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National News

Blood scandal victims harmed further by compensation delays, inquiry chair says

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 16:12
Payments need to be made fairer and faster, the chair of the public inquiry into the disaster says.
Categories: National News

Resident doctors in England to strike for five days in July

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 15:56
The medics say the walkout can still be avoided if the government enters pay negotiations.
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Number of abortions in England and Wales hit record high in 2022

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 15:26

Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal terminations, ONS figures show, as provider says women struggling to access contraception

The number of abortions in England and Wales reached a record high in 2022, with a leading provider stating that women are facing “significant barriers” in access to contraception.

Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal abortions in the two nations in 2022, up from about two in 10 a decade earlier, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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Are BMA calculations that resident doctors need a 29% pay rise credible?

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 13:11

The union bases its claims of a real-terms cut on the retail prices index – ditched as a national statistic in 2013

The British Medical Association (BMA) is demanding a 29% pay rise for resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, in England, to prevent strikes. The union claims the increase is needed to reverse cuts to the real-terms value of their pay since 2008. But how credible are its calculations?

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Ministers did not listen to infected blood victims, says UK inquiry chair

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 12:30

Brian Langstaff urges overhaul of compensation system, which report says was designed without consulting victims

Victims of the infected blood scandal have “not been listened to” by ministers, the chair of the inquiry has said in a report urging an overhaul of the compensation system.

The additional report lays bare the failings of the government’s detailed compensation scheme, and sets out recommendations to make it fairer and faster. In particular, it criticises ministers for designing the scheme without consulting the scandal’s victims, as was recommended in the inquiry’s May 2024 report, which it says has led to “obvious injustices” that could have been avoided.

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Cornwall theatre company awarded nearly £20,000

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 12:20
The company is getting the funding to collect local stories of experiences of menopause.
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Resident doctors in England to strike from 25 July

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 12:13

BMA union says it is giving Wes Streeting two weeks to come to the table to negotiate ‘a path to pay restoration’

Resident doctors in England will strike for five days later this month in their campaign for a 29% pay rise. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, denounced the move as “completely unreasonable”.

Resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – working in the NHS will withdraw their labour from 7am on Friday 25 July and not return until 7am the following Wednesday.

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Poor mental health is driving young people out of their jobs. My own journey showed me how to help | Fran Boait

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 10:21

We need to confront the social conditions that impact them – and the toxic workplaces they’re trying to push back against

Last month, new figures showed that one in four young people in England have a mental health condition. An unwillingness to examine the challenging social and economic conditions – from housing insecurity to financial concerns – means there can be a tendency to explain this rise as a result of overdiagnosis, although there is little evidence for this claim. Clinicians cite the criteria for diagnosis to show that overreporting is not substantiated – if anything, the severity of reported conditions has increased, in part due to a reduced stigma resulting in more people seeking help.

Young people with poor mental health are nearly five times more likely to be out of work, and there is a growing understanding that inadequate support around young people’s mental health in the workplace is driving them to leave or consider leaving their job. In response, the government has proposed cuts to under-22s’ health support.

Fran Boait is a leadership coach, freelancer and writer

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Can (and should) we cure blindness?

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 08:56
Recent years have seen incredible advances in eyesight restoration. But should we approach blindness as something that needs to be 'cured'? Comedian Tom Skelton, who started losing his sight at 21, explores. Made in partnership with UKRI (UK Research and Innovation).
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Gemma Collins weight-loss drug advert banned

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/09/2025 - 00:10
The star illegally advertised prescription-only weight loss drugs, the advertising watchdog found.
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Is the most expensive lip balm always the best?

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 14:38
Do you need to spend more to get the best for your chapped lips?
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Support group for mums from different ethnicities

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 14:31
The group hopes to help women with newborn care, maternal health, and mental wellbeing.
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What in the World

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 14:30
We also discuss the risks of AI therapy
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'Parents should be told about their child's mental health'

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 11:51
Jessica Glasser's parents say families should be told if their child is struggling with their mental health.
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Inside Health

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 10:00
The PM says it's 'reform or die' for the NHS, we discuss ambitious plans to restructure it
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Government ignoring pelvic mesh reforms - advocate

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 08:00
A campaigner says a report made recommendations to support victims, but most of them have been ignored.
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First malaria treatment for babies approved for use

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 06:15
Until now, there had only been drugs for older children which carried an overdose risk for the young.
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The doctor fighting for women's health on Ukraine's front line

BBC News – Health - Tue, 07/08/2025 - 00:06
Dr Baksheiev, a gynaecologist, travels to front-line areas in his kitted out mobile clinic.
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Jessie J reveals cancer operation success

BBC News – Health - Mon, 07/07/2025 - 17:29
Singer says tests following surgery to remove her breast show no spread of the disease
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The thing about ‘ageing gracefully’: whatever you call it, I’ll do it my way

Guardian – Society – Health - Mon, 07/07/2025 - 17:00

One thing I’ve noticed is that as they grow older, people tend to care less about others’ opinions. Sometimes that’s liberating

I started learning about ageing and ageism – prejudice and discrimination on the basis of age – almost 20 years ago, as I entered my 50s. That’s when it hit me that this getting older thing was actually happening to me. I was soon barraged by advice on how to age well. Many concepts, like “active ageing”, were obvious. (Don’t be a couch potato.) Some, like “successful ageing”, were obnoxious. (In my opinion, if you wake up in the morning, you’re ageing successfully.) One, “ageing gracefully”, was intriguing.

Although I’ve written a whole book about ageism, I wasn’t sure I knew how to go about ageing gracefully. For starters, it didn’t seem as though I qualified. When I was speaking at a conference a few years ago, a woman in the elevator recognized my name from my badge. “Are you the one talking about ageing gracefully?” she asked. “If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ve got the wrong person,” I blurted. My clumsiness, like my bluntness, is legendary.

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