Hugh Pym

1 day ago | bbc.com | Hugh Pym

Child obesity clinics seeing BMIs over 50Getty ImagesA disproportionate number of children referred to NHS excess weight clinics in England are from the most deprived areas, and a significant number are neurodivergent or have other health conditions, a study has found.

2 weeks ago | bbc.com | Hugh Pym

Urgent care worse than pre-pandemic, think tank saysEPAA leading health think tank says urgent and emergency care in England is performing "far worse" than before the pandemic. The Health Foundation argues that the NHS was "in distress" this winter with A&E waiting times reaching a record high. The group says it would be wrong just to blame relatively high levels of flu. The government is due to publish an urgent and emergency care plan soon.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Graeme Ogston |Hugh Pym

Nurses, midwives and healthcare staff across Scotland have been offered an 8% pay increase over two years. Health Secretary Neil Gray set out plans for a 4.25% increase in 2025-26 and a 3.75% rise next year. The offer - which the government said would cost around £701m - will also be protected by an "inflation guarantee", meaning pay increases will always be at least 1% above the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Chloe Hayward |Hugh Pym

Failing to properly diagnose and treat people with bipolar disorder is wasting billions of pounds a year in the UK, according to new data shared exclusively with the BBC. Experts say many of the estimated million people living with this condition are "ghosts in the system", whose lives are being torn apart by poorly managed extreme suicidal lows or manic, erratic highs. Emma was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early 30s, after experiencing a mental health crisis.

1 month ago | bbc.com | Hugh Pym

Community pharmacies have been warning of closures and cutbacks in the face of what they say are unsustainable pressures. Among these are a rising workload, funding which has not kept pace with inflation and the prospect of higher employer National Insurance contributions. Government funding for pharmacies in England stood at £2.6bn in 2019/20. But over the next few years that did not go up with inflation. In the current financial year (2024/25) it has been at £2.7bn.