Martin Bagot

The NHS in England is preparing to offer lenacapavir to people with HIV that has become resistant to all standard antiretroviral treatments. About 92 eligible patients are expected to be contacted initially, with roughly 300 people projected to receive the medicine over three years. The treatment begins with tablets and two injections before moving to six-monthly injections. Lenacapavir targets HIV’s protective capsid and has restored undetectable viral levels and immune function in at least one patient, while health officials and HIV charities say the rollout could help prevent AIDS-related deaths and support the UK goal of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Around 26,000 people in England are waiting for cystoscopies to investigate suspected bladder cancer, with nearly 7,000 exceeding the NHS’s six-week target. Nonacus chief executive Jeff Bousfield argues that its Galeas at-home urine test, which checks 23 genes linked to bladder cancer, could speed diagnosis and reduce invasive procedures, particularly because early-stage disease has far better survival outcomes. The test is being piloted in a small number of NHS areas in England and Wales, while NHS England awaits trial evidence before deciding on wider use.

Donald Trump has recommended reducing the number of vaccines offered to U.S. children from 18 to 11 and suggested that the combined MMR vaccine should instead be administered as separate shots. Scientists, autism experts and health organizations say there is no credible evidence linking MMR vaccination to autism and warn that separating the doses could delay or reduce protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Experts also attribute rising autism diagnoses to broader diagnostic criteria, greater awareness and improved identification rather than vaccines. The policy follows Trump's appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., although individual U.S. states will make the final decisions.

Sleep problems affect about one third of people at least weekly and are associated with poorer physical and mental health. Evidence discussed in the article suggests that regular exercise—particularly resistance training and tai chi—can improve sleep, while exercising in line with an individual’s chronotype may provide additional benefits. Maintaining a consistent bedtime is linked to lower cardiovascular risk, although extra weekend sleep may partly offset insufficient weekday sleep. The article also warns that sleeping with the head elevated on multiple pillows may increase eye pressure and glaucoma risk, and recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults, limiting late caffeine and heavy meals, avoiding screens before bed, and seeking NHS support when insomnia affects daily life.

A nationwide NHS trial will recruit 1,000 patients from 94 GP surgeries from 2028 to test whether community-based specialist support hubs can help people maintain weight loss after using drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. The hubs would provide regular reviews, blood tests, nutritional checks, physical-function assessments and personalised lifestyle support. The trial, led by the University of East Anglia and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, will assess whether the model is cost-effective enough to support wider NHS prescribing. The initiative addresses concerns that patients often regain weight after stopping the drugs and may experience nutritional deficiencies, mental-health problems, muscle and bone loss, or treatment interruptions because of cost, side effects and limited NHS capacity.

Heatwaves in the UK during May and June 2026 were associated with an estimated 2,877 deaths, nearly twice the excess deaths recorded across all of summer 2025. The UK Health Security Agency said the figure could rise to a record if further hot weather occurs, surpassing the 2,985 heat-associated deaths recorded in 2022. Officials highlighted heightened risks for older people and those with underlying conditions, while hospitals and the NHS faced severe pressure. Health authorities urged people to protect vulnerable individuals, and environmental campaigners linked the worsening toll to climate change and called for urgent emissions cuts and adaptation measures.

Nuffield Trust analysis shows that 43% of patients aged over 80 in England waited more than 12 hours between arriving at A&E and admission to a ward in 2025, compared with 19% of patients aged 21 to 30. Experts say frail and elderly patients face unsafe and traumatic corridor care despite being particularly vulnerable, and argue that successive governments have failed to resolve the underlying crisis. Nearly 3,000 patients a day were reportedly treated in corridors or makeshift areas in England in May. The government says 75.4% of A&E patients were seen within four hours in June and has committed £450 million to improve urgent and emergency care, expand capacity and reduce waits.

North Devon District Hospital will temporarily stop maternity deliveries from 11 August after consultant shortages left it unable to staff the service safely. The closure affects a rural and coastal population, with pregnant women potentially facing journeys of about 90 minutes or more to Exeter or Taunton, raising fears of dangerous delays, particularly during emergencies and the busy summer period. Local MP Ian Roome is seeking national NHS support and warns the closure could become permanent, while the hospital trust says it is arranging individualized birth plans and wraparound support and will reopen when safe staffing can be restored. The British Medical Association attributed the crisis to wider workforce-planning failures and shortages of specialist doctors, while the Department of Health and Social Care called for clear safeguards and a prompt restoration of services.

