RECENT NEWS

Independent healthcare providers are anticipating strong growth in their private pay markets in the coming year, driven particularly by a renewed confidence in self-pay activity, according to a new survey conducted by the sector’s industry body.

Surgeons, nurses, theatre operating staff, anaesthetists, theatre operating staff, planning and estates teams joined together with Sheffield Hospitals Charity at a ribbon-cutting event last week. A major step forward in cancer care in Sheffield and beyond has been marked with the official unveiling of the new cutting-edge surgical robot and technology at the Northern General Hospital.

The updated fertility guideline includes a brand-new section specifically for those with endometriosis who are struggling to conceive. This is a direct result of feedback received during public consultation, recognising for the first time that the condition requires its own tailored approach to fertility care, separate from other causes of infertility.

An analysis of over 700 people with suspected reflux who had pH testing revealed that 65.8% (2 out of 3 patients) don’t have the condition. New data from 710 reflux studies across six UK sites show that two‑thirds of patients tested off PPIs had normal acid exposure.

Almost a third of doctors have considered leaving the medical profession due to relentless pressure at work, with serious consequences for their health, wellbeing and patient safety, a survey by the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has revealed.

The Government has announced that thousands of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit from a comprehensive package to break down long‑standing barriers into healthcare careers, as part of its 10-Year Health Plan.

A leading UK charity, Prostate Cancer Research, has announced £1.3 million funding for another round of groundbreaking research to investigate why prostate cancer hits Black men harder and tackle the stark racial inequities experienced by Black communities.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has opened nominations for the 2026 Hampshire Hospitals People Awards, inviting patients, families, colleagues and communities to celebrate the outstanding individuals and teams who make a difference every day across its hospitals.

Fast diagnostics have the potential to significantly shorten time to appropriate therapy in time critical infections but significant barriers to adoption persist. A new report by the Office of Health Economics calls for the removal of structural and workflow barriers, so that fast results translate into faster therapy.

Millions more people are now benefitting from lifesaving bowel screening compared to a decade ago, as the NHS urges even more people to get tested. Almost 7 million people have had bowel screening from the NHS during 2024/25, compared to around 4.7 million in 2014/15.

Patients face a postcode lottery in accessing robotic-assisted surgery on the NHS, new analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has revealed. Published at the Future of Surgery Festival, the data shows that, despite national guidance from NHS England, there are major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England.

A Shropshire-based manufacturer has reached a significant milestone in its global growth strategy after successfully securing Stage 2 of the internationally recognised ISO 13485 certification. Serchem, based at Hortonwood in Telford, completed the complex accreditation process in just three months - a remarkable achievement given that the implementation of ISO 13485 often takes organisations several years.

Across acute, community and palliative care settings, knowing where pumps are, their condition, and their usage history is critical - not just for efficiency, but for safe and timely patient care. Yet many EBME and clinical teams still struggle with fragmented visibility and manual processes.

An international group led by researchers from the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered associations between pathogenic variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and four types of cancer.

Drugs that target amyloid beta proteins in the brain likely have no clinically meaningful positive effects, while increasing the risk of bleeding and swelling in the brain, a new Cochrane review has found.

A new survey of nearly 19,000 bank only workers in the NHS shows improving burnout measures and greater support from the bank team, although levels of physical violence remain high and career development opportunities are worsening.

The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency shows that chronic hepatitis C cases have fallen significantly. Around 50,200 adults were estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis C in England in 2024, a fall of 61.1% from 129,000 in 2015.

ESC Preventive Cardiology 2026, the annual congress of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Women across the country will be better heard and served under new plans set out in the renewed Women’s Health Strategy, unveiled by the government this week.

The National Cancer Plan for England will struggle to achieve its 2029 waiting time targets and aim of bringing care into the 21st century without urgently reforming Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) working, a new report by The King's Fund has found.