All posts tagged: NHS

NHS rolls out ‘life-changing’ drug to help multiple sclerosis patients walk

NHS rolls out ‘life-changing’ drug to help multiple sclerosis patients walk

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Thousands of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England are set to benefit from a new twice-daily pill that significantly improves walking ability, which is now being rolled out on the NHS. Hailed as “life-changing,” fampridine marks a significant advancement as the first drug specifically designed to address walking difficulties associated with the incurable autoimmune disease. MS, which affects the brain and spinal cord, can manifest through a range of debilitating symptoms including tiredness, dizziness, tingling sensations, muscle cramps, vision problems, and memory issues. Until now, patients struggling with mobility have primarily relied on physiotherapy, walking aids, or supportive devices for their feet. The drug, also known as Fampyra, functions by acting as a signal booster within the nervous system. It works to restore electrical signals along damaged nerves, thereby enabling muscles to function more effectively and improving overall mobility …

Twice-a-day ‘life-changing’ pill which helps MS patients walk easier to be rolled out on NHS

Twice-a-day ‘life-changing’ pill which helps MS patients walk easier to be rolled out on NHS

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Thousands of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England are set to benefit from a new twice-daily pill that significantly improves walking ability, which is now being rolled out on the NHS. Hailed as “life-changing,” fampridine marks a significant advancement as the first drug specifically designed to address walking difficulties associated with the incurable autoimmune disease. MS, which affects the brain and spinal cord, can manifest through a range of debilitating symptoms including tiredness, dizziness, tingling sensations, muscle cramps, vision problems, and memory issues. Until now, patients struggling with mobility have primarily relied on physiotherapy, walking aids, or supportive devices for their feet. The drug, also known as Fampyra, functions by acting as a signal booster within the nervous system. It works to restore electrical signals along damaged nerves, thereby enabling muscles to function more effectively and improving overall mobility …

Humanists UK celebrates 10 years of non-religious pastoral support in the NHS – Humanists UK

Humanists UK celebrates 10 years of non-religious pastoral support in the NHS – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

Photo: University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) Figures from across the healthcare sector and Humanists UK gathered at Leicester General Hospital last week to mark World Humanist Day and celebrate a historic milestone: ten years since the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) became the first NHS organisation in the UK to appoint a non-religious pastoral carer to a paid role. The milestone conference, hosted by the Chaplaincy Team at UHL and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), brought together chaplains, pastoral carers, professional bodies, and national partners to reflect on a decade of progress and look ahead to the future of inclusive healthcare. Among those in attendance to mark the anniversary were Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson OBE, Director of Community Services Clare Elcombe Webber, and Lindsay de Wal – currently both the Head of Pastoral Care at Humanists UK and the Director for Humanist Existential Care with the European Humanist Services Network, and who herself made history in 2018 as the first humanist appointed to lead an NHS chaplaincy and pastoral …

Women with irregular periods should be checked for PMOS, NHS says | Health

Women with irregular periods should be checked for PMOS, NHS says | Health

Published by Sam Flores

Up to 4 million women with irregular periods should be investigated for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, according to new NHS guidance. PMOS, previously known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, is believed to affect up to 13% of reproductive age women, the World Health Organization estimates. Symptoms include irregular, very short, long or absent periods, excess levels of testosterone, and ovaries with multiple small follicles. The condition is associated with greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, mental health issues and complications in pregnancy. But the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says that, despite affecting 3- to 4-million women in the UK, PMOS is “frequently underdiagnosed and inconsistenly managed”. Nice’s new draft guidance covers girls aged over 10, as well as adult women, trans men and non-binary people who are not receiving gender reassignment therapy or surgery. Patients with suspected PMOS should be offered blood tests including male and female hormone levels and in some cases ultrasounds. PMOS should not be discounted in women who have been …

Academy trust CEO pay ‘should follow rules in line with NHS’

Academy trust CEO pay ‘should follow rules in line with NHS’

