Short staffing and heavy workloads also key factors in cases where outcomes included brain damage, Care Quality Commission saysNHS staff do not correctly monitor a baby’s heart rate during labour in almost half of cases where serious failings lead to tragedy, a review of maternity care has found.The Care Quality Commission identified that inadequate...

When asked what advice an eminent surgeon might give other doctors, I brace myself for another mountain I can’t climb“What’s a Festschrift?” my youngest asks.“In German it means ‘celebration writing’,” I say, “I’m going to an academic conference to honour a doctor.” Continue reading...

Dr Hilary Cass defends gender identity services report against ‘significant misinformation’ at health committeeThe Cass review “absolutely” did not set an unfairly high bar for evidence, its author has said, as she addressed “significant misinformation” about her assessment of healthcare provision for gender-questioning young people in England and Wales.Giving...

As a patient, it’s frustrating to know a solution may be just around the corner but that you probably won’t be there in time to benefitI’m kneeling on the hard, cold tiles of my bathroom floor retching into the toilet bowl, and I’ve been here for some time. The colour has drained from my skin and I’m clammy and delirious from a pain so intense, it is...

Study suggests almost everyone with two copies of genetic variant ApoE4 goes on to develop diseaseHaving two copies of a gene variant known to predispose people to Alzheimer’s could in fact represent a distinct genetic form of the disease, researchers have said.The variant, known as ApoE4, has long been known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s,...

Poverty, discrimination, and cultural stigma around mental health are among reasons, experts sayBlack mothers twice as likely as white mothers to be hospitalised with perinatal mental illnessPerinatal mental illness affects more than a quarter (27%) of new and expectant mothers across England and covers a range of conditions including postpartum depression...