Social media adverts urging young women to become surrogate mothers could be allowed under Law Commission proposals. But the government’s fertility regulator has warned that the plans could lead to “significant cultural change” and “perhaps criticism”. It is currently against the law to advertise for a surrogate or pay more than expenses to carry a […]
England’s care watchdog has carried out a no-notice inspection of an NHS trust at the centre of concerns over the possible preventable deaths of babies. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is investigating East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust but has not yet decided whether to prosecute. At least seven preventable baby deaths may have occurred at […]
Stacey Jordan still wonders whether she could have done more to save her sister. Lucy White was just 24 when she died in hospital in summer 2018 after a line of cocaine triggered a heart attack and then a coma. Lucy, a student from Bristol, had been introduced to cocaine by her mother, a long-term […]
European clinical guidelines on how to treat a major form of heart disease are under review following a BBC Newsnight investigation. Europe’s professional body for heart surgeons has withdrawn support for the guidelines, saying it was “a matter of serious concern” that some patients may have had the wrong advice. Guidelines recommended both stents and […]
People should have their cholesterol level checked from their mid-20s, according to researchers. They say it is possible to use the reading to calculate the lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke. The study, in The Lancet, is the most comprehensive yet to look at the long-term health risks of having too much “bad” cholesterol […]
More than 200 new families have contacted an inquiry into mother and baby deaths at a hospital trust in Shropshire. Investigators were already looking at more than 600 cases where newborns and mothers died or were left injured while in the care of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust. One expert says the scandal, spanning […]
Toxic air contributes to health conditions such as asthma, cancer and stroke, say experts. Five people die each week in Bristol as a result of high levels of air pollution, a study has revealed. Researchers at King’s College London examined the combined impact of PM2.5, which is mainly from domestic wood and coal burning and industrial combustion […]
Smokers can improve the health of their hearts within weeks of switching to e-cigarettes, the largest trial of its kind shows. The month-long study of 114 smokers suggests vaping has the potential to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The team, at the University of Dundee, stressed vaping was “not safe” – just less harmful than tobacco. […]
This Thursday 21st November 2019 is national Carers Rights Day. A day used to celebrate the rights of people across the UK who provide invaluable unpaid care and support to a family member or friend in need. Many people providing care do not consider themselves to be a carer; often providing support to a loved […]
The number of children being admitted to hospital in England with a severe allergic reaction has risen every year for the past five years. NHS figures show 1,746 children were treated for anaphylactic shock in 2018-19, up from 1,015 in 2013-14. The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after eating a baguette containing sesame, called […]
