The Guardian Health

How US-UK drug deal will benefit patients | Letters

Many new medicines have reached NHS patients as a result of the government’s reformed pricing arrangements, writes Richard Torbett. Plus a letter from Nick HoileThe suggestion that the US-UK pharmaceutical agreement will result in excess deaths is alarmist and relies on a heavily critiqued approach to modelling how much the NHS can spend to generate health (US-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests, 1 July). It is underpinned by incomplete data.In just t

health  Jul 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

Taking a walk down memory lane | Letters

Readers respond to letters about testing mental capacityRe memory tests (Letters, 1 July), my mother was taken to hospital some years ago after an infection overwhelmed her. She was confused and stressed. A doctor wanted to check her mental capacity and gave her paper and a pencil, asking that she write down a sentence with a subject, an object and a verb.I was trying to find the words to say that this was unfair, given her health. A lot of people might not even know what was meant by a subject

health  Jul 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

Wegovy weight-loss pill goes on sale on UK high street and online pharmacies

Thousands of people begin receiving their first deliveries of once-a-day medication made by Novo NordiskBusiness live – latest updatesA once-a-day Wegovy weight-loss pill has gone on sale at high street and online pharmacies in the UK, but is not yet available on the NHS.Thousands of people began receiving their first deliveries of the pill, made by the Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, on Monday. It contains the same active GLP-1 ingredient as the Wegovy jab, semaglutide, and is similarly effectiv

health  Jul 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

NHS to rate English trusts on tackling violence and racism towards staff

Exclusive: Published league tables will rank acute, ambulance and mental health trusts on six measures The NHS will rate trusts according to how well they tackle racism, violence and sexual misconduct towards staff, the government has announced.From July, all NHS acute, ambulance and mental health trusts in England will be judged and ranked in published league tables on six main measures of wellbeing, affecting more than 1.5 million staff. Continue reading...

health  Jul 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Problems with Andy Burnham’s drive for devolution | Letters

Daughne Taylor and John Marriott respond to the prospective new prime minister’s 10-year proposal to cede more power to regions and communitiesAndy Burnham’s flagship promise to devolve power to the local level will not apply to the NHS if the current health bill passes into law in its present form (Andy Burnham to pledge ‘good growth in every postcode’ in devolution plan, 28 June). Currently, NHS foundation trusts have a statutory duty to have a council of governors. These are unpaid volunteer

health  Jul 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Majority of UK smokers wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as cigarettes, experts find

Analysis shows public understanding about vaping, which is far less harmful than smoking, has plummeted in past decadeMore than half of adult smokers in the UK wrongly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than cigarettes, making them less likely to switch to vapes and quit the deadly habit, research has found.Evidence from scientific studies shows that, while vaping is not risk-free, it is far less harmful than smoking tobacco, which produces thousands of chemicals, including toxic

health  Jul 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Roll up, roll up! Older generation find joy and fearlessness in circus

Juggling, trapeze and hula hoop classes for over-50s are taking off as people rediscover their inner child and tap into health benefitsRumman Talukder’s favourite circus trick is called the Mermaid. Every Sunday, the 60-year-old IT consultant drives from his home in Stanmore to a circus school in Ware to practise it. Hanging from a trapeze by one arm, with his back arched and his legs wrapped around the rope, he says it makes him feel “strong and graceful”.“My wife thinks I’m mad but in the run-

health  Jul 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

NHS to use AI on its app to direct patients to appropriate services

Update in England expected to reach about 200,000 patients over the next year as part of £10bn package to overhaul NHS systemsThe NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced.The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Some may be advised to attend a pharmacy or their local A&E department instead, depending on the severity of their condition. Continue reading...

health  Jul 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Week-long heatwave due in England with 34C peak in south-east

Heat health alerts in place in most regions of England from Sunday to Saturday with mercury also rising in WalesAnother heatwave is on the way across parts of the UK with peak temperatures of 34C forecast.Temperatures in the south of England could reach 28C on Saturday, according to the Met Office. Continue reading...

health  Jul 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

British Medical Association could axe up to a third of its staff amid cash crisis

Exclusive: Anger at union’s decision to put 200 of its 600 staff in England at risk of redundancyThe British Medical Association is threatening to axe up to a third of its entire workforce to help it tackle a significant cash crisis.The doctors’ union has placed 200 of its 600 staff in England at risk of redundancy. That has triggered anxiety and fury among staff, who have accused the BMA of appalling behaviour and “hypocrisy”. Continue reading...

health  Jul 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Consider the parents caring for adult children not in work or education | Letter

