Can the old-but-new NHS league tables revive the health service?

The new system resembles Tony Blair’s star-rating regime, which was eventually scrapped. Whether naming and shaming leads to improvements remains to be seen

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was glowing in its description of the league tables by which all of England’s 205 NHS trusts are now being judged: a “landmark” moment, a “pioneering new system” and “a new era of transparency”.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” in his zeal to expose, and drive out, poor care.

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School absence a big factor in child mental illness in England, data shows

Loughborough University and ONS study of 1 million school-age children reveals risks increase with longer absence

School absences “significantly contribute” to children’s mental ill health, according to research backed by the Office for National Statistics that shows the risks increase the longer a child is absent.

“Our research shows that the more times a child is absent from school, the greater the probability that they will experience mental ill health,” the authors, from Loughborough University and the ONS, concluded.

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‘Paying twice’: workers face NHS bills of thousands in immigration crackdown

Campaigners fear plans to make people wait longer for leave to remain could cost tax-paying skilled workers dearly

Every two-and-a-half years, Uche and her husband pay more than a combined £5,000 for NHS care, on top of the tax and national insurance deducted from their salaries as a care worker and an IT worker.

Now, thousands more skilled workers face having to “pay twice” for services for 10 years or more, campaigners fear, as the government considers extending the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) – and eventually citizenship – in an immigration crackdown.

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Private menopause tests risk undermining NHS care, doctors say

Expert says self-testing kits are clinically useless and can be a distraction from evidence-based treatment

Expensive, over-the-counter hormone tests for menopause are clinically useless and risk undermining women’s healthcare, senior doctors have warned.

The testing kits, offered by private clinics and available to buy for self-testing, claim to offer tailored insights through measuring hormone levels. But they have been described by experts as misleading and medically unnecessary.

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Trump’s former surgeon general urges president to fire RFK Jr

Jerome Adams cites vaccine policy and chaos at CDC and joins other officials in saying Kennedy is risking US health

The surgeon general from the first Trump administration on Saturday said that the US president should “absolutely” fire health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr over his “dangerous” policies on vaccines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Jerome Adams, who has become a pointed critic of the controversial public health decisions being swiftly rolled out in the second Trump administration, made his most fierce attack yet on what has been unfolding.

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Australia news live: Alan Joyce secures final $3.8m bonus two years after leaving Qantas; neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell refused bail

Former chief executive left the airline after a series of corporate decisions sparked a reputational crisis. Follow today’s news live

Coalition of the willing meeting a ‘positive sign’ for Ukraine, former ambassador says

The former Australian ambassador to Russia, Peter Tesch, has appeared on ABC News Breakfast after Anthony Albanese joined a virtual meeting with world leaders signed up to the coalition of the willing for Ukraine on Thursday night.

The issue is that we are still no closer to a credible and durable peace settlement, because Moscow keeps walking both sides of the street, and that is provoking a degree of frustration. But in the absence of serious, additional pressure upon Moscow, it’s difficult to see a near-term solution here - notwithstanding Ukraine’s clear willingness to engage seriously in discussions.

And importantly, although the details are vague … President Trump at least remains engaged in that dialogue and that’s very important.

Our case for a 35% pay increase over three years will begin in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission later this month. As part of this case, which is one of the biggest industrial cases this state has seen, we will present evidence around the gendered undervaluation of nurses and midwives’ work and the work value changes our professions have seen over the past 16 years.

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Thousands in England unable to access weight loss jabs via GP, figures reveal

Doctors say NHS rollout not fit for purpose with fewer than half of commissioning bodies prescribing Mounjaro

Thousands of patients in England are unable to access weight loss jabs via their GP, figures reveal, as doctors warn that the NHS rollout is “not fit for purpose”.

Family doctors got the green light to prescribe the drugs for the first time in June. About 220,000 people with “greatest need” were set to receive Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide and made by Eli Lilly, on the NHS over the next three years.

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Texas bill allowing residents to sue out-of-state abortion pill providers reaches governor

If Greg Abbott signs, state would become first to try to crack down on the most common abortion method

A measure that would allow Texas residents to sue out-of-state abortion pill providers advanced to the desk of the governor, Greg Abbott, on Wednesday, setting up the state to be the first to try to crack down on the most common abortion method.

Supporters say it’s a key tool to enforce the state’s abortion ban, protecting women and fetuses.

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Florida to end vaccine mandates for children as surgeon general likens them to ‘slavery’

Joseph Ladapo, a long-time vaccine skeptic, says that every state vaccine requirement would be repealed

Children in Florida will no longer be required to receive vaccines against preventable diseases including measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio and hepatitis said Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, on Wednesday in a speech during which he likened vaccine mandates to “slavery”.

Ladapo, hand-picked for the role by Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, is a long-time skeptic of the benefit of vaccines, and has previously been accused of peddling “scientific nonsense” by public health advocates.

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‘No place in children’s hands’: under-16s in England to be banned from buying energy drinks

Government to ban sale of energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine, citing concerns over obesity and lack of concentration

Under-16s in England will be banned from buying energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster because they fuel obesity, cause sleep problems and leave them unable to concentrate.

