News

Recent developments and primary care goals for ovarian cancer

For primary care teams, keeping up-to-date with developments and current best practice is the key to expediting ovarian cancer diagnosis, according to Dr Sharon Tate, Head of Primary Care Development, Target Ovarian Cancer (TOC).

Covid: Rise in UK infections driven by BA.2 Omicron variant

Covid cases have continued to rise in the UK, with an estimated one in every 20 people infected, figures from the Office for National Statistic suggest. All age groups are affected, including the 75s and over, who are due a spring booster jab to top up protection.

Birthing kits to go to Ukraine to help pregnant mothers

Medical kits to help midwives support mothers giving birth are to be sent to Ukraine. The 30 bags have been put together by charity Baby Lifeline, cost about £1,000 each and will be sent out in the next few days, via Poland.

Welsh leader calls for Donna Ockenden to investigate

Families owed apology from Betsi Cadwaladr health board and Welsh Government. Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, refers to the fact that the deaths of two patients have sparked damning reports into the failings of mental health services in north Wales.

Baby died after mother given ‘incorrect advice’ in call to Stoke-on-Trent hospital

A six-month-old baby died after the mother was given the wrong advice, hospital board papers have revealed. The mother called the maternity assessment unit at the Royal Stoke University Hospital seeking medical advice, the hospital trust said.

Shropshire baby deaths: New date for Ockenden report publication

A new date has been set for a much-awaited report into maternity failings at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust. The inquiry, led by Donna Ockenden, is the largest of its kind in the NHS’s history, investigating 1,862 cases.

Covid vaccination – the knowns and unknowns

Many factors influence decisions about vaccine use including many ‘unknowns’ and this raises questions about the wisdom of targeting young people and recommending boosters for everyone, explains Allyson Pollock, Clinical Professor of Public Health, Newcastle University.

Revealed: scandal of NHS charges putting pregnant migrant women at risk

Vulnerable women face huge bills before giving birth, campaigners say. The health of pregnant woman and their unborn babies is being put at risk due to fears around NHS charging, with some trusts demanding upfront fees for maternity care or wrongly charging those who are exempt, it has been claimed. 

Ovarian cancer in a nutshell

No fewer than 11 women die of ovarian cancer every day in the UK, equivalent to more than 4000 per annum.1 About 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in the UK and the incidence has remained stable since the early 1990s.

NHS pilots pregnancy screening that may cut racial disparities in baby deaths

Stillbirth and perinatal death rates are comparatively high for black and Asian babies in the UK, studies have shown. Now the Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement, led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives, has successfully designed and trialled a tool that could help end the scandal.

Campaigners call for action over UK’s ‘shameful’ lung health

The UK has the highest death rate for lung conditions in western Europe, research reveals, prompting calls from health leaders for urgent action to tackle the “national scandal”

Thousands of girls as young as 11 in England hiding signs of ‘deep distress’

Thousands of girls as young as 11 are hiding signs of “deep distress” from their parents and teachers, according to an “alarming” report that reveals a “growing gulf” between the mental health of girls and boys.