Binge drinking rises sharply among gen Z in their early 20s

Binge drinking rates among gen Z have risen sharply since their teenage years, according to research that challenges their reputation as “generation sensible”.Almost seven in 10 (68%) 23-year-olds reported binge drinking in the past year, while nearly a third (29%) said they did so at least monthly, up from 10% at age 17.While drug use is relatively limited in the teenage years, by their 20s almost half (49%) have used cannabis and a third (32%) have tried harder drugs such as cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy, analysis by University College London (UCL) found.Researchers from the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) analysed data from nearly 10,000 people born across the UK in 2000-02 who are taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.They compared substance use at 17 and again at 23 within the same group

Scientists laud potentially life-changing drug for children with resistant form of epilepsy

Scientists have hailed a potentially life-changing drug for children with a hard to treat form of epilepsy, after promising early clinical trial results.Dravet syndrome is a genetic disorder which causes treatment resistant epilepsy and is often accompanied by speech and developmental delays. About 3,000 people are thought to have the condition in the UK. Current treatments aim to control the number and severity of seizures, but often do not work.These preliminary trials, led by UCL and Great Ormond Street hospital (GOSH), found that the drug appeared to be safe and well tolerated by the 81 children taking part

Maternity services need investment in people and training, not another review | Letters

Once again, we are faced with a report detailing the failures in maternity services (Cruel comments, racism and cover-ups: key findings from England’s maternity care report, 26 February, 26 February), highlighting deficiencies in both clinical staffing and care environments. Maternity services in the NHS are in crisis, but this is not new information. As clinicians, we have been aware of these systemic pressures for many years. Reports from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch, now Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations, along with numerous other inquiries, have already identified the core issues. Collectively, they have produced some 748 recommendations that, if properly implemented, could meaningfully improve care

Unemployment set to hit 5.3% this year amid ‘worrying’ rise in young jobless

Unemployment in the UK is set to peak this year at a higher rate than previously estimated, with a “worrying” increase in young people being out of work, the government’s official forecaster has said.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said unemployment will peak at 5.3% this year, up from its previous forecast in November of 4.9%.The figure would be the highest unemployment level since the final quarter of 2020, when the UK was in lockdown during the Covid pandemic

Councils’ temporary housing costs to more than double by 2029-30, says LGA

The cost to councils of providing temporary accommodation for homeless people in England is projected to more than double to almost £4bn by 2029–30, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.The national membership body for councils found that since 2017-18, local authorities across England had spent almost £1.5bn more on temporary accommodation (TA) than had been reimbursed in housing benefit from the government.Without intervention, this figure is set to balloon to £3.9bn in the next four years, the LGA said as it urged the government to take action to help councils facing soaring demand and funding pressures

UK health official recused from puberty blockers trial after bias claims

A health official who reportedly intervened to pause a clinical trial on the use of puberty blockers has been removed from any further involvement due to accusations of bias.Prof Jacob George, who was appointed chief medical and scientific officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in January, raised concerns that led to the Pathways trial being put on hold by the government, according to the Sunday Times.But the regulator announced on Saturday that George would be recused from involvement in the trial after gender-critical social media posts made last year emerged.In one post he described the author JK Rowling, known for her gender-critical views, as being a “treasure of our time”. In another he said “the denial of basic biological fact is concerning”, in relation to questions about whether the Olympic boxer Imane Khelif was a woman