Health experts, teaching unions and dentists welcomed the ban and said it would boost children and young people’s health. It fulfils a pledge Labour included in its manifesto for last year’s general election.

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Magda Szubanski thanks young fan who dressed as Sharon Strzelecki for Book Week for cheering her up amid chemo

‘I’m really touched,’ Kath & Kim favourite tells 10-year-old, adding that cancer treatment ‘is smacking me around right now’

Magda Szubanski has shared an update about her health from her hospital bed as she continues treatment for an aggressive form of blood cancer.

Szubanski, well-known for her roles in Kath & Kim and Babe, posted a video to Instagram on Sunday to thank a young fan who had “really cheered me up” with her Book Week costume of Szubanski’s Kath & Kim character, the hapless netball fan Sharon Strzelecki.

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NHS corridor care now year-round crisis in England, experts say

About 74,150 patients waited at least 12 hours on trolleys in June and July, a situation almost nonexistent 10 years ago

Corridor care in the NHS is now a year-round crisis, experts have warned, as analysis showed nearly 3 million patients attended A&E over the first two months of the summer.

The latest NHS figures in England, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, show that since 2015 the number of people going to A&E in June and July has increased 15% to 2.9 million – the highest level recorded over the past decade.

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Pauline Hanson joins crowds in Canberra as anti-immigration protests heat up across country – as it happened

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Asked about the planned anti-immigration protests across Australia today, Julian Leeser says he’s concerned about some of the anti-Indian and antisemitic sentiment being expressed. But he also adds that there are people who will be attending these protests with “goodwill”:

There are people there of goodwill who want to change policies in relation to this country. But I would say to them be careful of the company you keep. I’ve seen some of the material for that particular protest and I’m really concerned about the anti-Indian sentiment that is being expressed and some of the antisemitic undertones of some of those protests.

We are working through this legislation through our processes but I will say this: This cohort of people have had ample opportunities to put their case. They have exhausted all appeal avenues and the question now is whether they can be removed to another country.

This is a legitimate arrangement. The only reason people can remain in Australia – and this is very well established under the migration law of this country – is if they have an Australian citizen or on a valid visa.

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Bernie Sanders demands that RFK Jr step down as health secretary

Vermont senator says Kennedy is endangering the health of the American people as head of the US health department

Bernie Sanders has joined in on growing public calls for Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to resign, after recent chaos across US health agencies.

In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Saturday, the Vermont senator accused Kennedy of “endangering the health of the American people now and into the future”, adding: “He must resign.”

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New York City declares Harlem legionnaire’s disease outbreak over

Local hospital’s cooling tower was found to be harboring the bacteria after seven people died and 90 were hospitalized over three weeks

New York City has declared the deadly legionnaires’ disease outbreak in central Harlem over, nearly three weeks since it began.

On Friday, city health officials announced that there have been no new cases among residents who live or work in the area since 9 August. As of Friday, there have been 114 cases of legionnaires’ disease, with 90 people hospitalized – six of those remaining in hospital – and seven deaths.

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Vaccine warning for England as one in five children start school unprotected

Experts say country needs ‘wake up call’ with levels far below those needed for herd immunity

England needs to “wake up” to its faltering infant vaccination programme, experts have warned, as it was revealed that one in five children start primary school unprotected from serious infectious diseases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the target for vaccine uptake among children in order to achieve herd immunity is 95%. But figures for 2024-25 released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Thursday show that no childhood vaccine has met this requirement.

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Overcrowding in NSW hospitals ‘worst’ some doctors have seen as winter illnesses clog emergency departments

State health minister Ryan Park says there have been more than 45,000 presentations to EDs over the past five days

The New South Wales health minister has encouraged people to call the health hotline instead of going to emergency departments as a spike in winter illnesses has doctors saying overcrowding is the “worst they have ever seen”.

In a statement on Thursday, Ryan Park said there had been more than 45,000 presentations to EDs over the past five days.

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Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid

Gains in cutting deaths from tuberculosis at risk as health officials warn clinics forced to ration drugs and testing

Malawi is facing a critical shortage of tuberculosis drugs, with health officials warning that stocks will run out by the end of September.

It comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the country had successfully reduced tuberculosis (TB) cases by 40% over the past decade.

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Cancer charities call for earlier diagnosis as cases projected to surge in England by 2040

NHS may struggle to cope with more than 6 million predicted new cases over next 15 years, study shows

Cancer cases are projected to surge in England by 2040, with a person diagnosed every two minutes, up from one every four minutes in the 1970s.

More than 6 million new cases of the disease are predicted to be diagnosed over the next 15 years, with the NHS at risk of being unable to cope unless action is taken to prevent more cases and diagnose the disease earlier, when it is more treatable.

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Dinner or a shower? Elderly people fear tough choices when Australia’s new aged care changes are rolled out

Advocates warn increased costs for basic assistance like showers and wound cleaning will push older people into aged care or hospital

Margaret Duckett is scared for her friends.

The 77-year-old pensioner is the recipient of a home care package – which allows her to get support with cleaning, gardening, transport, physiotherapy and podiatry – and some personal care, so she can continue living independently at her home in Sydney’s Riverview.

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