A year-long University of Edinburgh study of 45 workers aged 50 to 66 found that sleep disruption, rather than insufficient time in bed, was strongly associated with poor rest and wellbeing. Nearly 70% experienced persistent clinically significant sleep problems, while 92% met the threshold for a sleep disorder at least once, despite typically sleeping 6.5 to 8 hours per night. Researchers linked disrupted sleep to workplace, care-related and financial stress and urged employers and policymakers to treat sleep quality, work-life balance and workplace wellbeing as priorities for supporting older workers and extending healthy working lives.

Hundreds of thousands of people in England attend A&E each year with eye problems that could be treated at free NHS-funded community optometry clinics. The Association of Optometrists estimates that 62% to 78% of the 780,000 annual eye-related A&E visits could be managed by opticians, potentially avoiding up to 400,000 hospital visits. It is calling for better funding and nationwide access to end the current postcode lottery. Emergency medicine leaders support expanded community eye care but say broader action is also needed to address overcrowding and long waits in A&E.

Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, home to the 250-foot Lovell Telescope, is set to lose its £2.8 million annual UKRI funding and close on 1 April 2028 unless alternative support is found. UKRI says it is making 2.7% cuts to astronomy, nuclear and particle-physics research to address rising costs and prioritize projects with the greatest long-term impact. Scientists, unions and the Institute of Physics warn that closure would damage UK research capabilities, threaten 28 jobs, disrupt work involving around 3,000 scientists and undermine Britain’s ambition to remain a science superpower. Jodrell Bank’s leadership plans to challenge the decision while seeking replacement funding.

The UK is already paying heavily for its unresolved social care crisis through NHS costs, pressure on local councils, depleted family savings and the loss of employment among unpaid carers. Around 14,000 medically fit patients were stuck in English hospitals each day in the previous month, costing the NHS £230 million monthly, while prolonged hospital stays are damaging elderly people's health and independence. The Mirror's Fair Care for All campaign calls for a national care service alongside the NHS, a minister for the elderly, better-funded services, higher pay for care workers and stronger support for unpaid carers. Andy Burnham is expected to set out a reform plan, but the article argues that a shared insurance or tax-funded system would formalize costs taxpayers are already bearing.

GLP-1 weight-loss injections such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic can produce substantial weight loss and wider health benefits, but users may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, malnutrition, hair loss, bad breath, tooth erosion and changes in facial or body fat. Severe complications including gallbladder problems and acute pancreatitis are rare but potentially serious. Research also indicates that about one-third of weight lost may be muscle and bone mass, making protein-rich nutrition and resistance training important. Weight commonly returns within about a year after treatment stops, while muscle and bone losses may persist. The NHS advises using these prescription medicines alongside personalised dietary, behavioural and exercise support and warns against obtaining counterfeit or unregulated injections.

Children with severe dental problems, particularly those with special educational needs, are reportedly waiting months or years for hospital tooth extractions because procedures compete with other NHS operations for theatre capacity. Hayley Bramhall’s seven-year-old autistic son Philip spent four months with a painful abscess and now awaits multiple extractions, prompting her to launch a petition for treatment within 12 weeks. The British Dental Association is demanding publication of hospital dental waiting-time data, which the government has collected since August 2025 but not released. The Department of Health and Social Care says its reforms will improve access and deliver 2.5 million additional NHS dental treatment courses, while campaigners argue that greater transparency and resources are urgently needed.

Eleven-year-old Catherine L'Estrange became the first British patient to receive gene therapy for BBS10-related Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a rare disorder that progressively causes blindness. Surgeons at St Helier Hospital injected healthy copies of the BBS10 gene into one of her eyes after removing the eye's vitreous gel. The treatment, developed by MeiraGTx with support from specialists at Great Ormond Street and Moorfields, aims to preserve or improve retinal function and independence. Catherine and her family hope it will allow her to continue reading and retain her sight. Early reports from patients suggest improved vision in dim light, but doctors stress that it may take years to establish the therapy's effectiveness and that it will not restore perfect vision.

A University College London analysis of 2,759 participants in the 1946 British cohort study found that persistent low income and financial hardship in early and middle adulthood were associated with poorer cognitive performance at age 53 and worse brain-health measures later in life. The relationship was particularly strong among men, especially those who had experienced poverty in childhood. Researchers suggest chronic stress and the mental demands of financial problems may contribute to the association, while Alzheimer's Society says reducing social and economic inequalities could help delay or prevent some dementia cases.

