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BBC News - Health

How the UK planned for the wrong pandemic

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:28:01 GMT

Over-confidence, wasted opportunities and muddled-thinking left UK sleep-walking into Covid.

Can health secretary name NHS trusts performing well?

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 09:09:11 GMT

Victoria Atkins is challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists.

The junior doctors' strikes may be over. But is trouble ahead?

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:43:02 GMT

The end of the pay dispute sounded too good to be true. And now some are wondering if it might be.

A 24-hour party of pain - a day and night running round a track

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 23:01:19 GMT

In a quiet corner of London a small group of extraordinary runners complete laps of an athletics track for a day and a night. Why do they do it? And how far do they go?

'Blood compensation comes too late for my husband'

Tue, 21 May 2024 12:10:43 GMT

The government announced what it calls a "comprehensive" compensation scheme on Tuesday.

Eye and ear checks to be offered to autistic students at school

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 23:02:33 GMT

An NHS scheme is bringing checks into special schools to help identify issues sooner.

Covid was like a daily terror attack, doctor tells inquiry

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 14:06:37 GMT

Covid inquiry hears harrowing testimony from ex-adviser in emergency preparedness at NHS England.

UK firm GSK to pay $2.2bn over Zantac cancer claims

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 03:56:41 GMT

The firm has reached agreements with law firms representing about 80,000, or 93%, of claimants.

We were not treated as parents, Covid inquiry told

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:11:38 GMT

Mum of premature twins says rigid restrictions on birthing wards during Covid were traumatic.

One in three children short-sighted, study suggests

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 02:05:57 GMT

There was a notable rise after Covid when children spent less time outdoors, researchers say.

Covid inquiry: The UK pandemic in numbers

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:18:18 GMT

Explore the data on how the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in the UK.

Corruption review finds 'red flags' in more than 130 Covid contracts

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 00:04:10 GMT

An anti-corruption charity finds significant concerns in £15.3bn worth of contracts awarded during the pandemic.

'I'm too tired to chew food but still can't get care for my ME'

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 01:45:19 GMT

What is NHS care like for people with severe ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome?

Why we might never know the truth about ultra-processed foods

Sat, 27 Jul 2024 23:33:23 GMT

Experts can’t agree how exactly they affect us and it’s not clear that science will give us an answer.

Children used as 'guinea pigs' in clinical trials

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:00:43 GMT

They were given infected blood products in trials without their knowledge, the BBC has found.

How many of us will end up being diagnosed with ADHD?

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:36:40 GMT

Experts suggest that the number of people with ADHD is actually going to remain steady.

Infected blood inquiry: Five things we have learned

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 15:34:45 GMT

An inquiry into the "worst treatment disaster in NHS history" hears its final evidence.

Paris: Grassroots to Glory

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 05:01:00 GMT

The Paralympic Rowing Cox will compete a year after getting the all clear from cancer.

Inquiry under way into 2,000 mental health deaths

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 11:23:30 GMT

Baroness Lampard says the inquiry is "of the gravest concern and significance" as it opens in Essex.

What is the infected blood scandal?

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 11:13:14 GMT

Thousands were infected with HIV and hepatitis C, in the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.

Covid ambulance crews faced 'crucial PPE delays'

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 14:39:04 GMT

Crews say they faced crucial delays trying to save dying patients because of the time it took to put on equipment.

'Kris is still saving lives,' says twin of late breast cancer campaigner

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 02:14:59 GMT

Maren Sheldon says her sister Kris - founder of charity Coppafeel - was a "beacon of hope" for many people.

'There are loads of people that vape at school'

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:54:43 GMT

A group of teenagers in Fife have been making a documentary about the impact of disposable vapes.

What is the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia?

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 15:38:22 GMT

Many countries have legalised assisted dying, assisted suicide or euthanasia, which are different.

Nurses bore the brunt of Covid, ex-chief nurse says

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 15:58:13 GMT

Dame Ruth May tells the Covid inquiry nurses struggled with low staffing levels and difficulties accessing protective equipment.

‘I grieve for the person I was before' - Covid inquiry to begin new phase

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 01:13:17 GMT

The Covid inquiry opens its next set of hearings on Monday, looking at the impact on healthcare and the NHS.

