Fampridine, the first drug designed to help people with multiple sclerosis walk, is now available on the NHS in England. This decision, previously rejected for cost, will benefit up to 5,000 people annually by boosting nerve signals for improved mobility.
Analysis of NHS England data reveals children in England's most deprived areas are 40% more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory infections, with experts linking it to air pollution, poor housing, and systemic inequalities, urging government action.
NHS England data shows children in England's most deprived areas are 40% more likely to be hospitalized for respiratory infections. Experts from Impact on Urban Health and UCL link this to air pollution, poor housing, and systemic inequalities, urging government action on the Clean Air Act.
Fampridine, the first drug to aid walking for people with multiple sclerosis, is now available on the NHS in England. Up to 5,000 patients annually could benefit from the "signal booster" medication, which was previously rejected but is already available in other UK nations.
NHS England is launching a new initiative early next year rewarding people for walking 30 minutes daily. Participants will log walks via phone or smartwatch to earn incentives and discounts, aiming to engage over 100,000 people in a 'marathon a month' challenge.
NHS England is launching a "marathon a month" walking challenge next year, rewarding adults who walk 30 minutes daily. This initiative, part of a 10-year health plan, aims to combat physical inactivity, linked to one in six deaths, and will rely on corporate funding for rewards.
Extreme heat has severely impacted the NHS in England, causing radiotherapy and MRI machines to fail, IT systems to stall, and hospital cooling units to break down. The heatwave also led to a surge in A&E admissions and overcrowding, with older patients particularly affected. Several NHS trusts declared critical incidents due to widespread infrastructure failures and disruptions to patient care.
NHS England has approved mirvetuximab soravtansine (Elahere) for women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, marking the first new drug for this condition in over 20 years. The treatment, administered every three weeks, delayed cancer progression and prolonged survival by an average of four months in clinical trials.
MPs will debate plans for a single NHS patient record in England, aiming to combine GP, hospital, and social care data. Concerns about data sensitivity and access are raised by the BMA and Unison, while proponents highlight benefits for patient care and A&E efficiency. The system is slated for rollout from 2027.
The UK government claims a new NHS modernisation bill could save £20m annually and reduce A&E visits by 20,000 by enabling secure sharing of patient health data across providers, creating single patient records.
NHS England meets 65.3% 18-week treatment target in March, Labour's Wes Streeting attributes success to government investment and staff efforts, despite missing other care targets.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlines his legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session, including reforms to NHS, education, housing, and immigration, amidst speculation of a potential leadership challenge.
Labour's King's Speech unveils bills to reset EU relations, nationalise British Steel, reform NHS, education, housing, and immigration, amidst potential backlash from Labour MPs on asylum measures.
Hundreds of four-year-olds among ‘extremely overweight’ patients at 39 specialist centres since 2021More than 6,000 children living with obesity, including hundreds as young as four, have required treatment at specialist NHS weight-loss clinics, new figures reveal.NHS England data, published for the first time, underlines the scale of the growing childhood obesity crisis. Continue reading...
Decision made to grant US tech firm ‘unlimited access’ to data in project to build integrated platform, according to reportsUK politics live – latest updatesMPs have warned that an NHS decision to grant Palantir access to identifiable patient information in its plan to use AI to improve the health service is “dangerous” and will fuel public fears that data privacy is not being prioritised.NHS England has allowed staff from the US tech firm and other contractors access to patient data before it has been pseudonymised, despite internal fears of a “risk of loss of public confidence”, the Financial Times reported. Continue reading...
More than 500 patients have received life-saving care after Martha's Rule was implemented across NHS England in 2024. The patient safety mechanism, which allows patients, relatives and staff to request a rapid review of care, led to 524 adults and children being moved to intensive care or specialist units between September 2024 and February 2026. Of 12,301 calls made to helplines, about one in three identified patients whose health was deteriorating. The rule is named after Martha Mills, who died aged 13 in 2021 after her family's concerns went unheeded at King's College Hospital.
