Health

Get clear and trusted health facts. We explain symptoms, treatments, and health advice in simple language you can understand.

25 September 2013

Health

Labour's claims on the NHS

In a speech to his party's conference, Andy Burnham promised that a future Labour government would repeal the controversial Health and Social Care Act. He also accused the Coalition of failing patients. We've examined the evidence. Read

Analysis
23 September 2013

Health

'Ghost patients': how much are they costing the NHS?

Several of today's newspapers claim that 'ghost patients' - those who are still registered with their GP despite being either dead or no longer living in the area - are costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds every year. Why is this the case? Read

Analysis
19 September 2013

Health

NHS - the state we're in

What kind of health is the NHS in? And what does its future look like? After a Radio 4 debate on possible models for the NHS, we review the evidence for a range of opinions and predictions. Read

Analysis
13 September 2013

Health

Which is safer - a US hospital or an English one?

The media has widely reported the news that death rates in England's hospitals are 45% higher than in the United States. Professor Sir Brian Jarman, the academic who compiled the statistics, has described his findings as "absolutely appalling". But there are - as he notes - several caveats to the data. Read

Analysis
11 September 2013

Health

Doubling of NHS 'never events' never happened

Three papers report that 'never events' - the most serious of patient safety incidents - have doubled on the NHS in the past year. But they haven't - they've fallen. Read

Analysis
2 September 2013

Health

Are admin staff doing the job of doctors?

According to the Daily Telegraph, GP surgeries are letting untrained receptionists triage patients. How widespread is this practice? Read

Analysis
28 August 2013

Health

Dying of thirst: is the NHS failing its patients?

According to medical experts, doctors are failing to diagnose and properly treat people with kidney malfunction. The Daily Mail claims that thousands of these patients are dying from dehydration. To what extent is clinical negligence to blame? Read

Analysis