Union calls for regular health checks for 600 Grenfell firefighters after many developed long-term conditions
The government “needs to seriously look” at the effects of toxic smoke inhalation on firefighters who served at the Grenfell Tower fire, a minister has said.
The comments from Andrew Gwynne, the health minister, came after the Guardian disclosed that more than a quarter of firefighters who battled against the fire eight years ago have long-term health disorders.
Continue reading...Advisory from US surgeon general says alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year
Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US after tobacco and obesity, according to a new advisory by the US surgeon general.
Released on Friday, the advisory revealed that alcohol use contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year. It also found that alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of 15 years.
Continue reading...Troubleshooter for four previous prime ministers is charged with saving troubled national care sector
She is the no-nonsense civil servant from Portsmouth who was called upon by four prime ministers to tackle deep-rooted social issues, including rough sleeping, antisocial behaviour, victims’ rights and troubled families.
Now Louise Casey has been tasked by a fifth to chair an independent commission into adult social care. Her mission? Develop a plan to save the sector.
Continue reading...But final report on reforms would not emerge until 2028, which health leaders say is kicking crisis ‘into the long grass’
Ministers are to launch a historic independent commission to reform adult social care, as they warned older people could be left without vital help and the NHS overwhelmed unless a “national consensus” was reached on fixing a “failing” system.
The taskforce, to be led by the cross-bench peer Louise Casey, will be charged with developing plans for a new national care service, a Labour election manifesto pledge, in the biggest shake-up to social care in England in decades.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Data from 524 firefighters who risked their lives showed 136 reported life-changing conditions
More than a quarter of firefighters exposed to toxic smoke during the Grenfell Tower fire have had long-term health disorders, a study shows.
Ministers are facing demands for an urgent review after data from 524 firefighters who risked their lives at the 2017 disaster showed that over the first three years, 136 reported life-changing conditions. These included 11 cases of cancer, 64 respiratory diseases, 22 neurological disorders and 66 digestive illnesses.
Continue reading...First building to open at Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Centre is named after NHS’s first black matron
In a full-scale model of a house, a £50,000 mannequin that can breathe, blink and cough waits for the replica of an ambulance.
Eerily lifelike technology, some created by model makers who have made “bodies” for the BBC’s Silent Witness, is being used to tackle the scarcity of placement hours for healthcare students by combining real-world training with simulated settings, including virtual reality.
Continue reading...Products banned on health and environmental grounds, while Milan outlaws outdoor smoking
Belgium has become the EU first country to ban the sale of disposable vapes in an effort to stop young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and to protect the environment.
The sale of disposable electronic cigarettes is banned in Belgium on health and environmental grounds from 1 January. A ban on outdoor smoking in Milan came into force on the same day, as EU countries discuss tighter controls on tobacco.
Continue reading...Admissions for vitamin or iron deficiencies up by more than 10% year on year and as much as tenfold on 1998-99
The number of people admitted to hospital in England because of a lack of vitamins or minerals is soaring, according to analysis of NHS figures.
In 2023-24 there were 191,927 admissions where the main reason was a lack of iron, up 11% on 2022-23. The figure is almost 10 times the 20,396 hospital admissions for lack of iron in 1998-99.
Continue reading...Ever growing numbers of people find themselves unable to get NHS treatment or pay for the alternative
Exclusive: patients unable to get dental care after ‘eye-watering’ rise in private fees
The inability of millions of patients to access an NHS dentist is one of the longest-running injustices in the history of the health service. The misery and the harm it causes is profound and well documented. The scandal is not new.
Going private is often the only alternative. If it means getting a checkup, a scale and polish, a filling, an extraction or if necessary a root canal, many will pay. Anything to keep your teeth in good nick.
Continue reading...Exclusive: warning that lack of NHS dentists and soaring cost of private work puts essential care out of reach for many
How soaring fees for private care are deepening England’s dentistry crisis
Private dentists are cashing in on the scarcity of NHS treatment by hiking their charges for fillings, checkups and extractions to “eye-watering” levels, research has found.
Patients are paying as much as £775 for root canal work, £435 to have a tooth out and £325 for a white filling due to fees for common dental procedures soaring since 2022.
A white filling has gone from £105 to £129 – up 23%.
An extraction has risen from £105 to £139 – 32% more.