One reader was surprised by how many people responding to Annalisa Barbieri’s advice column equate successful parenting with independenceReading the comments below Annalisa Barbieri’s latest advice column online (I wish my son wanted to spend more time with me, 28 June), I was struck by how many people equated successful parenting with raising independent adult children.But life isn’t always that straightforward. There is a largely invisible generation of midlife parents still caring for ad

health  Jul 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

Deaths in France surged 30% during hottest week of record June heatwave

Public health authority says 2,025 excess deaths probably an underestimate and that it expects toll to rise furtherThe number of deaths recorded in France surged by nearly 30% during the hottest week of the record-breaking heatwave that scorched much of Europe last month, the public health authority has said, adding that it expected the toll to rise further.Public Health France said on Friday there had been “an increase of 29.1%, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared with the previou

health  Jul 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

People awaiting hospital treatment to get three weeks’ notice under NHS England plans

Move inspired by customer service provided by online retailers such as John Lewis and AmazonPeople waiting for hospital treatment will get three weeks’ notice of their next appointment under NHS plans inspired by the customer service provided by online shopping operators.Hospitals are being ordered to start telling everyone on their treatment waiting list at least three weeks before their operation, diagnostic test or meeting with a consultant. Continue reading...

health  Jul 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

This is how seriously a patient’s skin colour can affect the quality of medical care they receive | Devi Sridhar

New reporting from the Guardian has shed further light on the ‘ethnicity pain gap’. This is what has to be done to close itRead more from the Guardian’s ethnicity pain gap seriesI always know someone is going to say something racist when they start a sentence with, “I’m not racist, but …” Nobody likes to think they would ever discriminate against someone based on the colour of their skin – and some people seem increasingly uncomfortable about acknowledging that such discrimination exists at all

health  Jul 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

Sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time linked to higher risk of cancer death

Study suggests even light activity such as ironing could reduce health risks linked to prolonged sedentary behaviourSitting for longer than half an hour at a time each day raises the risk of dying from cancer, a study suggests.Researchers who tracked more than 90,000 people over a decade found that sitting or lying down while awake for more than 30 minutes in one period each day was associated with an increased risk of cancer death. The risk increases for every additional hour of continuous inac

health  Jul 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

Plans must be put in place before heatwaves – not cobbled together during them | Letters

Health professionals across Europe are calling for an EU climate and health strategy, write Mark Wilson and Dr Paul De Raeve; plus a letter from Nadine HendersonYou report on hospitals declaring critical incidents as their systems fail in the heat (Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat, 25 June). This is a crisis that health professionals saw coming.It is not England’s alone. During June’s record-breaking European heatwave, France raised its health

health  Jul 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

229,000 excess deaths: the cost of US-UK trade deal? - The Latest

The NHS will divert billions of pounds from essential services to pay for new medicines, under the terms of the US-UK trade deal agreed in December, which could lead to more than 200,000 excess deaths, analysis has found.Ministers have defended the deal as a way of helping British drug exports avoid US tariffs and giving patients access to vital medication, but critics accuse the Labour party of caving into pressure from Donald Trump.Lucy Hough speaks to columnist Aditya Chakrabortty Continue re

health  Jul 2, 2026

WHO News

WHO adds first diagnostic test for Ebola Bundibugyo virus to its Emergency Use Listing

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) to its Emergency Use Listing (EUL). The test detects the virus by identifying its genetic material in blood samples, helping confirm infection rapidly and accurately.WHO’s EUL procedure assesses the quality, safety and performance of essential health products based on the available evidence, while ensuring they meet minimum international standards and address the needs of lo

health  Jul 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ethnicity pain gap: the epidural failed and no one believed me – I could feel everything

Women from minority backgrounds are less likely to receive adequate pain relief during childbirthWomen from minority backgrounds in UK less likely to get epidurals, study findsHow the ethnicity pain gap follows people from birth to deathJulie Hammond, a 35-year-old mother of three from Kent, believes that the “excruciating” pain she experienced during the birth of her second child was not well managed by the medical professionals caring for her.“It’s difficult to put into words just how traumati

health  Jul 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

Women from minority backgrounds in UK less likely to receive epidurals, research finds

Exclusive: Guardian analysis exposes evidence of racial inequalities in pain relief offered across healthcare‘The epidural failed and no one believed me’How the ethnicity pain gap follows people from birth to deathWomen from Black and Asian backgrounds are less likely than their white counterparts to receive an epidural while giving birth, research has revealed.The findings, based on data collected from more than 2.7 million births in the UK, prompted experts to raise the alarm about an “ethnici

health  Jul 2, 2026