The NHS in England came within “six or seven hours” of running out of gowns and other protective equipment during the Covid pandemic, Matt Hancock has said. The former health secretary was giving evidence for the third time at the Covid inquiry, about the impact on healthcare systems. He stated there was never a “national…
Michelle Roberts Digital health editor, BBC News Getty Images MPs have voted in favour of proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The bill will now face many more months of debate and scrutiny by MPs and peers, who could choose to amend it, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament needed…
Sophie Hutchinson Health correspondent Family handout Jamie and Kate Scott on holiday before the pandemic Families of those harmed by Covid vaccines told the UK Covid Inquiry they were forced to support each other during the pandemic because there was no other help. Kate Scott, who represents the group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK (VIBUK),…
The Covid inquiry was launched by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in June 2022, more than a year after he said the government’s actions would be put “under the microscope”. The announcement came after the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaign said it was considering launching a judicial review over government “time-wasting”. Johnson said the…
Emergency service teams, local councils and government officials will take part in a full, multi-day pandemic preparedness exercise, to help the UK prepare for potential future threats. The test, which is likely to take place in the autumn, will involve thousands of people across different parts of the UK, minister Pat McFadden has announced. The…
Erica Donnelly, Jessica Tse, Jack Latham The BBC spoke to six people – including Erica, Jessica and Jack – who have had their first cervical screening in the last six months People not knowing about options to make their cervical screening easier and more comfortable is “costing lives”, a cancer charity warned last month. To…
Jane Deith BBC File on 4 Investigates BBC Listen to Jane read this article At the urology department of Burnley General Hospital, 26-year-old Ryan (not his real name) is having a drug solution inserted through a catheter – part of his treatment for a condition known as ketamine bladder. This procedure will not completely reverse…
Dominic Hughes Health Correspondent Reporting fromDouglas, Isle of Man Getty Images The Isle of Man could be the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying A law to give terminally ill adults on the Isle of Man the right to end their own lives is entering its final stages, making it potentially…
Getty Images Doug Barrowman, who led PPE Medpro, pictured alongside his wife Baroness Michelle Mone. The chair of the Covid inquiry has ruled that evidence related to PPE Medpro, the firm linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman, will be heard in a closed, private session next month. On 3 March, the…
Family photo Matthew’s father, pictured as a baby in the late 1940s Matthew’s dad had brown eyes and black hair. His grandparents had piercing blue eyes. There was a running joke in his family that “dad looked nothing like his parents”, the teacher from southern England says. It turned out there was a very good…
