Midwives are to be told to stop refusing epidurals to women in labour after a government probe found that many are being denied pain relief despite asking for it. Epidurals should be given to women if they want them, guidelines from the NHS watchdog says, usually within an hour. But the inquiry by the Department … Read more
Someone who is infected with the coronavirus can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. More than 3,200 people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and over 94,000 have been infected. Here’s what we know so far: What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of … Read more
Patients will be offered video appointments to prevent them turning up at overstretched and overcrowded hospitals. As the entire NHS was put on the highest level of alert to deal with coronavirus, it emerged Skype calls will be given to those with long-term conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, who attend regular outpatient clinics. … Read more
The cost of an NHS prescription will rise to £9.15 this year, the Government has announced. Patients in England will have to pay an extra 15p to collect their medicines from a pharmacy from April 1. This increase in cost is ‘in line with inflation’, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, led … Read more
As many as two million Britons are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next five years, according to alarming new NHS figures. They have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, or pre-diabetes — unhealthily high blood sugar levels. If they don’t take action, they could soon be joining the four million or so already diagnosed with … Read more
Someone who is infected with the coronavirus can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. More than 3,000 people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and almost 90,000 have been infected. Here’s what we know so far: What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of … Read more
Every week for nearly a year, Lorraine Shilcock attended an hour-long counselling session paid for by the NHS. She needed the therapy, which ended in November, to cope with the terrifying nightmares that would wake her five or six times a night, and the haunting daytime flashbacks which turned her into a trembling wreck. Lorraine, … Read more
Full-fat milk will NOT make children obese despite health officials advising parents to pick semi-skimmed, study finds NHS say it’s best to opt for lower fat milks from childhood because of obesity risk Australian researchers found no clear link after a review of 29 studies globally They said giving your child anything but full fat … Read more
Police could ignore low-level crime and troops could be deployed on the streets as part of the government’s dramatic ‘battle plan’ if coronavirus takes hold in the UK – amid warnings it could incapacitate a fifth of the workforce. Patients not suffering from the disease could also be sent home from hospital, and local authorities … Read more
Call in the ploggers! That’s the name for these joggers who pick up litter while they run in a group led by an NHS worker, 50, who has lived with a ‘zero waste’ policy for the past decade The ploggers are a ground of friends who rid the streets of litter as they jog Group … Read more