient Safety Alert has been issued by the NHS England National Patient Safety Team on identified safety risks with the Euroking maternity information system. National Patient Safety Alert – Identified safety risks with the Euroking maternity information system About this alert This National Patient Safety Alert has been issued around identified safety risks […]