42 h. ago NHS services will not be cut to fund US pharma deal – Streeting

Downing Street has said the cost would start small and gradually increase to an estimated £1 billion by March 2029.

Economics

2 d. ago ‘I wish I could say I kept my cool’: my maddening experience with the NHS wheelchair service

After I was paralysed in a climbing accident, I discovered how inconsiderate, illogical and incompetent many wheelchair providers can beI was lying on my back in an east London hospital, sometime in August 2023. I don’t know what day it was, exactly; by that point I’d mostly given up caring. My phone rang. I managed to answer, even though I had largely lost the use of my hands. (Luckily, a member of staff had left it lying on my chest.) Also, I wasn’t feeling great. In the early stages of coming to terms with the fact I was paralysed, I had just been informed that the doctors wanted to drill a hole directly into my guts, inserting a plastic tube to drain away my urine, effectively making my penis redundant. It was proving quite a lot to take in.Nonetheless, I answered. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Women ‘butchered’ and ‘traumatised’ by breast cancer treatment at NHS trust as 100s of cases investigated

HUNDREDS of women say they were either ‘butchered’, suffered unnecessary mastectomies or were left traumatised by an NHS breast unit now under investigation Women say the service missed cancers and stripped them of dignity, with one claiming she was treated like she was on a “conveyor belt” at the trust in north-east England. More than...

Events

9 d. ago Premium Bonds rates update for all customers ahead of Budget

The prize fund rate for Premium Bonds has been cut several times this year

Economics

2 w. ago NHS services in Greater Manchester could be cut as staff numbers and budgets slashed

'We are going to face some very difficult decisions about what we want to stop, pause, slow down to make room for the things we want to do that are more value for money', said finance bosses for Greater Manchester's NHS

Sport

2 w. ago NHS supervisor who repeatedly 'skelped' colleague's bum given community service

Community councillor William Freeman "skelped" the woman with a "pair of marigolds" during the sexually motivated harassment within the hospital.

Sport

2 w. ago Superbugs 'could overwhelm NHS' this winter as stretched health service faces tsunami of seasonal viruses

A superbug crisis threatens to overwhelm the NHS this winter, a leading charity has warned.

Science

2 w. ago UK warned that 15% cut to health fund will force ‘impossible choices’ on Africa

Advocates fear that other donors will follow Britain’s reduction to the Global Fund for Aids, TB and malariaThe UK is undermining its legacy in fighting infectious diseases including Aids and malaria by cutting money pledged to a leading global health fund, campaigners claim.The 15% reduction in the contribution to the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced this week – in a year when the UK, alongside South Africa, is co-host of the fund’s replenishment drive – risks encouraging other countries to cut back commitments as well, advocates fear.The Gates Foundation is a major private contributor to the Global Fund. The foundation also contributes to theguardian.org, which funds independent journalism at the Guardian Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Judge to approve $7bn settlement with OxyContin maker that requires Sackler family members to pay victims

Deal would also require multibillionaire family to give up ownership of the Connecticut-based firmA federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday said he would approve OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma’s latest deal to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids that includes some money for thousands of victims of the epidemic.The deal overseen by US bankruptcy judge Sean Lane would require some of the multibillionaire members of the Sackler family who own the company to contribute up to $7bn and give up ownership of the Connecticut-based firm. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Martin Lewis says NHS 'didn't want' his blood due to health issue

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) handles blood donation services in England

Events

2 w. ago Martin Lewis reveals 'medical issue' as he is unable to donate to NHS service

To donate blood, you should be 'generally fit and well' and meet several other criteria

Politics

3 w. ago NHS waiting list falls as Wes Streeting says service ‘on road to recovery’

The NHS waiting list has fallen in last 12 months under Labour for the first in 15 years - but patient demand means the service is at its busiest ever going into winter

Politics

3 w. ago NHS waiting list falls as Streeting says health service ‘on road to recovery’

The NHS waiting list for planned treatment rose in June, July and August then fell in September.

Politics

3 w. ago Voices: The UK used to proudly lead the world on international aid – now we don’t save lives that we should

The £150m cut to the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a mistake, writes MP Fleur Anderson. But the upcoming Budget is a chance to change course

Society

3 w. ago UK’s £150m cut to worldwide fund fighting deadly diseases will force ‘impossible life

The cut from £1bn to £850m pledged to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria – risking 250,000 lives – was revealed by The Independent last week

Economics

3 w. ago UK’s £150m cut to global fund fighting deadly diseases will force ‘impossible life

The cut from £1bn to £850m pledged the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria – risking 250,000 lives –was revealed by The Independent last week

Economics

3 w. ago Doctors' strikes 'couldn't come at worse time for NHS' amid winter pressures and increased delays for patients, warns boss

The strike 'threatens to wipe out a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix our national health service', warns one NHS boss

Events

3 w. ago NHS issues plea to public as services to be 'busier than usual' in doctors' strikes

Health officials have urged patients in Greater Manchester to 'plan ahead'

Events

3 w. ago As a palliative care specialist, I’ve witnessed the human tragedy of our end

While the government debates assisted dying, palliative care is an afterthought. And many more people face death without the care and support they needA baby, in Britain, in 2025, takes its stuttering final breaths. All deaths in infancy are harrowing. But the fact that this particular death might have been prevented – had neonatal care not depended so heavily on charity, had the NHS not failed to fund more than two-thirds of the healthcare babies need – is unforgivable.Mercifully, the dystopian scenario I’ve just described does not exist in the UK today. Although paediatric care is undeniably overstretched, it is at least regarded as a core, bedrock NHS service.Dr Rachel Clarke is an NHS specialist in palliative medicine and the winner of the 2025 Women’s prize for nonfiction Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Ministers unveil plans for better NHS treatment for veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces

Ministers announced plans to provide better NHS treatment to military veterans as well as current servicemen and women.

Politics