Health Policy InsightNational News
One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds
Rates are three times as high in young women as in young men and mental ill health up across age groups, study shows
Sharp rises in rates of anxiety, depression and other disorders have led to one in four young people in England having a common mental health condition, an NHS survey shows, with young women nearly three times more likely to report them than young men.
The study found that rates of such conditions in 16- to 24-year-olds have risen by more than a third in a decade, from 18.9% in 2014 to 25.8% in 2024.
More than a fifth (22.6%) of adults aged 16 to 64 have a common mental health condition, up from 18.9% in 2014.
More than one in four adults (25.2%) reported having had suicidal thoughts during their lifetime, including about a third of 16- 24-year-olds (31.5%) and 25- to 34-year-olds (32.9%).
Self-harm rates have quadrupled since 2000 and risen from 6.4% in 2014 to 10.3% in 2024, with the highest rates among 16- to 24-year-olds at 24.6%, especially young women at 31.7%.
Continue reading...RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel votes against preservative in flu shots in shock move
Decision to restrict thimerosal in immunizations could impact future vaccine availability on a global scale
A critical federal vaccine panel has recommended against seasonal influenza vaccines containing a specific preservative – a change likely to send shock through the global medical and scientific community and possibly impact future vaccine availability.
The panel was unilaterally remade by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine skeptic who has urged against the use of thimerosal despite a lack of evidence of real-world harm.
Continue reading...US pediatricians criticize RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel: ‘Truly an embarrassment’
Pediatric health experts slam ACIP’s plans to reassess current vaccination schedules for children
Robert F Kennedy Jr’s newly appointed vaccine advisory panel is facing criticism from pediatricians after its announcement of plans to reassess the current vaccination schedules for children and adolescents.
Experts warn that the move appears designed to undermine public trust in immunization.
Continue reading...Parents, not teachers, can beat child obesity | Letter
Steve Wilkinson says young pupils’ poor fitness is a cultural challenge that can only be resolved by parents’ choices
Once again, primary schools are expected to “fix” the obesity problem affecting young children (Majority of children will be overweight or obese in nine areas of England by 2035, study shows, 23 June). As a primary teacher and PE specialist, I know that this is largely ineffective.
While half an hour or even 45 minutes of vigorous exercise a day sounds like the answer, one has only to observe three things that completely undermine this: how the children travel, what is in their lunch box and what they do when they get home.
Continue reading...RFK Jr will be ‘personally responsible’ for children’s deaths by halting vaccine alliance funding, experts say
US health secretary says US will decline to renew funding for Gavi, a partnership that works to provide vaccines for poorest countries
Robert F Kennedy Jr will be “personally responsible” for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children after he refused to renew US funding for a global vaccines body, public health experts said.
The US health secretary said Wednesday that the United States would halt funding for Gavi, the vaccine alliance that has immunised more than one billion children since 2000, in a statement that has also been criticised for spreading disinformation on vaccine safety.
Continue reading...RFK Jr’s vaccine panel recommends new RSV treatment for infants
Move comes after health secretary replaced advisory board with ideological allies and several vaccine skeptics
Robert F Kennedy Jr’s reconstituted vaccine advisory panel recommended a new treatment to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.
The treatment, a new monoclonal antibody called clesrovimab, which will be sold under the brand name Enflonsia by Merck, was recommended by the powerful committee after being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) roughly two weeks ago.
Continue reading...Test developed to identify women at increased risk of miscarriage
Study discovered abnormal process in womb lining, with potential for new treatments to prevent pregnancy loss
Scientists have developed a test to identify women with an increased risk of miscarriage, which could pave the way for new treatments to prevent pregnancy loss.
About one in six of all pregnancies are lost, most before 12 weeks, and each miscarriage increases the risk of another one happening.
Continue reading...Heat alerts issued for most of England as temperatures above 30C forecast again
UKHSA amber and yellow heat-health alerts due to come into force at midday on Friday until Tuesday evening
An amber heat health alert has been issued for much of England because of predicted temperatures above 30C (86F) over the weekend.
The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covers London, the East Midlands, and the south-west, south-east and east of England.
