Every year, there are always more baby boys than girls born in England and Wales. Fact. Why? Since records began in 1838, the cries of babies born every year have been predominately male. In not one year, stretching back to the start of Queen Victoria’s reign, have girls outnumbered boys at birth. In 2017, in […]
The number of referrals to mental health crisis teams in Wales has risen by 17% in the last three years. Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) teams help people who might otherwise need to go to hospital, because of severe self-harm or suicide attempts. New figures show referrals rose from 16,508 in 2014/15 to 19,269 in […]
Spinal surgery for unborn babies with the birth defect spina bifida is to be made routinely available on the NHS in England, officials have announced. The surgery involves repairing the spinal tissue of the baby while it is still in the womb. It can improve their ability to walk and reduce health problems that result […]
NHS England is making up to £300,000 available over the festive period to fund dozens of “drunk tanks”. These supervised units are places where revellers who have over-indulged can be checked and allowed to sleep it off. They should help take the pressure off hospital and 999 services over the busy Christmas and new year […]
England’s top doctor has accused the food industry of “failing the public” and is calling for taxes on unhealthy food high in sugar and salt. Chief medical officer Prof Dame Sally Davies said her dream was to make fruit and vegetables cheaper for everyone from the proceeds. In her annual report, she also urged the […]
Marvel fan Ollie Gardiner was diagnosed with brain and spine cancer just before his 11th birthday in May 2015. It’s easy to compare him to his favorite hero, Iron Man ― Ollie battled through 10 cycles of chemotherapy and 34 sessions of radiotherapy before he died at age 13 in November 2017. In honor of the bond Gardiner […]
A widow has pleaded for people to “stay away from A&E unless it is life-threatening” after her husband died in a hospital corridor. John Donnelly, 51, was admitted to Peterborough City Hospital on 2 March and died the next day. Huntingdon Coroner’s Court heard a doctor was treating between 60 and 70 people and “had […]
An increase in reported cases of a rare polio-like illness that mostly affects children is being investigated by Public Health England. Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) affects the nervous system, causing one or more of the limbs to become weak or floppy. PHE said 28 cases had been reported in England. Typically, a “handful” of cases […]
Meet the new Boost, which for the first time is not the same as the old Boost. Since Adidas launched the original UltraBoost in 2015 it has largely been content to tinker with the formula rather than overhaul it with each new edition. That is until the arrival of the new UltraBoost 19, which sees […]
Banning sweets, chocolate and crisps at supermarket checkouts appears to stop unhealthy impulse buying by shoppers, a large UK study suggests. Researchers used data from 30,000 households to look at the year before and after bans were introduced by six out of nine major supermarkets. Purchases fell immediately after the bans and the reduction continued […]
Gently stroking a baby reduces activity in their brain associated with painful experiences, a study has found. The study, by University of Oxford and Liverpool John Moores University, monitored the brain activity of 32 babies while they had blood tests. Half were stroked with a soft brush beforehand and they showed 40% less pain activity […]
An overactive immune system may help explain the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, scientists from King’s College London have suggested. Many sufferers of CFS, or ME, say their condition began with a challenge to their immune system like an infection. The scientists studied 55 patients with Hepatitis C who were given a drug that causes […]
A federal judge in the US state of Texas has ruled that a key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional. Twenty states argued the whole law was invalidated by a change in tax rules last year which eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance. President Donald Trump […]
A baby girl who was diagnosed with Ebola when she was only six days old has survived, health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed. Baby Benedicte’s mother was infected with Ebola and died during childbirth. Benedicte showed symptoms only days later and it has taken five weeks of round-the-clock treatment to […]
A disabled woman died after having all her teeth removed by a dentist at an NHS trust criticised for its “drastic” full extractions from other vulnerable patients. Rachel Johnston underwent the operation after it was deemed necessary because of severe tooth decay. But she collapsed hours after being discharged and spent days on a life-support […]