The UK Covid-19 Inquiry finds failures in pandemic planning and early protection of adult social care, with more than 43,000 care home deaths involving Covid-19 recorded between March 2020 and July 2022.
Staff member · 2 min readThe government has budgeted for a 2.4% doctors’ pay uplift in England for 2027/28, prompting a warning from the BMA over recruitment, retention and further industrial unrest.
James Ashcroft · 2 min readMinisters accept that the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme needs reform after the Covid-19 Inquiry recommended higher and tiered payments, but have not yet committed to specific changes.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readHome Office wastewater research estimates ketamine consumption at 16 monitored English sites rose 194% between 2021 and 2026, despite an 11% fall in the latest year.
Peter Jackson · 2 min readPrime Minister Andy Burnham has announced four measures aimed at speeding up brain cancer research and access to treatments after meeting campaigner Archie Goodburn at Downing Street.
Staff member · 2 min readA £48 million government-industry partnership will support dementia research, with £33 million of public funding and a focus on clinical trial recruitment.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readMinisters plan wider regulation of ADHD and autism assessments, a review of advertising and national NHS prices following the Fonagy review.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readKemi Badenoch says a future Conservative government would require patients seeking fit notes lasting four weeks or longer to undergo further occupational-health assessment.
Charlotte Mercer · 3 min readA new UK-wide excise duty on vaping products has come into force, charging £2.20 for every 10ml of vaping liquid manufactured in or imported into the country.
Charlotte Mercer · 2 min readEmployees will gain a day-one legal right to bereavement leave from April 2027, including up to two weeks of unpaid leave following pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
Charlotte Mercer · 4 min readThe Thirlwall Inquiry has found a complete failure to protect babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, while a separate CCRC review of Lucy Letby's convictions remains underway.
Charlotte Mercer · 6 min read