Elisabeth Mahase

An NHS trust has fired 11 members of staff and issued warnings to 14 others for inappropriately accessing the medical records of three people killed by Valdo Calocane.1Nottingham students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, both aged 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, were stabbed to death by Calocane-who had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia-on 13 June 2023.Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust began investigating access of staff to the patient records in early 2025 and have now …

The BMJHotter heatwaves by 2050 will see 92% of UK homes overheat, creating “dangerous conditions for vulnerable people,” the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned.1In its fourth independent assessment of the UK's climate risk, released on 20 May, the government appointed body said that the 2°C global warming expected by 2050 could also triple heat related hospital attendances and admissions and see 32% of hospitals flood.“By the middle of the century, the UK's climate will be much more extreme than today,” the report said. “Without global emissions reductions, these risks may go past the point where the UK can protect itself with adaptation measures.”Last summer-the hottest on record-an estimated 1504 heat associated deaths were recorded, …

High temperatures over the bank holiday weekend and early next week could see more deaths, particularly among over 65s, and increasing demand on the NHS, officials have warned.1The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has sent out health alerts covering every area of England, with amber alerts-the second highest warning level-issued for the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East, and West Midlands.Yellow alerts-the third highest warning-have been issued for the North West, North East, …

Pablo Picasso died more than 50 years ago, but if he were still with us he would now be painting his subjects with a “GLP-1 face,” says the paediatric endocrinologist Michael Yafi.It may sound surreal, but Yafi-a former concert pianist and art lover-made the suggestion at the European Congress on Obesity held in Turkey earlier this month, during his presentation on obesity …

Three Red Cross volunteers have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as the Ebola outbreak continues to spread rapidly and cases (suspected and confirmed) surpass 1000.The volunteers-Ajiko Chandiru Viviane, Sezabo Katanabo, and Alikana Udumusi Augustin-were all helping the Red Cross manage the dead bodies of Ebola victims.Their deaths occurred over 12 days, on 5, 15, and 16 May, respectively.1The World Health Organization's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed his “deepest condolences” over the fatalities. “They paid the ultimate price on the line of duty,” he wrote.2Meanwhile British researchers announced they are producing an experimental jab for the Ebola strain behind the outbreak, which currently has no approved vaccines or therapeutics.According to the …

More than a dozen nurses, midwives, and nursing associates could be struck off after the nursing regulator admitted to failing to review issues affecting their ability to practice safely, such as their criminal records.1For 12 years the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has inconsistently applied its vetting process for professionals applying to join or remain on its register, in what the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union called “an astounding failure.”The RCN has called for an independent investigation to understand how and why the failings occurred and how they went undetected for so long.The NMC rules state that nurses and midwives are supposed to declare “health or character issues that may prevent them being able …

Resident doctors in England will return to the picket lines next month in their 16th walkout over pay and conditions, the doctors' union has announced.The strike will run from 7 am on Monday 15 June to 6 59 am on Friday 19 June, and the BMA has threatened “more strike dates in July” if no further progress is made.The announcement comes after talks broke down between the new health and social care secretary, James Murray, and the BMA's Resident Doctors Committee (RDC). BMA officials said Murray had made it clear that he would not put …

The Ebola virus disease outbreak rapidly spreading through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and into Uganda could become the “deadliest on record” without urgent action, warns aid agency International Rescue Committee (IRC).The outbreak is caused by a rare Bundibugyo version of the virus, which has no approved vaccine or therapeutics, and is already the third largest Ebola outbreak on record. It is currently only behind the 2018-20 Kivu Ebola epidemic in DRC and the 2014-16 West African epidemic.However, experts have said the speed it is spreading and the current circumstances, with global aid cuts and ongoing conflict, mean it could soon move …

Routine prostate cancer screening has been rejected by the UK's independent screening committee despite significant pressure from the previous health secretary and campaigning groups.1After a review of the latest evidence the National Screening Committee's (NSC) final guidance recommended against broad population screening for the disease. However, it did support targeted screening of men aged 45-61 with a pathogenic BRCA2 gene variant every two years.How many men will fall under this targeted category is not clear, but experts estimate that it could be anywhere from a “few thousand” to 20 000.However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has not ruled out the new health secretary, James Murray, overruling the recommendations and forging ahead with wider screening, something his predecessor, Wes Streeting, suggested was an option.Murray is meeting with the NSC chair, Mike Richards, on Monday to discuss the recommendations.There has been a major push for routine prostate screening in recent years by influential political figures and celebrities. In 2024 the then health secretary, Streeting, asked the NHS to …

Consultants in England are “quiet quitting” or looking to escape to Canada and Australia because they feel undervalued and disrespected, senior NHS doctors warn.Co-chairs of the BMA Consultants Committee Helen Neary and Shanu Datta spoke to The BMJ while senior doctors are being balloted on whether to take industrial action. Describing the frustrated mood of the profession, they warned that their colleagues are burnt out, “quiet quitting” - a term used to describe when someone mentally checks out of work - and looking for greener pastures abroad.With consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors currently being balloted on strike action-and with resident doctors continuing to stage walkouts over pay and jobs - the government could see all secondary care doctors on strike this year.When asked whether residents, who have just announced another four day walkout,1 and consultants could strike at the same time, the co-chairs did not rule it out. But they added …