Continue reading...How we're killing our microbiome and kimchi alone won't save it – video
Our human microbiome is in decline, which is likely to be contributing to the sharp rise in non-communicable diseases, health conditions that cannot be directly transmitted between people, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers. Josh Toussaint-Strauss talks to Dr James Kinross, colorectal surgeon and author of the book Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome, about why the human microbiome is in decline, how modern life is impacting it and what we can do to look after it
James Kinross also appeared recently on the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast, you can listen here:
Continue reading...Weight loss jabs study begins after reports of pancreas issues
Keir Starmer confirms No 10 is offering concessions to Labour welfare rebels
PM says conversations over changes to bill will ‘continue in coming days’ with more than 120 MPs poised to rebel
Keir Starmer has confirmed Downing Street is offering concessions to rebel Labour MPs to get his welfare bill over the line.
The prime minister told the Commons he wanted “values of fairness” to underpin the legislation so the government could “get this right” on fixing the broken benefits system.
Continue reading...As an NHS GP, I can now prescribe weight-loss jabs – but a quick fix for obesity is not what we need | Helen Salisbury
Few patients will be eligible for the drugs. Better food regulation and social policy are more likely to give lasting results
A medicine that takes away your appetite by making you feel full and a bit nauseous doesn’t sound very attractive, but it is a price many people are ready to pay for the chance to lose weight. Although widely available privately, until this week only doctors in specialist clinics were allowed to prescribe tirzepatide (Mounjaro) to treat obesity on the NHS and it was almost impossible for GPs to get their patients into these clinics. People up and down England will no doubt rejoice at the news that their own doctor can now prescribe it.
Any celebrations may be premature, as the criteria for prescription in the first phase of the rollout are so tightly drawn that few patients will qualify. You need a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40, which corresponds to a weight of 102kg (16st) for a woman of average height or 123kg (more than 19st) for a man. (The BMI criterion is slightly lower if you come from a high-risk group.)
Continue reading...Patients dying of sepsis because medics too slow to spot it, warns NHS watchdog
Recognition remains an ‘urgent safety risk’ and relatives’ concerns are too often ignored, says Health Services Safety Investigations Body
Sepsis is causing thousands of deaths a year, a charity has said, as the NHS’s safety watchdog warned that doctors and nurses are too often slow to identify and treat it.
“The recognition of sepsis remains an urgent and persistent safety risk”, despite previous reports highlighting the large number of deaths it causes when diagnosed too late, according to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
Continue reading...Equivalent of one child in every British classroom now born via IVF, data shows
Proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment up by more than a third in a decade, figures reveal
The proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment in the UK has increased by more than a third in a decade, with the equivalent of one child in every classroom now born as a result of IVF, figures show.
One in 32 births in 2023 were the result of in vitro fertilisation, up 34% from one in 43 in 2013, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Continue reading...Womb lining test offers miscarriage hope to women
Hundreds of weight loss and diabetes jab users report pancreas problems
UK health officials launch study into side-effects of weight loss drugs after increased reports of acute pancreatitis
Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight loss and diabetes injections, prompting health officials to launch a study into side-effects.
Some cases of pancreatitis reported to be linked to GLP-1 medicines (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have been fatal.
Continue reading...First meeting of new CDC vaccine panel reveals policy chaos sown by RFK Jr
Health secretary unilaterally appointed ACIP’s eight new members, several of whom are critical of immunizations
The first meeting of a critical federal vaccine panel was a high-profile display of how the US health secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr has injected chaos into vaccine policy infrastructure.
Wednesday’s meeting was held amid controversy, not only regarding the new members unilaterally appointed by Kennedy, but also the questions they would consider, their conflicts of interest and views on vaccines, and the scheduled speakers.
Continue reading...Member of RFK Jr’s new vaccine panel withdraws over conflict of interest
Dr Michael Ross was involved in multiple private healthcare firms and withdrew after a review of financial holdings
A member of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s newly overhauled federal vaccine advisory panel withdrew after a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson has told the Guardian.
Dr Michael Ross, who was involved in multiple private healthcare companies, withdrew after review of his financial holdings.
Continue reading...Scientists criticise cut in UK funding for global vaccination group
Five-year £1.25bn pledge to Gavi is 40% cut in real terms, which experts say will cost lives in developing countries
The UK has cut its funding to a leading global vaccination group by a quarter, a move that experts say will directly lead to the avoidable deaths of many thousands of children in developing countries.
The Foreign Office billed the £1.25bn commitment over five years to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) as a major boost to the group’s work as well as to the UK’s status as a developer of vaccines. A series of aid agencies praised the decision.
Continue reading...Ransomware attack contributed to patient's death
