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Ambulance crews in England to get body cameras after 30% rise in assaults

Thousands of ambulance crews in England will be given body cameras after a sharp rise in attacks on NHS staff treating patients, the government has announced. Data shows that 3,569 ambulance staff were physically assaulted by members of the public last year – 30% more than in 2016-17.

The plans come after successful trials in London and the north-east. The cameras will be given to crews in 10 ambulance trusts across the country. Medics will wear the cameras and be able to press a button to start recording if patients or the public become aggressive or abusive, and the film will be given to the police where needed.

Prerana Issar, the chief people officer for the NHS, said: “Every member of our dedicated and hardworking NHS staff has the fundamental right to be safe at work and it is our priority to eliminate violence and abuse, which we will not tolerate. As well as reducing the number of incidents towards our staff, these cameras are a vital step towards ensuring our people feel safe too.”

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Source: The Guardian, 2 June 2021

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Ambulance chief calls out acute trust over ‘lack of action’ on handover delays

An ambulance service has raised concerns over the record number of ‘hours lost’ to handover delays at an acute hospital on its patch, which it says is happening despite the number of arrivals being at its lowest level in seven years.

West Midlands Ambulance Service University Foundation Trust has said the situation at Royal Stoke Hospital presents a “significant risk to patient safety”, but “we don’t currently see actions being taken that are reducing this risk”.

It comes amid rising frustrations from ambulance chiefs around the country at a perceived lack of support from acute hospitals around handover delays. Ambulance response times for some of the most serious 999 calls have ballooned in recent months, in part due to lengthy handover delays at emergency departments.

In a letter sent to a member of the public on 31 March, Mark Docherty, director of nursing at WMAS, said: “WMAS [is] experiencing difficulties as a direct result of delays in patient handovers at acute hospitals. We have been highlighting our concerns for over six years as the situation has become progressively worse every year."

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Source: HSJ, 10 April 2022

 

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Ambulance calls for most serious conditions hit record

Last month saw the highest number of ambulance callouts for life-threatening conditions since records began, NHS England officials say.

There were more than 85,000 category one calls, for situations like cardiac arrests and people stopping breathing.

The heatwave could have been one reason for increased demand, but experts say hospitals already face immense pressures.

Nearly 30,000 patients waited more than 12 hours to be admitted to hospital.

The number is up 33% on the previous month and the highest since records began in 2010.

Richard Murray, chief executive of The King's Fund said the pressure on hospitals was also being felt right across the health and social care system.

He added: "At the end of July, 13,014 people were still in hospital beds despite being medically fit to be discharged, often due to a lack of available social care support. The challenges affecting the NHS cannot be solved without addressing the issues in social care."

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Source BBC News, 12 August 2022

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Amber alert issued as NHS faces critical shortage of O type blood

A perfect storm of increased demand of O type blood from hospitals following the recent cyber attack which has impacted London hospitals and reduced collections due to high levels of unfilled appointments at donor centers in town and city centers, has caused stocks of blood to drop to unprecedentedly low levels.  

NHS Blood and Transplant has written to hospitals today to issue an “Amber Alert” asking them to restrict the use of O type blood to essential cases and use substitutions where clinically safe to do so. O negative and O positive donors are asked to urgently book and fill appointments at donor centers. 

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Source: Medical Life Sciences, 29 July 2024

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Amanda Pritchard quits as NHS England chief executive in shock move

Amanda Pritchard is standing down as chief executive of NHS England, in a development that will shock the health service.

Her departure from the top job follows recent meetings she held with Wes Streeting, the health secretary, to discuss his plans to overhaul the service and her own future role.

Her meeting with Streeting on Monday proved pivotal. Well-placed sources say her exit after three and a half years in the post is amicable and that she has not been forced out.

It will be confirmed in an official announcement on Tuesday afternoon, which is expected to portray her stepping down as a voluntary decision after much consideration.