An 18-year-old suffering from severe Complex Regional Pain Syndrome became the first teenager in the UK to receive a closed-loop spinal cord stimulation implant, eliminating years of debilitating foot pain. Doctors at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle reported an immediate and dramatic response after activating the Inceptiv device, which disrupts pain signals before they reach the brain. After years of unsuccessful treatments and consideration of amputation, the patient is now pain-free and planning his future, while his family and medical team highlight the potential of similar implants for other neurological conditions and seek to raise awareness of CRPS.

The NHS is making fampridine available to around 5,000 eligible patients in England with multiple sclerosis and walking difficulties. The twice-daily pill helps electrical signals travel along nerves damaged by MS; trials found improved walking speed in 43% of patients. Patients will undergo a two-to-four-week assessment, with continued treatment for those who benefit. Although the drug has a list price of about £4,700 per patient annually, the NHS has secured a confidential discount. The MS Society welcomed the decision and urged services across England to ensure eligible patients can access it.

A study of around 50,000 people with type 2 diabetes found that users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs were more likely to report alopecia than patients taking other diabetes medications—37% more likely than users of SGLT-2 inhibitors and 68% more likely than users of DPP-4 inhibitors. Researchers and experts suggest rapid weight loss, reduced calorie intake, or nutrient deficiencies may trigger temporary, non-scarring hair loss. The study establishes an association rather than proving causation or confirming regrowth, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the possible side effect. Experts say the relatively small potential risk should be considered alongside the drugs’ established benefits for blood sugar control, weight reduction, and obesity-related complications.

A Lancet Regional Health Europe study of new Type 2 diabetes cases in England from 2011 to 2024 found substantial increases among adults aged 20 to 29—43% in men and 69% in women—while diagnoses declined among people aged 60 to 79. Researchers link the shift to rising obesity and sedentary lifestyles among younger adults, warning that earlier diagnosis increases the risk of amputations, blindness, heart disease and stroke. Diabetes UK called for restrictions on unhealthy-food promotion and healthier environments, while NHS England highlighted its diabetes prevention programme and expanding access to weight-loss medication for eligible patients.

Age UK reports that 57% of people medically fit for discharge were still in hospital on a typical day in 2025/26, with daily delayed discharges in England reaching about 14,000—up 70% since 2021. The delays, driven largely by insufficient social-care and community-care arrangements, are harming older people's health and independence, costing the NHS an estimated £2.7 billion annually and consuming 6.75 million bed days. Caroline Brown's experience of spending months in a budget hotel after leaving hospital illustrates the lack of safe, affordable discharge options. Age UK is calling for social-care reform, while the Department of Health and Social Care says new discharge guidance and wider efforts to fix social care are already underway.

A study of around 41,000 people who used Wegovy, Ozempic or Mounjaro found that GLP-1 medications were associated with substantially lower rates of alcohol-related hospital admission, including reductions of up to 63% to 65% in some groups. Researchers say the drugs could have a role in treating alcohol-use disorder, but experts stress that the US observational study cannot establish causation and may be affected by differences in patients' health, income and insurance. Further research is needed, particularly given the medications' cost, side effects and the risk of weight regain after treatment stops.

Nicky Hatton, 59, travelled from England to Kaunas, Lithuania, for a hip replacement after severe osteoarthritis left her unable to walk and facing a further 12 to 18 months on the NHS waiting list. She paid £8,600 for treatment at Nord Orthopaedics, compared with an estimated £20,000–£25,000 privately in the UK, and says the operation dramatically improved her mobility and mood. The case comes as England's elective waiting list rose to 7.28 million treatments in May, while an estimated 523,000 UK residents travelled overseas for healthcare in 2024. Private healthcare admissions also reached a record 953,000 in 2025. The Department of Health and Social Care said the government had reduced the overall NHS waiting list by 340,000 since July 2024, but acknowledged that further work was required.

Ben Williams says England’s decision to introduce nationwide newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy offers hope that babies will receive treatment before symptoms and irreversible nerve damage develop. His son Ollie was diagnosed with Type 1 SMA at three months old and now requires extensive medical support, while his younger sister Hailey is developing normally. The campaign victory follows years of advocacy by SMA UK, The Mirror and families affected by the condition, but campaigners continue to press for screening in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Jesy Nelson describes the emotional impact of securing universal newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy after her twins’ late diagnoses left lasting uncertainty about their mobility. The government’s approval of SMA testing across England is presented as a major milestone, influenced by Nelson’s campaigning alongside the Mirror. Her daughters’ condition remains fragile despite receiving gene therapy, and they may require additional treatment such as Evrysdi. Great Ormond Street Hospital continues to monitor the twins, while medical leaders welcome the new screening programme beginning in October and expanding nationally by 2027.

