Can health secretary name NHS trusts performing well?

Victoria Atkins was challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists. But the health secretary said she was wanted to be “even handed” and declined to name any individual trusts hitting the expected standard for treating 80% of people in casualty within four hours. BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty pressed her…

How Dame Deborah James helped save a mum’s life

A mother-of-three has shared how Deborah James helped save her life from bowel cancer. Lyndsey Ainscough, from Leigh in Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after experiencing symptoms for a number of months. She told BBC Breakfast she sought medical attention after seeing bowel cancer campaigner Dame Deborah on TV. Mrs Ainscough was…

Rising NHS physician associate use questioned after Oldham death

BBC/Brijesh Patel Roy Pollitt thought his late wife was being treated by a doctor rather than a physician associate A man whose wife died after a drain was mistakenly left in her abdomen for 21 hours has condemned the increased use of physician associates (PAs) within the National Health Service. Susan Pollitt’s inquest concluded her…

Why we might never know the truth about ultra-processed foods

BBC They are the bête noire of many nutritionists – mass-produced yet moreish foods like chicken nuggets, packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, ice cream or even sliced brown bread. So-called ultra-processed foods (UPF) account for 56% of calories consumed across the UK, and that figure is higher for children and people who live in poorer areas….

The junior doctors’ strikes may be over. But is trouble ahead?

BBC It had been the NHS’s longest-running and bitterest pay dispute – responsible for hundreds of thousands of cancelled operations and appointments. And then, suddenly, word came on Monday that the British Medical Association was recommending that its 50,000 junior doctor members accept a fresh offer from the new government. It sounded almost too good…

What is the UK Covid inquiry and what powers does it have?

At least nine reports are expected, covering everything from political decision-making to vaccines. Publishing the first of these, inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said the UK was “ill-prepared for dealing with a catastrophic emergency, let alone the coronavirus pandemic”. “Never again can a disease be allowed to lead to so many deaths and so much suffering,”…

Corruption review finds ‘red flags’ in more than 130 Covid contracts

An anti-corruption charity says it has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15.3bn awarded by the Conservative government during the Covid pandemic, equivalent to one in every £3 spent. Transparency International UK found 135 “high-risk” contracts with at least three red flags – warning signs of a risk of corruption. Twenty-eight contracts worth £4.1bn…

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