But it comes less than a month after two influential House of Commons committees made unusual criticisms of her suitability to lead the NHS through a period of what Streeting and Keir Starmer have said will be the biggest overhaul since the service’s creation in 1948.

The public accounts committee said that she, her deputy, Julian Kelly, and two senior civil servants at the Department of Health and Social Care were “complacent” and lacked dynamism.

Barely 12 hours later, MPs on the health and social care committee went public with their doubts about Pritchard shortly after she had given two hours of evidence to them.

In a statement, the cross-party committee said she had not demonstrated that she had the “drive and dynamism” to transform the NHS in the radical and urgent way the government wanted. A lack of “sharpness” in her answers had left committee members “exasperated”, it added.

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Source: The Guardian, 25 February 2025

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Alzheimer’s drugs ‘make no meaningful difference to patients’, major review suggests

Drugs aimed at slowing Alzheimer's disease progression "make no meaningful difference to patients" while raising the risk of brain swelling and bleeding, a new review has claimed.

However, charities have swiftly challenged these findings, accusing experts of unfairly combining failed and successful drug trials.

Researchers behind the review stated that the effects of these medicines on individuals with early-stage Alzheimer's and dementia were "either absent or consistently small".

Edo Richard, a professor of neurology at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, noted his team observed "results from trials over the last two decades 'are not consistent'".

Charities argue that the review's authors have attempted to "paint an entire class of drugs with the same brush", potentially undermining the benefits of certain treatments. Anti-amyloid medicines work by binding to and clearing protein deposits in the brains of those with Alzheimer's, a process intended to slow cognitive decline.

The treatments were not approved for use on the NHS after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) deemed their benefits “too small” to justify the cost.

The new Cochrane review looked at 17 studies involving 20,342 patients overall.

The analysis found that the effects of these drugs on cognitive function and dementia severity after 18 months was “trivial”.

According to Prof Richard, the differences made by the treatments were “far below the minimal effect that’s needed to be noticeable at all for patients and caregivers”.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the charity regularly heard from families impacted by dementia who said that even a delay of several months in their loved one’s decline “could provide valuable, meaningful time” that “shouldn’t be minimised”.

She said: “Crucially, this study is attempting to paint an entire class of drugs with the same brush even though we know different anti-amyloid treatments can act in different ways.

“Anti-amyloid treatments will not be the whole answer to curing Alzheimer’s, and research is already moving towards a wider range of biological targets.

“But it’s not accurate to dismiss their impact as ‘trivial’, especially when the analysis has clear constraints that limit what it can tell us.”

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Source: The Independent, 16 April 2026

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Alzheimer’s disease signs seen in Covid patients suffering neurological symptoms

Covid-19 may cause early onset Alzheimer’s disease in patients who suffer neurological symptoms such as brain fog or loss of smell and taste. A separate study has also found patients with coronavirus may be more susceptible to long-term memory and thinking problems.

In Alzheimer’s patients, researchers have found higher levels of markers in the blood of people who had suffered neurological complications after being infected with the virus. 

“These new data point to disturbing trends, showing Covid-19 infections leading to lasting cognitive impairment and even Alzheimer’s symptoms. With more than 190 million cases and nearly 4 million deaths worldwide, Covid-19 has devastated the entire world. It is imperative that we continue to study what this virus is doing to our bodies and brains.” said Heather M Snyder, Alzheimer’s Association vice-president for medical and scientific relations.

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Source: The Independent, 29 July 2021

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Alzheimer's blood test could 'revolutionise' diagnosis

More than 1,000 people across the UK with suspected dementia are to be offered a blood test for Alzheimer's disease which it is hoped could revolutionise diagnosis of the disease.

The blood test can detect biomarkers for rogue proteins which accumulate in the brains of patients with the condition and will be used in addition to pen and paper cognitive tests, which often misdiagnose it in its early stages.

