Getty Images A major surgery which between 10 and 15 patients have each year at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd will no longer take place at the hospital Some major operations will no longer be going ahead in north Wales, a health board has announced. Betsi Cadwaladr health board said it was pausing its provision of planned … Read more
Getty Images The government has announced plans to make it illegal to smoke in children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals in England, with some places also becoming vape-free. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is already an offence to smoke on NHS hospital grounds. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would also make it … Read more
HANDOUT Ellie Lambert has frozen her eggs in the hope of meeting someone or “being in a financial situation where I can go it alone” The number of babies born in England and Wales is now the lowest since the 1970s, official statistics show. The fertility rate – which measures how many children are born … Read more
Getty Images Just over 591,000 babies were born in the UK last year – the lowest number in four decades Women in England and Wales had an average of 1.44 children between 2022 and 2023, the lowest rate on record. Only 591,072 babies were born in 2023, fewer than in any year since 1977 and … Read more
Getty Images The NHS has had a bumper year for offering hormone replacement therapy (HRT), latest figures show. Some 13 million items were prescribed to an estimated 2.6 million patients in the latest full financial year spanning 2023/24. That is compared to just under 11m items for 2.3m women in 2022/23. It comes after the … Read more
Getty Images Shortages of doctors mean the average GP in England has to care for 17% more patients than nine years ago, a BBC analysis shows. It means for every permanent GP there are more than 2,300 patients – a jump of nearly 350 since 2015, helping explain why access to general practice has been … Read more
Nurses in England have said the government’s offer of a 5.5% pay rise is not enough, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said. Two-thirds of the 145,000 members of the RCN who voted online said the rise was not fair. The pay award for 2024-2025 was announced by the chancellor at the end of … Read more
BBC England’s blood donor service has warned blood stocks are still in short supply as it launches a fresh appeal for donors. Supplies of blood have improved since an “amber alert” in July but there is still a risk that the care of hospital patients could be impacted, officials said. The number of people booking … Read more
BBC More than 100 women who experienced pain and complications from transvaginal mesh implants have received payouts from three manufacturers of the products. The financial settlement offered by companies Bard, Boston Scientific, and Johnson & Johnson has not been disclosed. This is the first successful group claim in England after some 10,000 women were injured … Read more
Getty Images The NHS is appealing for people with O-type blood to urgently come forward and donate, after blood stocks dropped to “unprecedently low” levels in England. Officials said it follows a “perfect storm” of unfilled appointments at donor centres and increased demand following a cyber-attack which has affected services in London. O-negative blood – … Read more