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Work and pensions secretary attacks system of dealing with minor mental health problems as PM takes aim at ‘sicknote culture’Nearly everyone who gets signed off work for feeling “a little bit depressed” is classified as incapable of work, according to a senior government minister, as Rishi Sunak prepares to announce a new drive to get sick people back into employment.Mel Stride, the work and...

Company, which also makes Quality Street, says reducing sugar, salt and fats could harm ‘strategic freedom’Business live – latest updatesNestlé faces a resolution at its AGM on Thursday that could force the world’s largest consumer goods company to cut back on high levels of salt, sugar and fats in its food and drinks.The Swiss-headquartered multinational is urging investors to reject the proposal, arguing a...

Demand for private treatment booms as NHS waiting lists remain long, while more people also sign up for dental cover Britain’s health cover market has grown by £385m in a year as the NHS crisis prompted more people to seek out private medical treatment and demand for dental insurance increased, according to a report.The total health cover market, including medical and dental insurance and...

After decrying state supreme court ruling on ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, lawmakers ensure its potential to take effectAfter days of nationwide debate over the Arizona supreme court’s recent decision to uphold a near-total abortion ban from the 19th century, Arizona’s Republican-controlled statehouse has again quashed an effort to repeal the ban.Republicans, who hold a one-seat majority in both the Arizona...

Health Foundation report also predicts people in poorest areas will be three times more likely to die by the age of 70A record 3.7 million workers in England will have a major illness by 2040, according to research.On current trends, 700,000 more working-age adults will be living with high healthcare needs or substantial risk of mortality by 2040 – up nearly 25% from 2019...

PM’s plan to prevent those under 16 ever being able to buy tobacco should pass due to Labour support, but many of his own MPs could abstain or vote againstIn another interview this morning, Laura Farris, minister for victims, told GB News that she thought Liz Truss, the former PM, was wrong to call for the supreme court to be abolished. Asked about the...

Exclusive: England’s chief medical officer says tobacco industry is the ‘one gainer from the death and disease’ caused by its productsRead Chris Whitty’s comment piece in fullChris Whitty has said lobbying by big tobacco “needs to be addressed head on”, as email evidence emerged of campaigning tactics being used to put pressure on MPs to sink Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban bill.The landmark legislation, which...

Most cases of abortion are illegal in Germany, which report is expected to say is not compatible with international standardsAbortions in Germany should be legalised within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a government-appointed commission is expected to recommend on Monday.While abortion is rarely punished, it remains illegal in Germany, except for specific circumstances including when a woman’s life is in danger, or she...

Repealing ban would mean return of ‘one of the most pernicious forms of violence committed against women and children’A team of UN experts has urged Gambian lawmakers not to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation, saying such a move would set a dangerous global precedent.In a letter dated 8 April and made public on Thursday, the experts, led by Reem Alsalem, the UN...

Health experts say government must step in to cut sugar in beverages and tackle manufacturers’ ‘appalling’ behaviourFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAn increase in sugar in two popular soft drink brands has prompted health experts to renew calls for laws to cut the sugar in beverages, and to tackle...

Leading consultant paediatrician says unproven treatments and ‘toxicity’ of trans debate damaging outcomesKey findingsAnalysisThousands of vulnerable children questioning their gender identity have been let down by the NHS providing unproven treatments and by the “toxicity” of the trans debate, a landmark report has found.The UK’s only NHS gender identity development service used puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which masculinise or feminise people’s appearances, despite...

Parent of trans girl says report promotes agenda that ‘things need to be made more difficult’ for children with gender dysphoriaThousands of children unsure of gender identity ‘let down by NHS’Analysis: review has major implications for mental health servicesWhile the Cass report’s 400 pages will be pored over and debated, one thing is certain – young trans people face an anxious future.The mother of...

Amendment tabled by cross-party group including Stella Creasy is latest plan to modernise abortion law in England and WalesStella Creasy: No watering down, no new red tape – it’s time to fully decriminalise abortion in England and WalesA cross-party group of MPs is proposing to make abortion access a human right in England and Wales, putting forward legislation that would decriminalise abortion up to...

Nuffield Trust says system for treatment is ‘obsolete’ as number of patients in England awaiting assessment hits record highThe NHS is experiencing an “avalanche of need” over autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the system in place to cope with surging demand for assessments and treatments is “obsolete”, a health thinktank has warned.There must be a “radical rethink” of how people with...

Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival, near Warwick, held Australia’s first multi-day festival clinic last weekendGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe organisers of Queensland’s first festival pill-testing service say many drugs sold as MDMA turned out to be other substances including one recently dubbed “Canberra ketamine”.The Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival, near Warwick, held the first multi-day festival clinic ever...

Only private jabs are available to most, but annual shots could reduce healthcare costs and prevent deathsCheaper private Covid jabs may end up as costly as pricier ones, say expertsPrivate Covid boosters are available for people who do not qualify to receive these vaccines on the NHS. But is it worth paying for a shot?With most people now having been exposed to Sars-CoV-2 through...

Worksafe also charged World Travel Expeditions after Lachlan Cook, 16, died in hospital following health complicationsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA travel company and a Melbourne private school have been charged over the death of a student who became unwell on a school trip.The Kilvington grammar school student, Lachlan...

RCEM calculates 268 people are likely to have died each week in 2023 while waiting up to 12 hours for a bedAlmost 14,000 people died needlessly last year in England while waiting in A&E for up to 12 hours a new estimate suggests.Calculations by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) based on a large study of excess deaths and waiting times show that...

Bill being laid before Scottish parliament could, if approved, allow people in Britain to take their own lives within the lawUK membership of Dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying association, has jumped to 1,900 people – a 24% rise during 2023 – as an assisted dying bill is laid before the Scottish parliament.People from the UK now make up the second largest group who have...

Bill Shorten hits back at criticism from state leaders including Steven Miles, as federal government unveils bill kicking off response to landmark NDIS reviewFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has been accused of not engaging “deeply and honestly” with states and territories over plans to overhaul the...

African nurse leaders say poorer nations face severe shortages despite rules intended to stop wealthy countries poaching staffThe UK and other wealthy countries have been accused of adopting a “new form of colonialism” in recruiting huge numbers of nurses from poorer nations to fill their own staffing gaps.International nursing leaders said the trend was leading to worse patient care in developing nations, which were...

This blog is now closed.Alice Springs youth curfew: state of emergency called after violence in town centreGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastCeasefire motion: Birmingham pushed for stronger condemnation of October 7 attacksSimon Birmingham attempted to amend the motion to include a stronger condemnation of October 7 (the Australian parliament has passed motions condemning Hamas and the events...

Yearly cost to people, business and public sector found to be twice as big as NHS England’s annual budgetMental illness costs England £300bn a year, equivalent to nearly double its NHS budget, according to research.Researchers for the Centre for Mental Health thinktank analysed the economic, health and care impact of mental ill health, as well as human costs from reduced quality of life and...

Guardian Australia understands a major announcement will be made on Wednesday but those consulted are sworn to secrecyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastDisability organisations and advocacy groups are disturbed by a federal government gag on upcoming NDIS announcements, with the Greens warning “behind closed doors” negotiations were “serving politicians”...