Scientists leading the trial at University College London believe the blood test will improve the accuracy of diagnosis from 70% to more than 90% and want to see how that helps patients and clinicians.

Patients will be recruited at 20 memory clinics as part of the study, which aims to see how well the test works within the NHS.

The new blood test, which costs around £100, measures a biomarker called p-tau217, which reflects the presence of both proteins.

Previously, the only way to confirm Alzheimer's was by specialist PET brain scans and lumbar punctures to extract cerebrospinal fluid.

However, these "gold standard" tests are not part of routine Alzheimer's diagnosis and only 2% of patients ever receive them.

Professor Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Our recent Lived Experience Survey revealed that only a third of people with dementia felt their experience of the diagnosis process was positive, while many reported being afraid of receiving a diagnosis.

"As a result, too often, dementia is diagnosed late, limiting access to support, treatment and opportunities to plan ahead."

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Source: BBC News, 9 September 2025

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Alternative to epidural recommended for women in labour

Women in labour should be offered an alternative to an epidural spinal block injection, say new draft guidelines for the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending remifentanil, which is a fast-acting morphine-like drug given into a vein.

Women control the medication themselves, by pressing a button to get more of the drug for pain relief. A timer ensures the user cannot administer too much of it.

Women who decide to try remifentanil and do not like it could still decide to have an epidural instead if there is no medical reason why they should not.

They can use gas and air, also called Entonox, which is a mix of oxygen and nitrous oxide, at the same time.

NICE says having remifentanil as a treatment option has advantages - it might enable women to be more mobile than with an epidural, which makes the legs numb and weak, for example.

Evidence suggests fewer epidurals might mean fewer births using instruments like forceps and ventouse vacuum suction, says NICE.

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Source: BBC News, 25 April 2023

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Almost two thirds of doctors worry that COVID-19 has indirectly harmed their patients

A survey of members of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found that almost two thirds (60%) of doctors worry that patients in their care have suffered harm or complications following diagnosis or treatment delays during the pandemic, while almost all doctors (94%) are concerned about the general indirect impact of COVID-19 on their patients.

This is also compounded by the difficulty doctors are finding in accessing diagnostic testing for their patients. Only 29% of doctors report experiencing no delays in accessing endoscopy testing (one of the main diagnostic tests used by doctors) for inpatients, decreasing to just 8% for outpatients.

Only 5% of doctors feel that their organisations are fully prepared for a potential second wave of COVID-19 infection, and almost two thirds (64%) say they haven’t been involved in any discussions about preparations for a second wave of the virus.

While the government’s promise to roll out flu vaccines to millions more people is welcome, the RCP recently set several more priorities to help prepare the health service for future waves of COVID-19, including the need to ensure the NHS estate is fully able to cope.

Only 5% say they wanted an antibody test for COVID-19 but were unable to access one. Of those tested, a quarter (25%) were positive, with little or no difference when it came to gender, between white and BAME doctors, trainees and consultants or between London and the rest of England.

Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Delays to treatment are so often a major issue for the NHS but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s fair to say we’ve reached crisis point. Doctors are, understandably, gravely concerned that their patients’ health will have deteriorated to the point where they will need much more extensive treatment than previously, at a time when NHS resources are already incredibly depleted."

“We also cannot underestimate the need to prepare for a second wave of COVID-19 infection, which threatens to compound the situation. Without careful and rigorous preparation, a second wave coupled with the winter flu season, could overwhelm the NHS.”

Source: Royal College of Physicians, 5 August 2020

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Almost one in three doctors investigated by GMC ‘have suicidal thoughts’

Almost one in three UK doctors investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) think about taking their own life, a survey has found.

Many doctors under investigation feel they are treated as “guilty until proven innocent” and face “devastating” consequences, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) said.

Its survey of 197 doctors investigated by the GMC over the last five years found:

  • 31% said they had suicidal thoughts.
  • 8% had quit medicine and another 29% had thought about doing so.
  • 78% said the investigation damaged their mental health.
  • 91% said it triggered stress and anxiety.

