BBC to provide information about abortions after Call The Midwife row
The BBC has bowed to pressure to provide viewers with information about abortion after being criticised following a row sparked by an episode of Call The Midwife.
NHS
‘I’ve just loved my job’: North-east nurse retires after 54 years with NHS
A district nurse who spent nights providing care for terminally-ill patients has retired after more than half a century.
Half of hip replacements last 25 years, researchers say
More than half of hip replacements last at least a quarter of a century in patients, new analysis suggests.
BBC did not give advice on abortion after Call The Midwife episode says charity
The BBC has refused to offer abortion advice because the issue is too “contentious” and treated it as a political matter, a health charity has claimed.
Too many men diagnosed with prostate cancer late – charity
Too many men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer after the disease has spread, a charity has said.
A&E waits at worst level for 15 years
A&E waiting times in England have reached their worst level since records began, data shows.
Statins for more at-risk adults under plans to tackle heart attacks and strokes
Statins will be given to more adults at risk of heart attacks and strokes under new plans to prevent thousands of cases.
NHS should ditch letters for email, Health Secretary to say
The NHS should email patients rather than rely on letters – which can mean “the difference between life and death” if lost, the Health Secretary is expected to say.
About 5,500 fracture patients to have X-rays reviewed after mix-up
About 5,500 patients who suffered fractures are to have their X-rays reviewed after a mix-up at a trust meant some patients were fitted with the wrong metal plates.
More than 100 patients left waiting for 12 hours or more in A&E in a week
Hospital accident and emergency departments kept more than 100 patients waiting for more than 12 hours in one week, new figures have revealed.
Government launches recruitment drive for adult social care
The Government has launched a recruitment campaign to try to plug a hole of 110,000 vacancies in the social care workforce.
Hundreds of people dying while waiting to leave hospital, Scottish Labour claims
At least 300 people died while waiting to be discharged from hospital last year, new figures uncovered by Scottish Labour have indicated.
NHS tech less advanced than Tesco’s, warns Hancock
Supermarket chain Tesco has more advanced technology than the NHS, the Health Secretary has said.
New drug that could save young leukaemia patients’ lives approved for NHS use
A potentially life-saving new treatment for children with a rare form of leukaemia is being made available on the NHS – but a drug for adults with blood cancer has been rejected.
Hundreds of contaminated blood files ‘checked out by Government officials’
Hundreds of files relating to contaminated blood were removed by Government officials and went missing, it has emerged.
Scottish health boards owed £3.2m by foreign patients, report finds
Scottish health boards are owed more than £3.2 million by patients from outwith the European Economic Area who have not paid for treatment over the last five years, a Holyrood committee has found.
Robots and AI to give doctors more time with patients, report says
Robots, artificial intelligence and smart speakers will unburden doctors to give them more time with patients, according to an NHS report on the pending technological “revolution” in healthcare.
Samaritans: Lending an ear when it’s needed
Diversity is key for the charity, with volunteers needed from different backgrounds to better understand the circumstances of people who contact them.
BBC Two’s Hospital prompts surge in organ donor sign-ups
More than 1,300 people signed up to the organ donor register following an episode of BBC Two documentary Hospital.
England’s chief medical officer to leave for new post at Cambridge
Professor Dame Sally Davies is to leave her post as England’s chief medical officer, it has been announced.
Lung cancer scans to be offered in trucks in supermarket car parks
Trucks in supermarket car parks will offer lung cancer checks under a new scheme to be rolled out across England.
Hundreds of operations cancelled in month for ‘capacity reasons’
Hospitals cancelled almost 20 operations a day in December due to problems such as bed and staff shortages, NHS figures indicate.
Nip cervical cancer in bud with NHS ‘Flower’ campaign
Women in the north-east are being advised not to ignore their cervical screening test invite.
All necessary steps being taken after hospital baby deaths: Nicola Sturgeon
NHS chiefs are taking “all necessary steps” to deal with an infection at a maternity hospital which has been linked to the deaths of two premature babies, the Scottish First Minister has said.
Source of infection linked to baby deaths may never be known: NHS chief
The source of an infection that contributed to the deaths of two premature babies in a hospital intensive care unit may never be known, NHS chiefs have said.
Boy, 11, becomes first NHS patient to receive revolutionary new cancer drug
An 11-year-old boy has become the first NHS patient to receive a pioneering new cancer therapy that uses the body’s own immune system to fight the disease.
Aberdeen pupils organise business breakfast to plan for future careers
Pupils at an Aberdeen primary school put together a business breakfast to give them a glimpse at possible future careers.
Scrapping A&E target would harm patients, doctors warn
Scrapping the four-hour A&E target would have a “near-catastrophic impact” on patient safety, doctors have warned as nursing leaders said it was not right to “tinker” with it.
Postnatal care for mothers and babies ‘could be improved’
There has been a drop in the standard of care offered to new mothers on NHS wards, a survey suggests.
Children and staff at school to be given Hepatitis A vaccine
Pupils and staff at a primary school in West Dunbartonshire are to be given a vaccine against Hepatitis A after one child contracted it.