Covid inquiry Prof Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, was giving evidence to the Covid inquiry in west London. The most senior doctor in NHS England has said he was “personally terrified” that hospitals could have been overwhelmed in the early stages of the pandemic. Prof Sir Stephen Powis told the Covid […]

Covid inquiry Boris Johnson’s government blocked a request to fund another 10,000 hospital beds at the height of the Covid pandemic, the chief executive of NHS England has said. Amanda Pritchard told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry the decision, made by the Treasury in July 2020, had been “very disappointing”. Extra beds and staff would have

The NHS in England came within “six or seven hours” of running out of gowns and other protective equipment during the Covid pandemic, Matt Hancock has said. The former health secretary was giving evidence for the third time at the Covid inquiry, about the impact on healthcare systems. He stated there was never a “national

Michelle Roberts Digital health editor, BBC News Getty Images MPs have voted in favour of proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. The bill will now face many more months of debate and scrutiny by MPs and peers, who could choose to amend it, with the approval of both Houses of Parliament needed

Sophie Hutchinson Health correspondent Family handout Jamie and Kate Scott on holiday before the pandemic Families of those harmed by Covid vaccines told the UK Covid Inquiry they were forced to support each other during the pandemic because there was no other help. Kate Scott, who represents the group Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK (VIBUK),

Emergency service teams, local councils and government officials will take part in a full, multi-day pandemic preparedness exercise, to help the UK prepare for potential future threats. The test, which is likely to take place in the autumn, will involve thousands of people across different parts of the UK, minister Pat McFadden has announced. The

Erica Donnelly, Jessica Tse, Jack Latham The BBC spoke to six people – including Erica, Jessica and Jack – who have had their first cervical screening in the last six months People not knowing about options to make their cervical screening easier and more comfortable is “costing lives”, a cancer charity warned last month. To

Jane Deith BBC File on 4 Investigates BBC Listen to Jane read this article At the urology department of Burnley General Hospital, 26-year-old Ryan (not his real name) is having a drug solution inserted through a catheter – part of his treatment for a condition known as ketamine bladder. This procedure will not completely reverse

Dominic Hughes Health Correspondent Reporting fromDouglas, Isle of Man Getty Images The Isle of Man could be the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying A law to give terminally ill adults on the Isle of Man the right to end their own lives is entering its final stages, making it potentially

Getty Images Doug Barrowman, who led PPE Medpro, pictured alongside his wife Baroness Michelle Mone. The chair of the Covid inquiry has ruled that evidence related to PPE Medpro, the firm linked to Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman, will be heard in a closed, private session next month. On 3 March, the