The MPS, which represents doctors accused of wrongdoing, accused the GMC of lacking compassion, being heavy-handed and failing to appreciate its impact on doctors.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 April 2023

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Almost one in five NHS operations now carried out in private hospitals

Nearly one in five NHS operations are now being carried out in private hospitals or clinics, new analysis reveals.

Data from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) revealed that private facilities delivered the equivalent of 2,859 NHS procedures every working day in April.

The figure is an increase of over 60% compared to the same month in 2019, and a record high.

Overall, the independent sector is delivering 10% of all NHS planned care, up from 8% before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The IHPN also said that the number of referrals it had received also reached a new high, with private providers receiving 7,162 referrals each working day in April.

David Hare, chief executive of the IHPN, said that this latest data “shows the independent sector’s increasingly pivotal role in delivering frontline NHS care”.

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Source: The Independent, 2 July 2025

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Almost nine in ten maternity services experienced decline in 'emergency pregnancy appointments amid pandemic'

Almost nine in ten maternity services experienced a decline in emergency pregnancy appointments during the pandemic due to women avoiding healthcare providers amid coronavirus chaos, a study has found.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who carried out the research, said women refrained from attending appointments due to anxiety around going into a hospital and fears of overwhelming the NHS, as well as not being clear if the appointments were essential.

Researchers found 70% of maternity services reported a reduction in antenatal appointments, while 60% of units stopped the option of giving birth at home or in a midwife-led unit. Over half of services said postnatal appointments after childbirth had been reduced.

The findings come as maternity services warn staff must not be sent to work in other parts of the hospital in the wake of a second wave of coronavirus.

Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives, who together represent the overwhelming bulk of maternity staff, say there must not be a repeat of the acute and widespread maternity staff shortages which played out during the health emergency’s peak.

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Source: The Independent, 30 September 2020

 

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Almost half of UK adults struggling to get prescription drugs amid shortages

Almost half of adults in the UK have struggled to get medicine they have been prescribed – and more people blame Brexit than anything else for the situation, research shows.

Forty-nine per cent of people said they had had trouble getting a prescription dispensed over the past two years, the period during which supply problems have increased sharply.

Drug shortages are so serious that 1 in 12 Britons were unable to find the medication they needed, despite asking a number of pharmacies.

The survey of 2,028 people representative of the population, undertaken by Opinium for the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), found that:

  • One in 12 people (8%) have gone without a medication altogether because it was impossible to obtain.
  • Thirty-one per cent found the drug they needed was out of stock at their pharmacy.
  • Twenty-three per cent of pharmacies did not have enough of the medication available.

“Shortages are deeply worrying for patients’ physical health, alongside the stress of not knowing if an essential medicine will be available,” said Mark Samuels, the chief executive of the BGMA.

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Source: The Guardian, 16 June 2024

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Almost half of primary teachers in England see pupils with eating disorders, survey finds

Almost half of primary school teachers are seeing pupils with eating disorders “at least occasionally”, rising to four in five at secondary level, according to a survey by the UK’s largest education union.

The findings emerged in a poll of 10,000 teachers in English state schools about pupils’ mental health, which also revealed “overwhelming” exam anxiety in secondaries and dwindling numbers of counsellors to support students.

Asked whether they had observed children showing signs of an eating disorder in the past year, 45% of primary teachers and 78% of secondary teachers said they had seen it at least occasionally.

Of those, 4% at primary level said they saw evidence of eating disorders “regularly”, compared with 14% of secondary teachers and 20% in special schools and pupil referral units.

The National Education Union (NEU) poll also revealed that two-thirds (68%) of secondary school teachers who responded regularly encountered absenteeism linked to students’ mental ill-health.

