Plus: Why everyone is talking about the vagus nerve affecting your health
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Hello everyone, Last week, measles dominated the headlines. Over the weekend, we published a heartbreaking story revealing a little-known complication of the infection – one that can have devastating consequences years down the line. You can read it here. Today, Baroness Valerie Amos has published interim findings from her national maternity inquiry, exposing shocking systemic failings across the NHS. Later in this newsletter, I look at what her report reveals – and ask whether it can finally bring meaningful change after hundreds of recommendations have been seemingly ignored. Elsewhere, NHS cancer waiting times remain a major concern and, with the government set to miss a key target next month, we've broken down the latest figures for each area. In other news, GPs are set to be offered financial incentives to prescribe weight-loss jabs in a bid to speed up the NHS rollout. Eight months after the medication was introduced, the Department of Health and Social Care has acknowledged that "not all practices prescribe weight-loss drugs", resulting in a postcode lottery for patients. And finally, don't miss Radhika Sanghani's powerful deep dive into what she calls the "Mounjaro gap". As new research reveals that the majority of private prescriptions are going to middle-class women – while those in the most deprived areas are less likely to access the drugs at all – she explores how a life-changing medication risks widening Britain's already stark health divide. |
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Today, Baroness Valerie Amos has published the interim findings of her national maternity inquiry. She identified six key factors putting pressure on the maternity system: staff shortages, capacity issues, culture and leadership, racism and discrimination, lack of accountability when things go wrong, and the poor condition of NHS hospitals and buildings. Some of the most stark findings concern racism faced by women. The report notes "accounts of Asian women being stereotyped as 'princesses', with the implication that they are overly demanding or unable to cope with pain", while Black women "reported being deemed as having 'tough skin' and able to tolerate pain". As damning as these findings are, do they reveal anything new? |
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Report shows the NHS has recorded a 'staggering' 748 recommendations relating to maternity and neonatal care in the past decade |
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Baroness Amos points out that "time and time again" families and staff see the same issues repeated, despite numerous reviews and recommendations. In fact, the chair has previously highlighted a "staggering" 748 recommendations relating to maternity and neonatal care over the past decade. Health Check readers will be familiar with earlier reviews, most recently Donna Ockenden's investigation into the Shrewsbury maternity scandal and Bill Kirkup's East Kent report. While it is vital that families' voices are heard, the question remains: will Baroness Amos's findings and recommendations finally be different from what has come before? Can this inquiry really change the tide for maternity care in the UK? |
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