No-zempic: Jolly Brits swap weight-loss jabs for stuffing this Christmas December 9, 2025 Brits are set to go all out this Christmas as nearly half plan to swap out their weight loss jabs for an extra helping of turkey and pudding. One in three don’t plan to return to their normal dose until after New Year in order to take full advantage of the festive season, according to [...]
Physician associates union: BMA pay demands ‘unsustainable’ December 2, 2025 The British Medical Association’s “obsession with unsustainable pay demands” is pushing other areas of the health service to the brink, as resident doctors gear up for a third strike this year in the lead up to Christmas. According to the trade union representing physician associates, a range of more junior medical staff are being effectively [...]
Reeves criticised over lack of action on ballooning clinical negligence costs in Budget November 27, 2025 A leading medical defence organisation has criticised the Chancellor for missing the opportunity to tackle the ‘eye-watering’ NHS clinical negligence bill. In a statement following the Budget, Tom Reynolds, director of policy and communications at Medical Defence Union (MDU), explained that the “current system has led to legal fees ballooning to nearly four times the [...]
NHS woes fuel private healthcare boom, with lawyers reaping the rewards November 13, 2025 Private healthcare in the UK is experiencing unprecedented growth as NHS waiting lists soar and public services struggle to keep up. This surge in demand is also fueling a flurry of legal activity, keeping lawyers busy. Deals lawyers in the UK are generally the busiest and most important practices for most law firms; however, with [...]
Top court sides with HMRC as NHS hospitals liable for VAT on parking fees October 29, 2025 HMRC brought a case against a branch of NHS hospitals to the Supreme Court over whether VAT should have been charged on hospital car parking fees, and they’ve succeeded. Today marks the end of a five-year legal battle through each court stage over VAT on parking tickets used by patients, visitors, and hospital staff at [...]
Millions of Brits turn to ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ for healthcare treatments October 9, 2025 Millions of Brits are turning to the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ for help to pay for private healthcare treatment, as NHS waiting lists continue to remain high. According to a new survey by Howden Life and Health, over the past five years, nearly one-third of UK adults, or approximately 14m people, have paid for [...]
Labour’s tobacco bill risks empowering black market, warns shadow minister October 7, 2025 The Labour government’s proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill could hand a significant boost to criminal gangs and fuel the growing black market in illicit goods across the UK, the shadow policing minister has warned. Matt Vickers MP has told City AM that the legislation, aimed at curbing smoking and youth vaping, fails to address the [...]
UK launches national commission to fast-track AI in the NHS September 26, 2025 The UK government has established a national commission to accelerate the safe introduction of AI across the NHS. The panel, which brings together experts from big techs, researchers, and clinicians, will advise the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on a new regulatory framework for AI in healthcare, set to be published next year. [...]
‘Some of the benefits are fairly boring, but they save lives’: AI chief on transforming the NHS September 26, 2025 AI in healthcare might spark visions of robotic doctors and futuristic diagnostics. But Robbie Jerrom, senior principal technologist for AI at Red Hat, insists the real gains lie in the mundane systems that make the NHS run more efficiently. “Prioritising summarising email requests or patient call logs… they’re not very exciting, but they consume a [...]
Spire Healthcare considering sale amid shareholder pressure September 19, 2025 Spire Healthcare has confirmed it is exploring “a range of potential options” for the business, including a possible sale, after mounting pressure from some of its largest shareholders. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, the private hospital group stressed that no decisions have been taken and that it is not in receipt of [...]