The rise in mental health problems among children and young people is well documented. A study published in the Lancet last year reported a 65% increase in annual hospital admissions between 2012-3 and 2021-2 for children and young people aged five to 18 with mental health concerns. Increases were “particularly steep” for eating disorders, rising from 478 to 2,938 over the same period – an increase of 515%.

The consultant paediatrician Dr Lee Hudson said eating disorders had become more common but pointed out that the term covered a wide spectrum of conditions, not just anorexia.

He said young children could have early anorexia or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (Arfid), characterised by limiting food type or quantity. “Eating disorders have become more common. We know it’s going up, but we don’t know why,” he said.

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Source: The Guardian, 1 April 2026

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Almost half of doctors sexually harassed by patients, research finds

Almost half of doctors internationally have been sexually harassed by patients, new research has found, prompting calls for medics to be given panic alarms to help repel such behaviour.

Globally, 45% of doctors have suffered sexual harassment of different sorts from patients, according to a review covering seven countries published in the Internal Medicine Journal.

More than half (52.2%) of female doctors have experienced sexual harassment, which means they are much more likely to be affected than their male counterparts (34.4%), the academics found.

Doctors are subjected to many types of sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual attention and patients telling jokes of a sexual nature, asking them out on dates, touching them inappropriately and sending them romantic messages or letters.

Dr Kamau-Mitchell, one of the authors of the paper, said the high prevalence of sexual harassment by patients should impel hospitals, clinics and other healthcare providers to take firm action to safeguard doctors.

“I recommend that hospitals and clinics take these findings seriously, giving doctors who work in isolated wards, on night shifts or alone protection such as CCTV and panic alarms,” she said.

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Source: The Guardian, 9 September 2024

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Almost half of consultant anaesthetists have had a car accident or near miss on their commute home because of fatigue

A survey of consultants in anaesthesia and paediatric intensive care working in the UK and Ireland found that most had experienced work related fatigue.

The survey, published in Anaesthesia, received 3847 responses from consultants working in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Most (91%) said that they had experienced work related fatigue and 72% said that this had a moderate or significant negative impact on their social and family life.

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Source: BMJ, 3 September 2019

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Almost half of antidepressant users could quit with GP support, study finds

Almost half of long-term antidepressant users could stop taking the medication with GP support and access to internet or telephone helplines, a study suggests.

Scientists said more than 40% of people involved in the research who were well and not at risk of relapse managed to come off the drugs with advice from their doctors.

They also discovered that patients who could access online support and psychologists by phone had lower rates of depression, fewer withdrawal symptoms and reported better mental wellbeing.

Prof Tony Kendrick, of Southampton University, who was the lead author of the research, said the findings were significant because they showed high numbers of patients withdrawing from the drugs without the need for costly intense therapy sessions.

He said: “This approach could eliminate the risk of serious side-effects for patients using antidepressants for long periods who have concerns about withdrawal.

“Offering patients internet and psychologist telephone support is also cost-effective for the NHS. Our findings show that support not only improves patient outcomes but also tends to reduce the burden on primary healthcare while people taper off antidepressants.”

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Source: The Guardian, 26 June 2024

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Almost a third of people in England use private dentists amid NHS dental crisis

Almost a third of people in England now use private dentistry, with a sharp rise in the number of poorer households forced to pay for fillings and extractions.

The scarcity of NHS care means the proportion of people turning to private dental services jumped from 22% in 2023 to 32% late last year, the health service’s patient watchdog found.

The reliance on paid-for treatment is so significant that dental care is becoming a costly “one tier” – private-only – service for more and more people, Healthwatch England is warning.

It is concerned that the percentage of people who describe themselves as struggling financially that have used private dentistry has almost doubled in recent years from 14% to 27%.

“Our findings are a warning that for some people there’s only one-tier dental care – private,” said Rebecca Curtayne, Healthwatch England’s acting head of policy, public affairs and research. “It’s the most vulnerable people in our society who bear the brunt of the ongoing shortage of NHS dental appointments.

