Reduce child poverty with compassion and fairness | Letters

I read Archbishop Stephen Cottrell’s article with compassion, but also frustration (I have seen the extent of child poverty in the UK and I say this: the two-child benefit cap must go, 1 September) . As someone from the squeezed middle, I work hard, live modestly and make careful choices. We share one car, skip holidays and stretch every pound. I haven’t ruled out having another child – but the cost of living makes it feel increasingly out of reach.I agree no child should go hungry

NHS urges people to avoid ‘extremely painful’ leg-lengthening surgery

It is the ultimate eyebrow-raising kitchen table confession in Celine Song’s romantic comedy-drama, Materialists.After matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) grows suspicious of scars on her new partner’s body, financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) makes a startling admission: he has had leg-lengthening surgery – and gained six inches in height.The couple split soon after. But amid a wave of interest in the cosmetic procedure and clinics in Turkey offering discounts, the NHS in England has issued a stark warning, urging people against it.The surgery involves breaking the bones in the legs before pulling them apart to lengthen them over weeks or months

Tanni Grey-Thompson received ‘abusive’ emails over opposition to assisted dying bill

Tanni Grey-Thompson, the cross-bench peer and former Paralympic athlete, has said she received “abusive” emails accusing her of being “responsible for people dying in pain” because of her opposition to the assisted dying bill.Grey-Thompson, a multiple gold medallist and disability rights campaigner is expected to speak in Friday’s second reading of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which would allow terminally ill people in England and Wales to request medical help to end their lives.She told the Press Association that the debate had unleashed a flood of support and hostility. “I’ve had emails, people saying: ‘thank you so much for protecting us’. And I’ve had some incredibly abusive ones as well, saying that I’m responsible for people dying in pain, and it will be on me,” she said

Don’t leave social care out of the equation | Letters

The NHS’s year-round hospital overcrowding is not the product of a single failing, but the result of two interdependent systems under pressure: health and social care (NHS corridor care now year-round crisis in England, experts say, 1 September). The government’s ambition to build an “NHS fit for the future” through prevention, neighbourhood services and digital tools is welcome, but this vision risks treating symptoms rather than causes if social care is left out of the equation.Unless there is sufficient capacity in community-based social care to support people recovering at home, the logjam will persist, and “corridor care” will remain a reality. The evidence is clear: timely investment in community services such as reablement and intermediate care prevents unnecessary admissions, speeds up safe discharges, and delivers strong returns on investment for the NHS.Reform is overdue

Women in UK with polycystic ovarian syndrome facing widespread failures in treatment, report finds

Women living with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) face prolonged delays in diagnosis and limited access to treatment, according to a report by a parliamentary group.More than a third of women with the condition had to wait longer than four years for a PCOS diagnosis, according to the report, and after diagnosis almost two-fifths (38%) of respondents were not provided with any resources.PCOS is a common condition that affects about one in eight women of childbearing age in the UK. The main features of the condition include irregular periods; excess of the hormone androgen, which is linked to excess facial or body hair; and polycystic ovaries, which are when the ovaries are enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs.Published by the all-party parliamentary group on PCOS, the report consists of oral evidence sessions, a survey of more than 2,000 patients on their experiences, as well as freedom of information requests to all 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England

Emergency alert: millions of UK mobile phones to receive test message on Sunday

Millions of mobile phones will vibrate and make a siren sound across the UK on Sunday afternoon during a test of a nationwide emergency alert system.Handset users will also receive a message on their screens reminding them the 10-second alert, which will happen at 3pm, is a test. There are about 87m mobile phones in the UK.The government has said not all devices will receive the alert, including older phones and those not connected to 4G or 5G networks. The alert will not work on a phone that is switched off or in airplane mode