Covid inquiry rejects clinicians’ anonymity plea

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:11:07 GMT

The UK Health Security Agency argued naming the junior officials could put them at risk of abuse.

Are weight-loss injections the answer to obesity?

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:52:45 GMT

The appeal is clear - but should we be turning to appetite-suppressing injections?

How Dame Deborah James helped save a mum's life

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 09:06:52 GMT

A mother-of-three shared her story with Dame Deborah's mother Heather on BBC Breakfast.

High-grade masks evidence weak, Covid inquiry told

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 11:39:28 GMT

UKHSA's Prof Susan Hopkins said respirator masks may have worked no better than thin surgical masks.

'I embrace my alopecia, but I’d love my old hair back’

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 23:36:30 GMT

People living with alopecia could have access to treatment on the NHS in Scotland for the first time.

Infected blood victims could get £2m compensation

Tue, 21 May 2024 15:32:17 GMT

Government unveils package after final report of public inquiry into scandal published on Monday.

I lost mum, dad and sister to HIV in blood scandal

Mon, 13 May 2024 04:45:05 GMT

Families torn apart by the infected blood scandal break their silence to BBC Panorama.

Fly brain breakthrough 'huge leap' to unlock human mind

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 15:00:20 GMT

A new map showing 50 million neural connections is a 'huge leap' to understanding our own brains.

Peanut allergy warning over dips and sandwiches

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:29:59 GMT

People with a peanut allergy are advised to avoid eating foods that may contain mustard.

'Our son died. Now we can use his sperm to have a grandchild'

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 08:47:10 GMT

An Indian court has cleared the way for a couple to use their dead son's frozen sperm.

Melanoma skin cancer cases rising in UK

Sun, 26 May 2024 23:40:31 GMT

The biggest increase is among the over 80s, with a marked rise in cases in adults aged 25-49.

How 175 British children were infected with HIV

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:23:44 GMT

Families of some of those affected are giving evidence at a public inquiry into the treatment disaster.

New XEC Covid variant: What are the symptoms and is it spreading in the UK?

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:20:30 GMT

XEC has some new mutations that might help it spread this autumn, scientists say.

‘I nearly died drinking a ginger beer – my school’s EpiPen saved my life’

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 01:12:16 GMT

Campaigners want businesses to have EpiPens on hand to treat people having dangerous allergic reactions.

Time to fix NHS as long waits continue, experts say

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:40:01 GMT

Government is urged to show commitment to the NHS at the Budget, as experts sound the alarm over missed targets.

Man says he has been 'left to rot' after Covid vaccine

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 09:16:01 GMT

Larry Lowe used to have an active life but says everyday tasks are now beyond him.

Covid inquiry told of trust do-not-resuscitate rule

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 16:54:11 GMT

Patients' families were “horrified but not surprised” when told the blanket policy had been in place.

What is mpox and how is it spread?

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:09:05 GMT

Mpox, which used to be called monkeypox, is declared a global public health emergency.

Will I be diagnosed with Alzheimer's like my mother?

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 05:28:57 GMT

Broadcaster Sally Magnusson faces the dilemma of whether to take part in research that could indicate if she is likely to develop the condition.

The places with the worst GP shortages revealed

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 23:37:55 GMT

Patient numbers per GP are twice as high in some areas than others, as list sizes jump 17% since 2015.

Paris: Grassroots to Glory

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 09:43:25 GMT

The Rugby 7s player has struggled with body image in the past, but says sport has helped

'An abuse by people supposedly there to care'

Mon, 20 May 2024 18:26:15 GMT

Victims of the scandal said they had been "gaslit for generations" and felt "vindicated" by the report.

Immunotherapy saved my life. Can research improve the odds for others?

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:33:55 GMT

Researchers are looking at making immunotherapy a much more effective treatment for cancer.

Slimming jabs: 'I thought my body was shutting down'

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 06:19:44 GMT

BBC Investigations speaks to people damaged by illegal and often fake slimming drug injection kits.

What is the UK Covid inquiry and how does it work?

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 09:23:46 GMT

The next public hearings will consider how the pandemic affected healthcare systems across the UK.