“Too many people on low income are being forced into private care they struggle to afford, or are going without treatment altogether. The system is failing those who need it most.”

The big shift to private dental care showed NHS dentistry “exists in name only for many people”, the Patients Association said.

“This report is yet further damning evidence on the state of NHS dentistry and this double penalty for people on low incomes demonstrates a systemic failure with real human consequences,” said Rachel Power, the association’s chief executive.

“This isn’t just about the cost of dentistry. The lack of affordable dental care harms physical health, leaves people in ongoing, sometimes agonising, pain, and can take a heavy toll on mental and emotional wellbeing.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 March 2026

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Almost a quarter of UK GPs are seeing obese children aged four and under

Almost a quarter of GPs are seeing children aged four or under who are obese, according to a survey of UK family doctors.

The “alarming” research also found that almost half (49%) of GPs have seen boys and girls up to the age of seven who have obesity, including a handful younger than a year old.

However, four out of five family doctors find it difficult to talk to children or their parents about the condition, in case such conversations make them feel upset, angry or ashamed.

Dr John Holden, the chief medical officer at the medical organisation MDDUS, which ran the survey, said: “These findings are an alarming confirmation of the growing crisis of childhood obesity across the country and the very real difficulties this creates in everyday GP consultations.”

The survey asked 540 family doctors about their experience of managing obesity, the explosion in the use of weight loss drugs and what widespread levels of dangerous overweight means for the NHS.

  • Almost one in four (23%) said they had seen children aged zero to four where obesity was a clinical concern.
  • Among the doctors, 81% have seen obesity in those between their first 12 months and the age of 11.
  • Four in five (80%) find it somewhat or very challenging to talk to the parents of an obese child under the age of 16 about their weight and health, with only 10% saying that is easy to do.
  • Nearly two thirds (65%) find it hard to talk to obese young people themselves, with just 20% saying that is easy.

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Source: The Guardian, 25 January 2026

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Almost a quarter of elective operations in England cancelled at last minute took longer than 28 days to rearrange

Almost a quarter of elective operations in NHS hospitals in England that were cancelled at the last minute took longer than the required 28 days to rearrange, figures show.

They also reveal that the number of cancellations breaching the 28-day standard for a new date has more than doubled within a decade, from 9,000 in 2015-16 to 19,400 in 2024-25.

The figures obtained by the House of Commons library on behalf of the Liberal Democrats show that a decade ago only 7% of cancelled elective operations were not rearranged within 28 days. Last year’s total of 19,400 cancellations not rearranged in time represents 23% of the 85,400 operations due to take place.

This figure was also up by 1,500 from the previous year – an increase of 8%.

Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem health and social care spokesperson, said the figures showed patients were being abandoned.

She said: “Patients are being left in the lurch, forced to wait in pain and distress for potentially life-altering operations. Each of these delays represents an extra month that someone’s misery is prolonged.”

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Source: The Guardian, 26 March 2025

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Almost a fifth of nurses say a negative workplace culture forced them to leave profession

Almost a fifth of nurses who left the profession cited a negative workplace culture as a reason for leaving along with almost a quarter saying they were under too much pressure.

The nursing regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) warned there could be an exodus of registered nurses after the coronavirus pandemic in its latest annual report.

Despite a record number of nurses and midwives joining the profession across the UK, the NMC said pressure on frontline nurses could drive many away.

In a survey of 5,639 nurses who left the register between July 2019 and June 2020, the NMC found that after retirement as the most common reason for leaving, almost a quarter of nurses (23%) said they left their jobs because of "too much pressure", leading to stress and poor mental health.

A total of 18% blamed a negative workplace culture as the reason to leave.

The NMC report warned: “These issues existed before the pandemic, and may well outlast it, further disrupting an already fatigued nursing and midwifery workforce. If not addressed, this could have a significant impact on the number of people we report leaving our register over the next year and beyond.”

