Hundreds more people will be checked for dementia thanks to a new specialist service being trialled across the country, the NHS announced today. Care home residents will be proactively assessed for the condition by specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals through 14 new pilot schemes being rolled out in the new year. The new scheme […]

Leading NHS children’s doctors are encouraging parents to be alert to the dangers of small toys this Christmas after surgeons have had to perform life-saving operations to remove button batteries, magnetic balls and Christmas cracker toys, in previous years. The number of children being admitted to hospital after ingesting small objects has doubled over the […]

There are dozens of sites open across the country offering flu and covid vaccines on Christmas Day with more than 5,500 slots available for anyone yet to come forward. Pharmacies are open and jabbing during the festivities at locations all over England, including London, Manchester, Darlington and Deal. There are also more than 100,000 appointments […]

The number of patients with flu in hospital has increased by two thirds in one week amid significant pressure on services, the NHS said today. New published data shows the post-pandemic impact of viruses circulating again with an average of 1,939 flu cases in England’s hospitals every day last week (up from 1,162). Weekly winter […]

The NHS is asking patients to use services wisely during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using NHS 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency. […]

Issued at 8:14am on Monday 19 December 2022. Temperatures/weather conditions are not expected to exceed cold weather alert threshold criteria in any region from 3pm on 19 December until further notice. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Find out more about staying well this winter. More […]

The NHS is reminding people they can get assessed and directed to the care they need by using NHS 111 online without leaving the comfort of their homes, with new TV adverts running from today. As part of the next stage of the NHS ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign, television adverts will show people travelling […]

NHS vaccination teams have visited every care home across the country to offer life-saving covid boosters and flu jabs ahead of the festive period. Every care home in England has been visited by NHS staff ensuring residents have maximum protection from winter viruses and allowing them to spend time with families and friends during Christmas […]

Issued at 9:06am on Friday 16 December 2022. There is a 99% probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions and heavy snow between 9am on Friday 16 December and 11:59pm on Sunday 18 December in parts of England.  This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. […]

NHS staff dealt with a significant number of NHS 111 calls last week with over 700,000 calls in one week alone – an increase of over 60% compared to the previous week (from 440,047 to 706,129). Excluding two weeks in the first month of the Covid pandemic (March 2020), this is the highest number of […]