The Guardian Health

Belittled, ignored or gaslit – now we know the true cost of not listening to pregnant women | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

The Ockenden report tells a terrible story of neglect. It’s a story that I – and far too many women I know – recogniseThe findings of Donna Ockenden’s report on maternity services at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH) are horrifying. Such is the scale of suffering on the part of mothers, babies and their loved ones that it is almost beyond contemplation. Harrowing details – a room filled with the smell of infection after a woman who was told to labour at home for six days was finall

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

Three in five young gun violence survivors do not receive mental healthcare – this California bill can fix that

The Thrive Act will create a pilot program that offers mental health resources for shooting survivors and witnesses under 25When Marvin Pérez and his family moved from their home country of Guatemala to Oakland, California, he thought it would lead to a better life for them all. But two years ago, when he was 23, Pérez was walking home from a store just four blocks from his family’s house. Someone drove past him and shot at Pérez multiple times, hitting him in his left leg.His physical recovery

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat

Extreme weather breaks MRI scanners and cooling units, as workload rises for sleep-deprived staff on sweltering wardsDoctors have sounded the alarm over the disastrous impact of extreme heat on the NHS in England, with radiotherapy machines and MRI scanners failing, critical IT systems stalling and cooling units that serve entire hospitals breaking down.The hot weather has also prompted a surge in admissions and people arriving at A&E, causing severe overcrowding in some places and exacerbat

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

The Trump administration is calling frozen embryos children | Moira Donegan

A document on an embryo adoption program may be marginal – but it marks an escalation in the pursuit of fetal personhoodThe Trump administration quietly declared frozen embryos to be children last week. In a call for grant applications related to a nearly 20-year-old program meant to raise awareness about frozen embryo adoption, the Department of Health and Human Services referred to frozen embryos using the terms “child” and “children”, calling for screening standards for frozen embryo purchase

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

Chris and Martina: The Final Set review – tennis titans discuss their deep bond and intense rivalry

Now supporting each other through cancer treatment, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova trace the ups and downs of their decades-long relationship at the summit of sporting achievementHere is a Netflix documentary with a real story to tell: the giant friendship and frenmity (or frivalry) between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, the two titans who throughout the late 70s and 80s dominated international women’s tennis and did so much to boost the sport whose existence, incidentally, helped to

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors say

Human Tissue Authority says bodies not transferred to freezer in time due to insufficient storage needsBodies in the mortuary at the NHS trust at the centre of the health services biggest ever maternity care scandal were found in a state of “advanced deterioration” due to not being transferred to a freezer in time, inspectors have said.Human Tissue Authority (HTA) inspectors who visited Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust in March discovered eight bodies in a state of advanced decompositio

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

Blue Heron review – sombre and sophisticated portrait of childhood trauma in 1990s Canada

A Hungarian immigrant family grapple with oppositional defiant disorder in Sophy Romvari’s intimate and unshowy debut featureThe past folds into the present in this very fine debut feature from Canadian film-maker Sophy Romvari, which has grown in my mind on a second viewing, having first come across it at last year’s Locarno film festival. It is an autobiographical, in fact autofictional, movie imbued with a kind of quietism, a refusal to amplify its real-life drama and tragedy. It doesn’t orch

health  Jun 25, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Horrific’ maternity care failings at Nottingham NHS trust prompt calls for public inquiry

Report uncovers biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history in which 520 mothers and babies suffered ‘potentially avoidable’ harm or diedHorrific failings led to 520 mothers and babies in Nottingham suffering harm or dying, sparking calls for a public inquiry into maternity care across England.In all, 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes, a damning three-year long review of the biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history concluded.A “bullying and toxic culture” p

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ockenden report: victims' families say babies treated with ‘absence of dignity’ – video

Jack Hawkins, whose baby Harriet died at the Nottingham NHS trust, spoke to the media on Wednesday on behalf of bereaved families after the release of Donna Ockenden's findings into the NHS’s biggest maternity scandal. Details revealed that more than 500 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or died due to 'deeply embedded systemic failures' at a 'toxic' hospital trustMore than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed at ‘toxic’ Nottingham NHS trust, report findsNottingham mat

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Cruel’ care and ‘toxic’ culture: shocking findings in maternity report - The Latest

A shocking report into the biggest ever maternity care scandal in the NHS has revealed more than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed as a result of inadequate care in Nottingham. The review, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden, found there was a dismissive attitude to women’s concerns, failures in maternity care, staff shortages, a toxic culture and racism at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust. Lucy Hough speaks to UK health and inequalities correspondent Tobi Thomas. Continue rea

