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B vitamins may offer some protection against the impacts of air pollution, a small scale human trial suggests. exhaust-smoke-vehicle.jpg Researchers in the US found that high doses of these supplements may “completely offset” the damage caused by very fine particulate matter. While the impacts of air pollution on health
Suncream, cold remedies and gluten-free food may no longer be available on the NHS in England under a crackdown on “low value” medicines. NHS England announced a review after local health bosses identified £400m of spending they believe has little or no clinical value. It also includes some types of
The number of people facing “long waits” for hospital treatment in England has more than doubled in the past four years, figures show. Patients needing routine care such as knee and hip replacements are meant to be treated in 18 weeks under NHS rules. But the numbers waiting longer than
There are calls for more to be done to stop people smoking at hospitals and promote healthy living. Health boards say they are powerless to enforce smoking bans on their grounds as they are not yet backed up by law. BMA Cymru said a decision had to be made on
Delays in discharging people from hospital are rising more rapidly in mental health trusts than other parts of the NHS in England, a study shows. NHS England data found a 56% rise in the number of bed days lost to delayed discharge in psychiatric trusts in October 2016 compared to
Senior doctors say they are concerned about the number of cancer patients having their operations cancelled amid “tremendous pressure” facing the NHS in England this winter. Ian Eardley, from the Royal College of Surgeons, said a shortage of beds was one of the causes. Such surgery is usually protected under
People who live near major roads have higher rates of dementia, research published in the Lancet suggests. As many as 11% of dementia cases in people living within 50m of a major road could be down to traffic, the study suggests. The researchers, who followed nearly 2m people in Canada
The government wants surgeries to open between 08:00 and 20:00, seven days a week, unless they can prove the demand is not there. Some GPs in England have been warned they could lose extra funding if they fail to meet their commitments to keeping surgeries open for longer. It said
Hospitals in England collected more than £120 million in car parking fees in the last year. NHS hospitals appear to be making more money than ever from parking fees. A report from the Press Association says hospitals in England collected more than £120m last year – up by 5%. Many
The NHS has disputed claims from the Red Cross that there is a “humanitarian crisis” in its hospitals in England. One of NHS England’s specialist directors said he thought the service was not “at that point” of crisis, but admitted demand was higher than ever. The Red Cross helps some