New Health Secretary Yvette Cooper pledges root-and-branch maternity reforms, rejecting pressure on women to achieve an ‘ideal birth’ and reintroducing binding national standards.

Heatwaves affect vulnerable populations including older people and young children more severely, causing heat exhaustion and potentially life-threatening heatstroke through physiological changes including blood vessel dilation and fluid loss.

A vaccination programme targeting one million teenagers and young adults is launching to address meningitis B infection concerns. The disease can cause life-threatening illness if not treated quickly.

The UK health service is considering adopting a machine that preserves donated lungs outside the body, potentially rescuing four in five lungs currently unsuitable for transplantation and addressing England and Wales’ low lung transplant rates.

Stroke risk factors including high blood pressure and diabetes are rising faster among Black African and Caribbean populations compared with white people, according to analysis of 30 years of data from the South London Stroke Register.

Scientists are examining whether regular sauna use and heat exposure could help people adapt to heatwaves, though experts warn against using saunas during extreme heat events themselves.

NHS radiographers report a noticeable rise in racist abuse from patients over the past 18 months, with incidents including staff being called derogatory names and patients refusing treatment from black and Asian staff members.

East London NHS Foundation Trust must reduce spending by £24.1m, potentially affecting up to 330 staff positions across mental health and community services serving 1.8 million people.

Federal policy now prohibits using government grants to distribute drug test strips to people who use drugs, raising concerns about overdose prevention efforts in harm reduction programs.

A COVID-19 inquiry found the UK wasted almost £10 billion on personal protective equipment procurement during the pandemic, with inefficient planning and a controversial prioritization system criticized as unfair.

Nearly 305,000 doses of emergency contraception were dispensed at English pharmacies between October 2025 and March 2026 under a new free service designed to improve access.

Guernsey’s health service commissioned 20 independent reviews over five years at a total cost of £187,479, covering pathology, maternity, and ophthalmology departments.