A half-hour scale and polish is now £75, up from £65 – a 15% jump.
An initial consultation for a new patient is up 23% from £65 to £80.
Continue reading...Nearly one in four doctors say the practice of prior authorization has led to serious issues for patients
In the wake of the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and the outpouring of frustration about insurance coverage, prior authorizations have emerged as a particular roadblock in healthcare.
Prior authorization requires medical providers to get an insurer’s approval before patients receive healthcare or medications.
Continue reading...GPs’ peak body is concerned a proposed new medical test for older doctors could force them from the system
Almost 10% of Australia’s GPs are aged over 70, new figures have revealed, with concerns that a proposal to introduce health checks for older doctors may worsen workforce shortages.
According to data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), 8.8% of all GPs in Australia – 3,142 of 35,514 practitioners – are over 70, as of 30 June.
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Continue reading...Stretched primary services causing increase in emergency visits for issues from coughs to hiccups, health leaders say
The number of people turning to A&E departments in England for minor ailments including hiccups, sore throats and coughs is soaring, as senior health leaders warn that NHS primary and community services are “massively overstretched”.
NHS data shows a large increase in people arriving at emergency departments for non-emergency ailments including backache, insomnia and earache.
Continue reading...Letter allegedly written by US official shows contradictions in how government handled mysterious health incidents
A leaked letter purportedly written by a senior US military official and published on social media on Monday highlights stark contradictions in the government’s approach to victims of Havana syndrome – a mysterious series of health incidents affecting personnel at embassies and consulates overseas.
The letter, dated 24 March 2024 and signed by air force Brig Gen Shannon O’Harren, reassures victims of the “anomalous health incidents” (AHIs) that the defense department believed that their experiences and symptoms were real while promising them quality healthcare that never came.
Continue reading...Survey by Chartered Management Institute finds only 19% of companies have a policy in place
Employers should have formal policies in place to help workers who are undergoing fertility treatment, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has said, warning that businesses are increasingly losing talented people by failing to support them.
With NHS data showing that one in every seven couples have difficulty conceiving, the professional body urged companies to be understanding and supportive, and offer flexible work hours and paid time off to accommodate medical appointments, as well as paid compassionate leave when necessary.
Continue reading...Damning report reveals millions in England are living in poor-quality housing that threatens their health
Ministers have been warned that efforts to save the NHS and grow the economy will fail unless they tackle the housing crisis, as a damning report reveals millions of people are living in substandard homes that risk worsening their health.
In total, 4.5 million people aged 50 or above with an existing health condition in England are living in poor-quality housing with one or more problems such as rising damp, rot or decay that may be making them even sicker, the Centre for Ageing Better analysis found. Of those, 1.7 million are aged 70 or over.
Continue reading...People warned against buying illegal weight-loss medicines through beauty salons or fake pharmacy websites
Long waits for NHS services could lead people to take matters into their own hands by buying potentially unsafe weight-loss jabs online, Britain’s top GP has said.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, warned that buying drugs online from unregulated retailers could put people at risk and they may also miss out on wraparound support offered alongside the medication.
Continue reading...Several MPs preparing to suggest amendments on key concerns including coercion and role of medics
Up to 30 MPs who backed assisted dying could withdraw support at the next parliamentary vote, MPs have said, as several prepare to suggest amendments on coercion and the role of medics.
The committee that will examine the next stage of Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill will begin hearings in the new year, with MPs coalescing around several demands for changes to the legislation.
Continue reading...The anti-abortion movement is looking at ways to control information about how and where to obtain abortions
The next front in the US abortion wars may be what people are allowed to say about it.
More than two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, US abortions are on the rise, thanks in large part to the spread of abortion pills and travel across state lines. This has infuriated anti-abortion advocates, who have proposed policies to help the incoming Trump administration curtail the mailing of abortion pills and targeted individuals and groups that help women get out-of-state abortions. In a sign of how the issue is pitting states against one another, Texas earlier this monthsued a New York-based doctor who allegedly provided a telehealth abortion to a Texan woman.
Continue reading...Mutations are rare but have been reported in some cases in other countries and most often in extreme infections
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient’s property.
The CDC said the patient’s sample showed mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, the part of the virus that plays a key role in it attaching to host cells.
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