RECENT NEWS

Why do some people recover easily from bacterial infections while others rapidly deteriorate into life-threatening sepsis? According to a new study, the answer may lie not only in the invading pathogen itself, but also in the microorganisms already living inside the gut.

The high-stakes worlds of space and medicine will meet when pioneering first British astronaut in space, Helen Sharman CMG OBE, takes to the stage for the third annual Marx Lecture at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London.

Hundreds of thousands of babies will be screened as part of a new NIHR-funded trial evaluating newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). This marks a significant milestone which will bolster the evidence base that could pave the way towards national rollout of SMA screening across the UK.

The NIHR has announced a £11.6m investment to bolster the UK’s pharmacy, radiography and nursing research workforce. According to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), pharmacy and imaging workforce capacity is a particular challenge that impacts the delivery of commercial clinical research in the UK.

​Following the successful launch in 2024, Healix Health has enhanced its specialist skin cancer screening service with private hospital operator Circle Health Group. The improved pathway will offer Healix members an enhanced dermatology assessment from the comfort of their own home with the reassurance of fast access to face-to-face appointments across the Circle Health Group hospital network if further investigation is required.

Cromwell Hospital has performed a European and UK first in heart surgery after utilising new technology to treat heart conditions. Dr Riyaz Kaba, leading Consultant Cardiologist at Cromwell Hospital, was the first consultant to successfully use the FARAPOINT pulses field ablation novel catheter to treat abnormal heart rhythms.

A new report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) warns that NHS trusts are managing complex digital safety risks related to electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA), with significant unwarranted variation in how this software is designed, procured and regulated across acute hospitals. This could increase the risk of medication related harm to hospital patients if it’s not addressed.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital has become the first hospital in Europe to install a ground-breaking 3-Tesla MRI research scanner, a major step forward for medical research in the region and beyond. This state-of-the-art scanner is only the second of its kind in the world and will provide faster, more detailed imaging and improve patient comfort. It will primarily support research and will be used to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients of all ages, from newborns to older adults.

New analysis reveals the UK health service is spending record amounts on outsourcing scans to be read by private companies amid a chronic shortage of clinical radiologists, while diagnostic waiting time targets continue to be missed.

Thousands of people in England have had lung cancer caught early thanks to NHS scanning trucks in supermarket car parks, sports stadiums and busy high streets. New NHS data shows 10,678 lung cancers have been detected through the programme since it began – more than three quarters of which were caught at stages one or two.

As the UK Government refreshes its Women’s Health Strategy, a new nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults from the Health Tech Alliance (HTA), run by Clarity Global, reveals a serious disconnect between national policy and patient reality.

A new national framework designed to support the standardisation and expansion of advanced therapy clinical trials has launched. The Advanced Therapy Clinical Trials Capability Framework, produced jointly by the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Skills for Health, provides a shared strategic resource to support decision making across advanced therapy clinical trials services.

A new webinar will provide an insight into how clinicians can stop infections at source. Taking place on Tuesday 2nd June 2026 from 15:00–16:00 BST, the session will examine how colonisation of the nose and skin can act as an upstream driver of healthcare associated infections.

A free webinar for early-stage innovators will invite them to share in vital learnings, helping them to map the right support for best navigating their ideas from development to commercial success.

British Medical Auctions (BMA) is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026, marking a decade of innovation in medical asset remarketing and sustainable equipment reuse. Today, over 65% of UK NHS Hospitals, more than 85% of NHS Ambulance Services and all major UK private healthcare groups use BMA’s services.

A ‘deadly mix’ of collapsing growth in the registered nurse workforce and increasingly complex patient needs are leaving staff struggling to keep people safe, as a quarter say registered nurse numbers are so far below what is required that there is now a ‘high risk’ of harm on shift.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has condemned health leaders and politicians for allowing racism to ‘flourish’ in the NHS, after new figures show more than 21,000 incidents of racist abuse were reported by nursing staff across the UK over the last four years, surging by 78% in that time.

The NHS has hit its target for the number of patients waiting 18-weeks thanks to huge improvements in waiting times. In March, 65.3% of patients were waiting 18-weeks, as the waiting list fell by over 312,000 last year, the largest year-on-year reduction in 16 years.

Women and families failed by maternity services will be better heard and their experiences will drive lasting improvements to care, as Michelle Welsh MP has been appointed as the government’s first Maternity Adviser. Welsh will work directly with families, the government, the NHS and key maternity organisations to push for better, safer care for mothers, babies and families.

​NHS Trusts across England could spend more than £13.5 million in 2026 correcting data problems that emerge after hospitals transition to a new electronic patient record (EPR) system, according to a new analysis launched by healthcare data specialists, MBI Health.