The UK Government has confirmed that England will ban the sale of energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to under-16s from April 2027, subject to Parliamentary approval. The restriction will cover shops, vending machines and online sales, with businesses facing fines of up to £2,500 and local authorities responsible for enforcement. The policy follows a public consultation and a long-running Daily Mirror campaign backed by Jamie Oliver. Ministers and health experts say the measure will address caffeine, sugar and acidity-related risks, including anxiety, disrupted sleep, poor concentration, educational difficulties, obesity and dental damage.

Government advisers recommend offering the meningitis B vaccine to all 15-year-olds following deadly outbreaks, including one in Kent that caused two deaths. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises booster doses for those vaccinated in infancy, two-dose schedules for those who missed early vaccinations, and a catch-up programme to prevent gaps in protection. Health leaders highlight the severity of meningococcal disease and the rising clusters among young people. A one-off vaccination programme is underway for eligible 17 to 25-year-olds, with officials urging timely uptake before university or college.

Research involving 2,000 older adults found that regularly attending cultural activities such as museums, cinemas, theatres and concerts is associated with a lower biological age, comparable to the benefits of frequent exercise. Participants with higher cultural engagement showed better physiological markers, including BMI, grip strength and blood pressure. Researchers suggest increasing accessibility to cultural events could support healthy ageing, noting links between culture, emotional wellbeing and reduced risks of depression and cognitive impairment.

Oxford University scientists have developed a new Ebola vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain in just eight weeks, following a public health emergency declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UK regulator has approved initial human trials involving 50 British volunteers, with a follow‑up trial planned in Uganda. Manufactured partly by the Serum Institute of India, more than 620,000 doses have already been stockpiled. Researchers highlight both the urgency of the outbreak, which has caused 625 deaths, and the potential small clotting risk similar to that associated with the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid‑19 vaccine. International health leaders describe the vaccine's rapid progress to trials as a critical step toward controlling the epidemic.

GPs in England report overwhelming demand for mental health care, citing increasingly complex cases, long waiting times for specialist support and unsustainable workloads that are pushing many doctors toward burnout or reduced hours. Dr Eleanor Barnard and Dr Jess Harvey describe facing relentless consultations involving trauma, end‑of‑life care and rising psychiatric needs, which they say leave clinicians emotionally drained and at times ‘hardened’ to cope. Workforce data shows a decline in full‑time equivalent GPs since 2015 despite rising patient numbers, contributing to mounting pressure on practices. Representatives warn that the strain on general practice threatens the wider NHS, while the Department of Health and Social Care highlights recruitment efforts, investment and improved patient access.

UK ministers plan to require plain packaging and under‑the‑counter sales of vapes to curb youth nicotine addiction amid rising use of brightly marketed e‑cigarettes. Scientific concerns highlighted at a major cardiology conference point to possible increased risks of stroke, higher blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Although vaping remains less harmful than smoking, officials aim to apply precautionary measures to prevent long‑term health consequences and protect children from addiction.

A new daily Wegovy weight‑loss pill is going on sale privately in Britain after receiving regulatory approval, prompting warnings from pharmacists about counterfeit products and an expected surge in demand. The NHS has not yet decided whether to offer it. The pill, developed by Novo Nordisk, uses a protective coating to survive stomach acid and must be taken under specific conditions. Experts caution about side effects and stress the need for supervised dietary and lifestyle changes. Pharmacy leaders express concern about black‑market versions, while others highlight the potential to expand access to obesity treatment.

NASA has launched a first‑of‑its‑kind mission using a robot spacecraft called LINK to intercept and lift the Swift telescope back into a stable orbit before it burns up during re‑entry. Built by Katalyst Space Technologies, the fridge‑sized craft aims to grab the descending observatory and gradually raise it from 220 miles to its safe 373‑mile orbit. Increased solar activity accelerated Swift’s fall, making intervention urgent ahead of an expected October breakup. Experts say the mission could pave the way for rescuing other major satellites, including the Hubble Space Telescope, extending their operational lifespans at far lower cost than replacement missions.

UK researchers created the first effective cognitive rehabilitation programme for Long Covid brain fog, using simple techniques such as visualisation, chunking, categorising, timed focus intervals and distraction reduction. In a trial of 78 patients, 84 percent of participants reported significant improvement after three months, compared with 53 percent receiving standard care. Benefits persisted at six months, including better memory and thinking test scores. Patients described meaningful recovery in concentration and daily functioning. The programme, developed at University College London and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, uses established rehab methods and may be easily rolled out for broader treatment use.