Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of hospital admission for mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind. The research, involving more than 200,000 people in Scotland, found an increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide in particular was associated with a higher number of people being admitted to hospital for behaviour disorders and mental illnesses.more
One in four babies born in NHS hospitals in England last year were delivered by caesarean section, official figures show.
The gradual increase in the number of caesarean births over the past decade is due to a growing number of complex pregnancies and births, caused by factors including rising obesity rates and women waiting until they are older to have children.more
Residents in wealthier London boroughs live a decade longer in “good health” than those in poorer areas, analysis shows.
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that men in Richmond lived to 69.5 in good health between 2021 and 2023, compared with 57.8 in Lewisham.more
Children in England are being set up to live "shorter and unhealthier" lives because there is so much easily available junk food in cities, the country's health chief has warned.more
Norway's parliament passed a new abortion law yesterday, extending the period in which a woman can decide to terminate her pregnancy from 12 to 18 weeks. The center-left coalition's bill was supported by the People's Party, the Conservatives, and some of the right.more
The British government said yesterday that the first of thousands of victims who were infected with HIV in the 1980s will receive compensation in the coming days. It said the first 10 people will receive a total of more than £13 million.more
The NHS is forced to spend a “staggering” £14.7bn a year treating people who have been harmed by mistakes made during their care, a report reveals.
And a stark north/south divide on patient safety has opened up across England, with double the amount of death and disability caused by medical negligence in the north-east than in London.more
The Portuguese government has recommended that primary schools introduce a ban on students using mobile phones in educational institutions. It justifies the decision with research that shows the harmfulness of excessive use of smartphones by children.more
Fine particle air pollution killed nearly 240,000 people in the European Union in 2022, a five percent fall on the previous year, the European Environment Agency said in a report published Tuesday.more
A new weight-loss jab will be rolled out on the NHS in England - but it could take 12 years for everyone to receive it, the NHS drugs advisory body says.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) final draft guidance on Mounjaro has recommended it starts being given from March, alongside advice on diet and exercise.more
The NHS in England is busier than it has ever been heading into winter, the country’s medical director is warning.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis said rising rates of flu and the vomiting bug norovirus were putting hospitals under huge strain.
Around 95% of beds are already occupied at the start of December – rates normally only seen in the depths of winter.more
In 2023, the healthy life expectancy was 61.3 years for men and 64.6 years for women. This means an increase of 1.2 years for men and 0.9 years for women compared to 2022 - reported the Central Statistical Office.more
MPs have backed proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales in a historic vote which paves the way for a change in the law.
Under draft legislation being considered by Parliament, terminally ill adults expected to die within six months could seek help to end their own life.
In the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly a decade, MPs supported the bill by 330 to 275.more
The number of single women and female couples undergoing IVF or artificial insemination in the UK has risen over the past decade, a report from the fertility regulator, external shows.more
France wants the European Union to adopt a resolution preventing teenagers from using social media before they turn 15, Politico reported. The French government intends to use the Polish presidency of the EU Council to do so.more
Plans to end the deepening crisis in access to NHS dental care are failing, leaving patients unable to get treatment, according to a warning from the government’s spending watchdog.more
MPs are being urged to back plans to make the UK the first country to eradicate smoking, as new figures suggest tobacco will result in almost 300,000 Britons getting cancer within the next five years.more
Life expectancy in the U.S. varies by more than 20 years by race, ethnicity and location, according to a study in The Lancet. Some blacks, American Indians and Alaska Natives die the fastest. Asians live the longest.more
Motorists and commuters are being warned of disruption with weather warnings for snow and ice in several areas across the UK.
Snow started falling across parts of the country on Monday in what BBC Weather says is likely the "first glimpse of the season".more
Emergency doctors have sounded the alarm over an approaching winter crisis that they say is already putting patients in overstretched A&E departments at risk.more
In 2022, Poland spent 6.4% of GDP on healthcare, well below the EU average of 10.4% of GDP, according to Eurostat data published on Friday. On average, Poland spent €1,137 per capita, with only Romania and Bulgaria behind.more