Published by skeptic

Academy bosses’ pay should follow “rules” that are “in line” with other parts of the public sector like the NHS, the schools minister has said, as government prepares to announce curbs on CEO salaries. Schools Week understands the government will announce controls on MAT CEO pay alongside the long-awaited teacher pay award for September, which could come as soon as tomorrow. In a Q&A with this newspaper, Georgia Gould said “nothing is off the table” as the government seeks to ensure salaries and annual pay rises awarded to academy trust executives are “proportionate and justifiable”. Senior managers in the NHS must have high salaries signed off by officials, with pay at the largest trusts capped at around £280,000. Academy trusts face no such rules, with six bosses now earning over £300,000 and the highest earner on more than £500,000. The Department for Education said in its white paper that it would “tighten” rules in the academy trust handbook to “prevent excessive increases for individuals carrying out broadly similar roles”. Gould told Schools Week: “School leaders are …

I was injured on police duty and have been hospitalised for 22 weeks | UK | News

I was injured on police duty and have been hospitalised for 22 weeks | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Mark Mitchell has been by his wife’s side during her long stint in hospital (Image: Mark Mitchell) A former police officer injured in the line of duty has been left paralysed after surgery, spending a “nightmare” nearly 22 weeks in hospital. Sue Mitchell, 64, served with Essex Police before suffering horrific spinal injuries as a 22-year-old PC when teenage burglars rammed the police car she was travelling in after just days in the job in November 1984. Despite her horrific injuries, she chased and arrested one of the suspects. Later, Mrs Mitchell want back to work, having regular injections to counter the pain before having her first of multiple surgeries and medically retiring aged just 26. A morphine pump manufactured by American company Medtronic was implanted in 1998. It was due for replacement with the battery scheduled to expire in October 2025. But since surgery to replace it, carried out by John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in August 2025, the former copper has “seen a steady increase in her pain and a decline in her …

UK penicillin alert as new ‘defect’ notice issued

UK penicillin alert as new ‘defect’ notice issued

Published by Sam Flores

A fresh alert has been issued regarding a form of penicillin used across the UK. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced in a new ‘Class 4 Medicines Defect Notification’ that Brancaster Pharma Limited had notified it that certain batches of benzylpenicillin benzathine — an injectable antibiotic — had been distributed with an outdated patient information leaflet (PIL). The affected medication carries two batch numbers, 72500105 and 72500107, an expiry date of October 31, 2029, and was first distributed on June 26, 2026. The MHRA stated: “Brancaster Pharma Limited has informed the MHRA that the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) in the cartons for the batches listed in this notification were released with an outdated PIL. These packs contain the previous PIL that was revised in April 2023. The latest approved PIL is dated November 2025. “The update was limited to the information intended for healthcare professionals only section, subsection “Special precautions for disposal and other handling”, and reflects an update to section 6.6 of the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). “Additional information was …

NHS difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke explained

NHS difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke explained

Published by Sam Flores

The NHS is urging the public to know exactly when the situation progresses from a little too hot to the point where emergency services need to step in. It comes as the UK faces more intense heat, with highs reaching almost 40°C in parts of England. The Met Office has issued another yellow weather warning for thunderstorms as people continue to face high temperatures. With the intense heat comes the risk of people being overexposed to the elements and suffering from health problems like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Posting on Instagram, the health service said: “Know the different signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion does not usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes. “But if it turns into heatstroke, it needs to be treated as an emergency. It’s important to know the signs of heatstroke and how to get help. Call 999 if you or someone else has signs of heatstroke.” What are the differences between heat exhaustion and heatstroke? The symptoms of heat exhaustion …

NHS nurse suspended for saying ‘stop the boats’ and ‘deport them all’ | UK | News

NHS nurse suspended for saying ‘stop the boats’ and ‘deport them all’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

An NHS nurse who made a series of offensive social media comments including “stop the boats” and “deport them all” has been suspended for six months. Tina Patricia Orbell was found guilty of misconduct after she shared and commented on material which contained discriminatory language, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) misconduct panel ruled. At the time, she was working as a bank nurse in the emergency department at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. The judgment said that in early 2025, the NMC received referrals from three members of the public and three former colleagues of Mrs Orbell raising concerns regarding material she had shared and commented on. The posts, which were shared and commented on between July 2024 and February 2025, were reported as containing “inflammatory, discriminatory and hostile language”. After the referrals, Mrs Orbell deleted her Facebook and Instagram accounts, the ruling said. One post shared online by the nurse read: “Due to the red weather warning Starmer has asked the illegals to use the channel tunnel.” The panel heard that under …