[ad_1] Folic acid is to be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour in the UK to help prevent birth defects. Adding folic acid to flour could prevent around 200 cases of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, every year, and improve the health of pregnant women, says the government, which is giving manufacturers until the end of 2026 to conform to the new legal requirement.Expectant mothers and women trying to
[ad_1] Family handoutLucy took her own life after suffering from postnatal depressionLucy will never again dance with her three-year-old daughter or hold her 12-month-old baby boy. She died by suicide in September this year after suffering from postnatal depression and psychosis. Her family say she was failed by mental health services. It was the second time Lucy suffered with the condition, but she had no extra support in her second
[ad_1] MARK MARLOW/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThis is the first time pharmacists have voted to take action in their historyPharmacy owners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted in favour of cutting opening hours and stopping home deliveries for the first time, in a protest over government funding.The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which ran the ballot, is calling for an annual £1.7bn funding increase to plug the “financial hole”.The NPA represents 6,500 of
[ad_1] BBC/Brijesh PatelRoy Pollitt thought his late wife was being treated by a doctor rather than a physician associateA 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 death at Royal Oldham Hospital in July 2023 had been caused by an "unnecessary medical procedure contributed
[ad_1] PAFailing hospitals will be revealed in league tables and NHS managers sacked if they do not turn things around, the health secretary will tell health leaders at a conference in Liverpool.Wes Streeting is promising a "no-holds-barred, sweeping review" of NHS performance in England. Hospitals can expect to be ranked on indicators such as care delivery and finances, so patients can see whether they are receiving a good service. And
[ad_1] Getty ImagesA proposed law to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales has been formally introduced in the House of Commons. MPs can now see the details and debate the contents of the bill before voting in a few weeks time about whether they agree with the proposals. If enough of them vote yes, the bill will move to the committee stage for further scrutiny.
[ad_1] PA MediaDame Sally Davies said she had worried about someone picking up Novichok from the moment she knew "Russian agents had been involved" in the incidentThe former chief medical officer for England said she had experienced nightmares about someone picking up discarded nerve agent after the poisoning of a former spy.Sergei Skirpal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by Novichok in Salisbury in March 2018.The attempted murders were followed
[ad_1] Covid inquiryBoris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another 10,000 hospital beds at the height of the Covid pandemic, the chief executive of NHS England has said.Amanda Pritchard told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry the decision, made by the Treasury in July 2020, had been “very disappointing”.Extra beds and staff would have been used to cut waiting lists for planned care and “build resilience” going into a second winter
[ad_1] People in clinically at-risk groups are being urged to get their free Covid-19 and flu vaccinations this winter.NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said only 27% of those eligible for the Covid vaccine, and 35% of those eligible for a flu vaccine in the two areas - plus Royston, in Hertfordshire - had come forward.More than 68,000 people had yet to have their Covid vaccination and more than 74,000 people had
[ad_1] Betsi Cadwaladr University Health BoardSue Hill will officially resign as Betsi Cadwaladr's executive director of finance in DecemberA health board executive member will resign after "deliberate" incorrect accounting was found in her department two years ago.Sue Hill, executive director of finance at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), has been on leave of absence since December 2022 after specialist investigators were called in to look at accounts. The health
