BBC News - Health

The latest stories from the Health section of the BBC News web site.

Death leads to ambulance demand

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:15:03 GMT

Relatives of a woman who blame her death on a 41-minute wait for a paramedic, hand over a petition urging a dedicated ambulance service for their town.

VIDEO: GP leaders turn back on NHS plans

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:55:40 GMT

The Royal College of GPs calls for the health bill to be scrapped, heaping more pressure on the government's controversial reforms in England.

Court hears social care challenge

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:59:53 GMT

The ability of English councils to consider their finances when assessing people for social care is being challenged at the Supreme Court.

Lansley 'has PM's full support'

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:08:42 GMT

Andrew Lansley has David Cameron's "full support", despite a Downing Street source reportedly saying the health secretary "should be taken out and shot".

Health bodies reject NHS reforms

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:23:39 GMT

Physiotherapist leaders have joined the Royal College of GPs in calling for the health bill in England to be scrapped, increasing pressure on the government.

The power of cooking skills

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:53:10 GMT

How letting children cook helps them eat better

Spoon-fed babies 'end up fatter'

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:48:38 GMT

Babies weaned on pureed food tend to end up fatter than infants whose first tastes are finger food, researchers believe.

Malaria toll 'is twice as high'

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:07:13 GMT

The number of deaths worldwide from malaria has been underestimated, according to data published in the medical journal the Lancet.

VIDEO: Newborns 'should receive vitamin D'

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:23:15 GMT

Doctors are calling for newborn babies to be given vitamin D, to protect them from bone disease and other illnesses.

NHS translation bill 'tops £23m'

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:33:12 GMT

The NHS in England spends £59,000 a day on translating documents and providing interpreters, according to a health think tank.

Campaign to cut smoking in cars

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:17:10 GMT

A campaign to stop people smoking in cars when carrying children - and which could pave the way for a ban - is launched by the Welsh government.

'Birth defect risk' for diabetics

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:10:25 GMT

The risk of birth defects increases four-fold if the pregnant mother has diabetes, a study of 400,000 pregnancies in England suggests.

AUDIO: Have views on NHS reform shifted?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:35:42 GMT

Dr Michael Dixon, chair of the NHS Alliance, who supports the governments proposed reforms of the NHS and Dr John Lister, director of the Health Emergency campaign group, who opposes them, debate the Health Bill.

AUDIO: 'Care needed' in child custody law change

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:01:08 GMT

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke says there are "undoubted dangers" in re-drafting shared parenting law

'A little too much drink' warning

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:39:22 GMT

Drinking "just a little more than they should" puts people at risk of serious illness including heart disease, stroke and cancer, the government is warning.

How we can help children improve their health

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:42:46 GMT

'The young should play a role in designing healthcare'

VIDEO: MPs 'should admit mental health issues'

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:23:43 GMT

Alastair Campbell reckons MPs are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than the one-in-four figure for the general population.

Living outside the hearing world

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:31:41 GMT

Why refuse an implant that would improve hearing?

Designing out errors in hospital

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:48:18 GMT

How wards could be made safer

VIDEO: 'Just one more drink' alcohol warning

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:18:10 GMT

A new television advertising campaign in England is warning against the temptations of "just one more" drink.

Foetus parties: Womb with a view?

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:31:22 GMT

Prof Cathy Warwick, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, outlines her fears about the "commercialisation of childbirth"

Hundreds seek NHS implant advice

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:45:18 GMT

Almost 1,000 private patients with PIP breast implants have contacted the NHS, according to MPs.

GMC guidance on assisted suicide

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:27:03 GMT

The General Medical Council launches guidelines on assisted suicide to help it decide if doctors should face a disciplinary panel on the issue.

VIDEO: MPs and the stigma of mental illness

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:57:41 GMT

Comedian Ruby Wax said depression was like "being in a coma, but awake" as the panel debated how politicians should discuss their issues.

AUDIO: 'Wonderful' to have sight back

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:21:10 GMT

Katie Piper told Radio 5 live about being able to see after she was blinded in one eye after an acid attack.

Transplant jaw made by 3D printer

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:07:11 GMT

An 83-year-old woman is fitted with a jaw made by a 3D printer in what doctors say is the first operation of its kind.

'Cycling gave me my freedom back'

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:28:41 GMT

'How cycling helped me fight my brain tumours'

UK workers 'richer but stressed'

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:14:30 GMT

Britons are richer and more stressed than when the Queen came to the throne, a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has found.

Analysis: Pharmaceutical woes

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:58:11 GMT

Why the pharmaceutical industry is under pressure