NHS pharmacies to pilot ‘sponge on a string’ test to spot cancer precursor

Hundreds of people in England are to be offered a “sponge on a string” test to identify a precursor to one of the deadliest cancers in high-street pharmacies for the first time.Patients with persistent heartburn or acid reflux can take the “game-changer” tablet-sized capsule that when washed down with a glass of water expands in the stomach.The device is then pulled out using an attached thread, allowing the cells it has gathered to be analysed to see whether someone has Barrett’s oesophagus, which raises the risk of developing oesophageal cancer.Oesophageal cancer is on the increase and is closely associated with risk factors such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and having a hiatus hernia.Mimi McCord, the founder and chair of Heartburn Cancer UK, which is working with NHS England on the pilot scheme, said: “Oesophageal cancer can be a brutal disease

NHS bosses fear fresh resident doctors’ strikes could embolden other staff

A looming fresh wave of strikes by resident doctors could encourage other NHS staff including nurses to take industrial action over pay, health service bosses fear.Resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, in England are threatening to stage stoppages until January in pursuit of their demand for a 29% pay rise, after 90% voted in favour in a ballot on a 55% turnout.The strikes will bring renewed disruption to the NHS, which has not faced a national strike by any staff since the last of the 11 walkouts by junior doctors ended on 2 July last year, just before Labour won power.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, and the British Medical Association (BMA) are at loggerheads over the strikes, which NHS chiefs say could lead to hundreds of thousands of appointments and operations being cancelled.Face-to-face talks on Tuesday afternoon left the gulf between them as wide as ever

UN panel outs UK government on the spot over welfare bill

The UN organisation for disabled people’s rights has asked the UK government for details about the impact of its welfare bill, expressing its concerns about the potential adverse effects.In a rare intervention, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities asked about the legislation after receiving “credible information” that it seemed likely to worsen the rights of disabled people.The central element of the bill – changes to personal independence payments – were removed last week to ward off a potential defeat by Labour rebels.A total 49 Labour MPs still voted against the revised legislation amid continued worries about other changes including to universal credit, the main means-tested benefit for people of working age. Labour backbenchers tabled a series of amendments before its return to the Commons on Wednesday for its remaining stages in the lower house

Resident doctors’ strikes risk derailing Labour’s NHS recovery plan

Patients left in pain and discomfort. Thousands of appointments and operations cancelled. Much of the reaction to the decision of resident (formerly junior) doctors in England to stage their third six-month series of strikes over pay in just 16 months has focused on the disruption to NHS services.But their stoppages also threaten to pose serious problems – political, economic and reputational – for the government. For Keir Starmer, Wes Streeting and inescapably Rachel Reeves, too, this is a situation replete with risk but without an obvious solution

Benefit cuts will hit severely disabled people despite ministers’ claims, say charities

“Huge swathes” of severely disabled people will be hit by the planned universal credit cuts, contrary to government claims that they will be protected, charities say.Organisations including Scope, Z2K and the MS Society say the legislation, which is due to be voted on again by MPs on Wednesday, fails to account for disabilities if they are progressive or fluctuating.The clause in the bill said to shield the most severely disabled and ill people from reassessment and the new lower benefit rate – known as the severe conditions criteria (SCC) – will only do so if a claimant meets a number of strict requirements, including that a health condition must be constant.It means people with severe illnesses that vary with symptoms day to day, such as Parkinson’s, bipolar and multiple sclerosis, could be put on to the reduced universal credit rate despite being too ill to seek employment.“Contrary to government claims, we have real fears that many disabled people with lifelong conditions that severely impact their daily lives will not in fact be protected from the cuts,” said Ayla Ozmen, the director of policy and campaigns at the anti-poverty charity Z2K

UK to test nationwide emergency alert system for second time

The UK will hold a further test of its emergency alert system on 7 September this year – and putting your mobile phone on silent will not mute the alarm.The government system is designed to warn if there is danger to life nearby, including severe weather threats. It also allows for the sending of vital information and advice.Mobile phones will vibrate and make a siren sound for about 10 seconds, and display a message confirming that the handset takeover is just a test. There are about 87m mobile phones in the UK