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Source: The Independent, 20 May 2021

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Almost 900 excess deaths from long A&E waits in Scotland as ‘heartbreaking’ state of hospital system laid bare

Responding to analysis from the Scottish Liberal Democrats, which suggested that there were 871 deaths in Emergency Departments (EDs) associated with a 12 or more hour wait for admission, Dr Fiona Hunter, Royal College of Emergency Medicine Vice President for Scotland, said: “These harrowing figures show that something must change in the approach to fixing the crisis in our EDs.  

“Heartbreaking doesn’t cover it. Each of these 871 people may have had families and friends who would have had to face the devastating reality that their loved one died not because they were too sick to treat, but because our hospitals don’t have the capacity to look after them properly.  

“Patients enduring these long waits are often the sickest or most injured, in need of further care on a ward. But a lack of beds, driven in large part by delayed discharges, meant they had to wait in A&E – and this can go on for hours and hours.  

“Almost 900 people may have paid the ultimate price for this complete breakdown in hospital flow.  

“Last year, RCEM published figures for 2024, which suggested there were 818 excess deaths associated with 12 hour waits in EDs. Today’s figures suggest that the problem is getting worse, not better.  

“Whoever forms the next government cannot ignore this problem. The numbers speak for themselves: more people will die, who otherwise would go home to their families, if overcrowding and long waits in ED aren’t fixed. 

“Addressing the ‘back door’ blockage of hospitals must be a priority for all political parties. Only then will the needless and agonising waits, and the avoidable deaths they cause, stop.  

“These are fixable issues and we encourage all political parties to make this a priority. Lives are at stake.”  

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Source: Royal College of Emergency Medicine, 7 March 2026

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Almost 780,000 on NHS Scotland waiting lists

Almost 780,000 Scots found themselves on an NHS waiting list for an appointment, treatment, or test, new figures show.

Statistics published on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland show a rise in the number of people waiting, from 772,887 on December 31 to 779,533 as of March 31. Some 479,725 people were waiting for an outpatient appointment on March 31, an increase of 0.5% (2,617) from December 31 and 14.5% higher than the same date last year.

Since March 2020 – the beginning of lockdowns in response to the pandemic in the UK – the waiting list has grown by 87%. A Scottish Government target aims to ensure 95% of patients are seen within 12 weeks. Of those waits, 31,498 people had been waiting longer than 1 year for their procedure, the figures show.

Humza Yousaf, Scotland's First Minister said: "There’s going to be a long way to go. The recovery plan is purposely a 5-year recovery plan because we know that recovery from the pandemic—which was the biggest shock the NHS faced for almost 75 years—is going to take us not weeks or months, but years to recover from."

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Source: Medscape, 31 May 2023

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Almost 70% of US adults would be deemed obese based on new definition, study finds

Almost 70% of adults in the US would be deemed to have obesity based on a new definition, research suggests.

The traditional definition of obesity, typically based on having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, has long been contentious, not least as it does not differentiate between fat and muscle.

In an effort to tackle the issue, in January medical experts from around the world called for a new definition to be adopted. This would encompass people either with a BMI greater than 40; or those with a high BMI and at least one raised figure for measures such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to-height ratio; or those with two such raised figures regardless of BMI; or those with direct measures of excess body fat based on scans.

Now research suggests the revamped definition could result in a dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity among adults in the US.

Dr Lindsay Fourman, the first author of the study, from Mass General Brigham in the US, said the increase in obesity prevalence based on the new definition was striking, and was largely driven by people who would not have been considered to have obesity based on their BMI alone.

“Recognising people with [this type of] obesity can lead to more accurate health risk stratification,” she said. “For example, someone with BMI 23 but excess abdominal fat could benefit from lifestyle interventions such as improving diet and increasing physical activity, even though their BMI is in the “normal” range. Their physician might also more closely monitor for obesity-related complications such as pre-diabetes or fatty liver.”

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Source: The Guardian, 15 October 2025

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