Castle Hill Hospital surgery errors led to womans leg amputation

A shortage of epidural kits in the UK is expected to last until at least March, the government’s medicines regulator has warned. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told healthcare providers in a patient safety alert earlier this month that the shortage followed manufacturing issues concerning epidural bags. Hospitals are being sent substitutes…

Christmas gatherings may have caused a resurgence in flu and other winter viruses, NHS leaders say. Figures show that the average number of patients in hospital beds in England with flu last week hit 2,924 – a rise of 9% on the previous week. This comes after two weeks of decreasing numbers, prompting hope flu…

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) can be found in many everyday items from cosmetics to raincoats and non-stick pans. They’ve also been found in food and water – and even in our bodies. But what exactly are they? And are they dangerous? Scientist Mark Miodownik explores. Made by BBC Ideas in partnership with the Royal…

Catherine Burns,Health correspondent, Vicki Loader,Health producerand Harriet Agerholm Getty Images Hundreds of GPs across England have told the BBC they think mental health problems are being over-diagnosed. One commonly-held view by family doctors, our research suggests, is that society tends to over-medicalise normal life stresses. But they’re also concerned about how hard it is to…

“These infections can cause severe complications, such as chronic pain and infertility and, in the case of syphilis, problems with the heart or nervous system,” said Bruno Ciancio, the head of the agency’s Directly Transmitted and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases unit.