Category: NHS

‘Unprecedented Backlog’ of Dental Appointment After Lockdown: Watchdog, Union Say

More than 30 million NHS dental appointments were lost during CCP virus lockdowns in England, chairs of a health care watchdog and a dentists’ union said. In a letter (pdf) to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Sir Robert Francis QC, chair of Healthwatch England, and Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), said…


10,000 Unnecessary Cancer Deaths Linked to COVID-19 Pandemic, Lockdown in UK: Report

A lack of face-to-face doctor visits in the UK since the start of the CCP virus pandemic may result in 10,000 unnecessary deaths due to cancer, said a report from University College London published this week. Researchers with the university said that a drop in emergency referrals from general practitioners in 2020 across the United…


NHS Waiting List in England Hits Record High

The number of people in England waiting for hospital treatment has reached a new record high. A total of 5.6 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of July, according to new figures from NHS England. This is the highest number since records began in August 2007 and includes those waiting for hip…


NHS Waiting List in England Could Soar to 14 Million Next Year, Warns IFS

The NHS waiting list in England could rise to 14 million by autumn next year and keep increasing, a new report has warned. If millions of patients who did not receive care during the pandemic return to the health service for medical attention, then the number joining the waiting list could outstrip the number being…


UK Dials Down COVID-19 App to Ease Self-Isolation Chaos

Under pressure from businesses and unions, the UK government has dialled down its COVID-19 app in order to ease the labour shortage that has resulted from large numbers of workers having to self-isolate. As a result of a government review, the app will now instruct fewer people to self-isolate following contact with a person who…


Discontent Grows in UK Over ‘Pingdemic’ Amid Food Warnings and Transport Disruption

Discontent with the government’s self-isolation policy is growing as food industry bosses condemned changes to ease the “pingdemic” as “worse than useless,” hospitality leaders warned of a summer of closures, and train operators were forced to cut services. There were increasing calls for Boris Johnson to bring forward his wider relaxation of quarantine rules for…


Downing Streets Says It’s ‘Crucial’ for People to Self-Isolate When Pinged by NHS COVID-19 App

Downing Street said it is “crucial” that people self-isolate when they are “pinged” as a contact by the NHS COVID-19 app, in an apparent effort to steer its messaging back on track. It follows a minister’s comment earlier that says the decision is up to individuals and their employers. All legal restrictions in England to…


Britain Fines Drug Firms After Steroid Price for NHS Rises Over 10,000 Percent

Britain’s competition regulator has fined more than 10 drug firms a record combined £260 million ($360 million) for overcharging the National Health Service (NHS) for a steroid that rose from 70 pence to £88 a pack in under eight years. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Thursday that the breaches meant the NHS…


Malta Refuses to Accept NHS App as Proof of Vaccination Status of Holidaymakers

Holidaymakers with trips booked to Malta have seen their plans thrown into chaos as the country is not accepting the NHS app as proof of vaccination. From Wednesday, travellers from the UK aged 12 and above are only permitted to enter Malta if they have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine. But authorities in…


22-Month-Old’s Lungs Collapsed After He Was Born With Cysts—but Health Workers Help Him Thrive

Will and Erin Caffrey’s 22-month-old son Charlie suffers from a potentially fatal lung condition. He was still in his mother’s womb when they learned of the cysts that were in his lungs. The couple, from the UK, were heartbroken, yet with the help of healthcare workers, Charlie is now looking forward to his second birthday. “We didn’t…