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

We must be prepared for deadly heatwaves to get worse | Letter

Readers react to the brutal heat conditions affecting Britain and Europe Last summer, I wrote to you warning of the growing threat that extreme heat poses to both patients and the NHS, that the demand for healthcare would rise as temperatures climbed, that our hospitals were ill-equipped to cope and that investment in resilience was urgently needed (Letters, 21 July 2025).A year on, the UK is set for another record-breaking heatwave, yet little has changed. The UK Health Security Agency has also

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Hundreds of mothers and babies died or harmed at ‘toxic’ hospital trust – The Latest

A shocking report into the biggest ever maternity care scandal in the NHS has revealed more than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed as a result of inadequate care in Nottingham. The review, led by the senior midwife Donna Ockenden, found there had been a dismissive attitude to women’s concerns, failures in maternity care, staff shortages, a toxic culture and racism at Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s UK health and inequalities correspondent T

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Want to continue living at home as you age? Here’s what to consider

Safety concerns, caregiving needs, and, of course, finances all come into play when considering aging-in-place at homeMy mom is the model boomer. At 77 years old, she runs her interior design business, organizes a book club, plays pickleball and dominates in mahjong. She is the picture of health; good luck matching the pace on her 5 mile walks. As is the trend for her generation, mom and her 83-year-old husband have chosen to continue living right where they are at home.Circumstances led her to

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Senators alarmed at Trump administration website Moms.gov promoting anti-abortion facilities

Administration claims website is resource for ‘new and expecting mothers’ but group of senators says it raises ‘profound’ health and safety concernsA group of 11 senators have sent a letter to Donald Trump and Robert F Kennedy urging them to remove a federal website and “cease using federal resources to direct people to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers”.On Mother’s Day this year, the US Department of Health and Human Services launched Moms.gov, a resource they claim is for “new and expecti

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Farm workers at high risk amid screwworm outbreak in US south-west

Those who work with animals are at greater risk for infection, but face challenges in accessing healthcareAgricultural workers are among the highest risk group for human infection during the screwworm outbreak in the American south, yet they frequently face challenges in accessing public health – an ongoing concern amid zoonotic spillovers such as H5N1 bird flu.Screwworm has been detected in goats and sheep in three Texas counties in recent days, bringing the total to 16 known cases among animal

health  Jun 24, 2026

WHO News

655 million people still living without electricity underscore urgent need to deliver on universal energy access target

At a time when energy security and affordability have risen to the top of the development agenda, 655 million people globally still lack access to electricity, and two billion use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking putting their health and well-being at risk.

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Smaller doses of exercise are a miracle cure’: 14 expert tips to protect your joints

Life is much easier if you look after your hips, knees, elbows and shoulders – especially as you get older. Rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons explain how to work out, what to eat and how to talk to your doctorOur bodies are incredible machines, but we can take the mechanics for granted until something goes wrong. How can we maintain healthy joints throughout life and avoid surgery? Here, rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons give their tips … Continue reading...

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Nottingham maternity care scandal review: what are the key findings?

Review of 2,500 cases between 2012 and 2015 finds ‘systemic’ and ‘deep-rooted’ failures, a bullying culture and racismMore than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed at ‘toxic’ Nottingham NHS trust, report finds‘Truly horrific’: the stories of five people affectedA review into the NHS’s biggest ever maternity care scandal has been published. Led by Donna Ockenden, an independent senior midwife, the review examined 2,500 cases involving mothers and babies dying or being seriously injured, or

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

Ockenden report live: largest maternity review in NHS history to be published

Senior midwife Donna Ockenden investigated stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths, and babies or mothers who suffered brain damage and other injuries‘Truly horrific’: five stories from the NHS maternity scandalSpeaking ahead of the publication of the report, Labour MP Michelle Welsh said it was “pure luck” that her own baby had survived birth.“When it comes to luck, as to whether your baby survives or not, then that is a true indication of a system that is truly, truly failing,” the MP for Sh

health  Jun 24, 2026

The Guardian Health

As temperatures soar in baking Britain, how are workers coping in the heat?

Extreme weather is affecting people in areas from schools and care homes to construction sites – with workers urging leaders to take problem seriouslyEurope heatwave live – latest updatesWith temperatures in the UK approaching record levels for June, people are being advised to avoid exercise and unnecessary travel. So how do you work in this heat?We look at how various sectors of the economy are coping with unprecedented temperatures, and how working practices will have to adapt to increasingly

health  Jun 24, 2026