My friend Steve Jones, who has died aged 77, had a working life devoted to humanitarian causes, with a particular focus on Bangladesh and India. In retirement he then dedicated a sizeable portion of his time to charity work, helping people with the lung disease pulmonary fibrosis get the help and treatment they needed. Steve was born in London to John and Lettie, who were both teachers and shared the surname Jones. After secondary school in Crawley, West Sussex, he studied geography at Bristol University, worked for a short time as an economist for a company that became part of British Airways and then embarked on further studies at Cambridge University, where he gained a certificate in anthropology and began a PhD. Continue reading...
Parity of esteem with physical healthcare remains a distant prospect. Ministers must do more to tackle rising distress Perhaps the single most important finding of the independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism in England, published last Friday, is that mental distress across the population, and particularly young people, has substantially worsened . Its chair, Prof Peter Fonagy, told the BBC that the former health secretary Wes Streeting had been “completely wrong” to suggest that conditions and disorders were being overdiagnosed. Mr Streeting acknowledged his mistake. But some rightwing politicians and commentators have leapt on the notion that medicalisation of ordinary states of mind is behind the huge rise in young people seeking help. This review should bury that idea. In
The idea is popular in wellness circles, but experts say there’s no evidence that trauma uniquely affects the hips. Here’s what causes hip tightness and what can help In yoga classes, on TikTok and throughout other wellness spaces, you’ve probably heard the saying: your hips hold tension. These joints have a reputation of being emotional storage units of sorts – but is it true that they are affected by old traumas and painful memories? Pain and muscle tension hit harder when you’re going through a difficult time. But should tight hips make you question your mental health? And what can you do to reduce hip tightness? Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading...
Jane Middleton says the question we should be asking is not how can we use up surplus food, but how we can ensure that no one has to rely on charity to eat Charlotte Hill ( While British children go hungry, we waste 1.1bn meals a year. Bring on the redistribution revolution, 6 October ) conflates two separate problems. One is food waste; the other is domestic food insecurity. If, as she suggests, we use the former to address the latter, we are simply creating a two-tier food system where people living in poverty do not have the dignity of making their own choices. While the work of food-waste charities such as the that one Hill heads is commendable as a sticking plaster, in the long term it entrenches poverty and removes any incentive for large corporations to tackle the food was
Tulip Siddiq and a parent urge the government to take a number of steps to keep children safe, in response to an editorial Your editorial on early years provision ( The Guardian view on nurseries: some things are going right for under-fives, 4 October ) ends by referring to the horrifying case of Vincent Chan , who worked at Bright Horizons nursery in north-west London. We write as the MP representing the constituency in which the nursery is situated and as the parent of children who attended the nursery and were victims of Chan. We believe his case exposed serious gaps in the safeguarding system that urgently need addressing by government. First, CCTV should be mandatory in nurseries. When used with appropriate safeguards, it can provide both a deterrent and an important source of evidenc
There is much to agree with in the Fonagy review into mental health support. Without serious public funding, however, its approach won’t work Back in late 2025, when Keir Starmer’s grip on the Labour party was loosening and Reform UK was still in its pomp, the then health secretary, Wes Streeting, commissioned what the government called its “ Independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism”. Here, it seemed, was not just an inquiry into England’s ever-extending waiting lists for the diagnosis of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions, and the dire lack of support for people who experience one or both of them. The review would also dovetail with two other huge issues: mounting claims of “overdiagnosis”, which Streeting had appeared to p
UK Health Security Agency notes above-average flu activity in September and urges at-risk groups to get vaccinated Flu is striking earlier than usual in England, experts have said, insisting that vaccination is the best way to blunt its impact. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), flu is at low levels, but various metrics , such as the proportion of positive tests and GP consultations for influenza-like illness, suggest it is on the rise, with the number of emergency-department attendances for influenza-like illness above seasonally expected levels. Continue reading...
Could a drug intended to prevent painful rashes also protect our brains as we get older? The signs are promising – but not conclusive. Yet that’s enough to be driving a boom in shingles jabs When Jenny, a 50-year-old marketing and branding professional from Cambridge, went for her shingles vaccine last year, an entirely different disease was on her mind. Having witnessed three of her four grandparents succumb to dementia, with all the distress that brought, she wants to avoid the same fate. She hopes the shingles vaccine might help. Jenny is far from alone. Britain’s high street chemists have reported a rise in demand for the shingles vaccine, at least some of which is driven by people more worried about dementia than shingles. And while the vaccine is free for some on the NHS , most under
As raw milk industry experiences record growth, experts say it might contain pathogens that can sicken people As raw milk becomes increasingly popular among Americans, there have been several recent disease outbreaks tied to the product, alarming public health officials. Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a ban on sales of unpasteurized milk in the United States. Continue reading...
Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ spending cuts will be fully felt next year, but hospitals are already feeling the squeeze Maternity wards across the United States are facing a wave of closures as cuts to federal Medicaid funding take effect, experts have warned. According to analysis by the non-profit Protect Our Care, 52 maternity wards have closed since the HR1 bill was announced in July 2025 , with a further eight having announced their upcoming closure. Continue reading...
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