Hospital beds in England were fuller last week than they have been all winter, according to NHS statistics. Fewer than five per cent of overnight beds were open to new patients between January 6 and 12. A surge in norovirus cases added extra pressure to already-stretched hospitals, the NHS said, after the number of infections … Read more
Britons book more GP appointments when it is cold and rainy – but they make fewer visits when it is sunny or snowing, research shows. Scientists also found patients booked fewer appointments on days last summer that the England football team played in the World Cup. Spikes in attendances also occur after public holidays and … Read more
Children with mental health problems ‘are having to attempt SUICIDE’ to get treatment because NHS trusts are turning them away ‘unless they have severe symptoms’ Third of mental health trusts in England only accept kids with ‘severe’ symptoms GPs said children were having to attempt or threaten suicide to get referred Just one in five … Read more
Gene test hope for critically ill babies as DNA testing on the NHS could speed up diagnosis and lead to quicker treatment Worried families used to have to wait three months on average for a diagnosis Now ‘whole-exome’ testing will provide an answer in about ten days The test could pick up rare diseases including … Read more
Beyoncé, the Kardashians and Chrissy Teigen have all been name-checked in a list of 2019’s worst health fads. Leading dietitians have revealed five of the worst tips they’ve come across this year that should be avoided in 2020, including Beyoncé’s 22-day diet. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) urged dieters to remember it takes longer than … Read more
Revealed: NHS hospitals treat 300 patients a week in A&E who are injured in DIY accidents (with at least one person a day hurt mowing the lawn) NHS figures show 6,867 people treated after falling from a ladder in 12 months Another 466 were injured while mowing lawns from last April to March this year … Read more
A four-year-old with cystic fibrosis has received the Christmas gift of her dreams – a wonder drug for her crippling condition. Ayda Louden’s family, from Carlisle, Cumbria, spent years calling for NHS access to Orkambi. It was finally approved in October. The schoolgirl got her first delivery of the life-changing drug, which should extend her life … Read more
NHS guidelines will be changed to offer blood pressure-lowering drugs to hundreds of thousands more people in the UK. The threshold a patient has to hit before being given the life-saving drugs will be lowered and more than triple the number of people diagnosed with stage one high blood pressure. Health service watchdog, the National … Read more
A breakthrough device is allowing NHS surgeons to mend failing heart valves with a series of tiny stitches inserted while the heart still beats – saving the lives of people deemed too frail for open-heart surgery. At present, sick patients can be denied the standard valve-repair operation because it requires a heart bypass – when … Read more
Prue Leith has been drafted in by the Prime Minister to help end the hospital food scandal Prue Leith has been drafted in by the Prime Minister to help end the hospital food scandal. The Bake Off judge will front a ‘root and branch’ review setting strict national standards following the deaths of six patients … Read more