Ministers are reportedly planning to issue guidance on how much sleep people should be getting every night. The recommendations are expected as part of a series of proposals aimed at improving public health in the UK. According to a leaked draft of the plans seen by The Times, up to three in four adults do […]
Allergy patients are being warned of a potential fault with Emerade adrenaline pens. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said some have blocked needles, so cannot deliver adrenaline. Around two in every 1,000 pens are thought to be affected. Patients are advised to follow the existing advice to carry two pens at all […]
A diet rich in bananas, chickpeas and peanuts improves gut bacteria in malnourished children, helping kick-start their growth, research suggests. These foods were found to be particularly good at boosting healthy microbes, in a US study of children in Bangladesh. The growth of bones, brains and bodies is then more likely. The World Health Organization […]
People will be able to get expert health advice using Amazon Alexa devices, under a partnership with the NHS, the government has announced. From this week, the voice-assisted technology is automatically searching the official NHS website when UK users ask for health-related advice. The government in England said it could reduce demand on the NHS. […]
Growing numbers of people in England are struggling to get hold of their GP, a survey suggests. One in three reported it was not easy with a similar number also not happy with the appointment times available when they did get through. But the survey of more than 770,000 people also showed high satisfaction rates […]
Sugary drinks – including fruit juice and fizzy pop – may increase the risk of cancer, French scientists say. The link was suggested by a study, published in the British Medical Journal, that followed more than 100,000 people for five years. The team at Université Sorbonne Paris Cité speculate that the impact of blood sugar […]
Health officials say the HPV vaccine for 12 to 13-year-old boys, starting after the summer, will prevent 29,000 cancers in UK men in the next 40 years. The boys will be eligible from the start of the new school year, 11 years after girls were first vaccinated. The jab protects against human papilloma virus, which […]
A new form of medicine called “gene-silencing” has been approved for use by the NHS in England. The drugs will be used to reverse a disease called amyloidosis, which causes nerve and organ damage. It can be fatal. Vince Nicholas, whose twin brother and mother both died from the disease, says the therapies are giving […]
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Waiting lists for routine surgery have risen by up to 50% in England because senior doctors say they cannot afford to work extra shifts. Consultants have begun refusing to work beyond their planned hours after receiving unexpected tax bills, following new pension rules in 2016. NHS hospitals said delays are becoming increasingly routine as a […]
The Department of Health and Social Care plans to spend £3m on no-deal Brexit measures to transport medication. It wants to hire an “express freight service” to transport medicines, blood and transplant tissue. But experts have warned that the deadline of 1 September set for the deal is a “tight” timeframe. The government’s current plan […]
A strain of the common cold virus can infect and kill bladder cancer cells, a small study suggests. All signs of the disease disappeared in one patient, and in 14 others there was evidence that cancer cells had died. University of Surrey researchers said the virus could “help revolutionise treatment” for the cancer and reduce […]
Nerves inside paralysed people’s bodies have been “rewired” to give movement to their arms and hands, say Australian surgeons. Patients can now feed themselves, put on make-up, turn a key, handle money and type at a computer. Paul Robinson, 36 from Brisbane, said the innovative surgery had given him independence he had never imagined. Completely […]
One in five people admitted to a UK hospital drinks alcohol in a harmful way and one in 10 depends on it, a study suggests. King’s College London researchers want people with issues caused by drinking to be screened. They are also calling for more trained staff to give support. Alcohol can cause a large […]
Patients’ lives are being put at risk because of delays giving them treatment for sepsis, experts are warning. Hospitals are meant to put patients on an antibiotic drip within an hour when sepsis is suspected – but research by BBC News suggests a quarter of patients in England wait longer. Delays raise the chance of […]