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Children’s parents and those who performed the procedure are in police custody, according to local reportsPolice in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports. Continue reading...

MSF begins vaccine drive against incurable disease, which is spread via dirty water and kills thousands of pregnant womenA push to tackle an outbreak of hepatitis E in South Sudan is being hampered by flooding that has isolated populations and turned villages into islands.A pioneering vaccination drive has begun to protect people against a spate of cases but the true scale of the disease...

Treatment for ailments including sore throats, earaches and shingles to be offered without a GP appointmentPatients in England can get treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP, under a shake-up of pharmacy services.From Wednesday, thousands of pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections...

In today’s newsletter: As more women in the UK are facing prosecution, RCOG has released new guidance cautioning against reporting – could it shift the debate about decriminalisation?• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Between 1861 and 2022 only three women were prosecuted and convicted in the UK for illegal abortions. Over the last two years, six women have been taken...

Royal college voices concern at rise in number of prosecutions of ‘deeply traumatised’ womenMedical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions...

Increase in syphilis also recorded in most council areas as sexual health services face greater demand, says LGA reportAlmost every council area in England and Wales has seen a rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses, figures show, as sexual health services face “unprecedented increases in demand”.With gonorrhoea, the rate of diagnosis has increased in 97% of council areas since 2017, while 71% have seen increases in...

Union says government’s plans for General Medical Council regulation diminishes role of doctors and could confuse patientsSenior doctors are urging MPs to reject government plans to regulate “physician associates”, whose growing use in the NHS has divided the medical profession.The British Medical Association has said that allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate physician associates (PAs) would “blur the lines” between doctors and...

At least four experts quit Great Ormond Street team after disputes over text of training module for recruits, sources say A string of resignations from a team preparing for the launch of the new NHS children’s gender clinic has further complicated plans to open the services in April.Disagreements over the text of a training module for medical recruits to the new gender service have...

Welsh NHS Confederation warns stoppage coincides with one of ‘most pressurised weeks of the year’Junior doctors across Wales are starting a three-day strike over pay as the Welsh government and hospital leaders warned of the pressures that health services are under.During the stoppage, which is due to begin at 7am on Monday and last until 7am on Thursday, more than 3,000 doctors could take...

Experts say being discharged prematurely can be ‘disastrous’, setting back chances of full recoveryThousands of patients are being readmitted to NHS mental health units in England every year soon after being discharged, raising concerns about poor care, bed shortages and increased risk of suicide.Experts say being discharged prematurely can be upsetting, set back the patient’s chances of making a full recovery and be “disastrous”...

Royal College of Physicians urges government to introduce new law amid rising damp, mould and leaks in social housing‘I considered putting my kid into care’: one London family’s fight against mouldThe Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has called on Michael Gove to accelerate a promised crackdown on landlords failing to fix tens of thousands of mouldy homes with a warning that unless laws are...

Chief executive says further industrial action by junior doctors will hamper progress to reduce health service waiting listsAn NHS boss has warned that his trust is now “stretching to the limit to provide safe care” in the face of continuing junior doctors’ strikes – and warned that further walkouts would halt efforts to cut long waiting times.Cutting waiting lists was one of Rishi Sunak’s...

Exclusive: Cancer leaders and oncologists increasingly alarmed at impact of strikes on treatmentThousands of cancer patients could die early if ministers and junior doctors do not urgently resolve their bitter pay row, health officials have warned.Oncologists and cancer leaders are becoming increasingly alarmed and frustrated at the devastating impact of NHS strikes on care and treatment. Tens of thousands of patients have had cancer...