Adding lithium to tap water could prevent thousands of dementia cases, new study suggests

Adding lithium to tap water could prevent thousands of dementia cases, new study suggests

Thousands of cases of dementia could be prevented by increasing levels of lithium in tap water, a major new study has suggested. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen compared dementia rates to the natural quantities of lithium in water for more than 800,000 people in Denmark, from areas occupied by nearly half of the population. They found that in places…

Families could get supermarket discounts if they hit NHS exercise targets

Families could get supermarket discounts if they hit NHS exercise targets

Families could get discounts on their supermarket shopping if they hit weekly exercise “step targets” under radical NHS proposals. Free bikes, sprinting tracks on pavements and outdoor public gyms are also proposed as part of efforts to drive out couch potato lifestyles and reward those who try to shape up. The head of the health…

Waiting lists for routine NHS treatment such as hip and knee surgery longest for a decade

Waiting lists for routine NHS treatment such as hip and knee surgery longest for a decade

Waiting lists for routine NHS treatment such as hip and knee surgery are at their highest for a decade, official figures have show An estimated four million people were waiting to be seen by a specialist at the end of June, the first time the figure has been exceeded since 2007. Experts said the milestone marked a…

Shortage of doctors and midwives putting lives at risk – report

Shortage of doctors and midwives putting lives at risk – report

Lack of trained obstetricians is worrying, experts say, because of high risk of serious complications during and after birth Childbirth experts have warned that mothers’ and babies’ lives in Britain are being put at risk after an NHS inquiry into its maternity services uncovered serious shortages of doctors and midwives in maternity units. Almost nine out of…

NHS maternity wards in England forced to close 382 times last year

NHS maternity wards in England forced to close 382 times last year

Figures obtained by Labour reveal ‘appalling’ treatment of women, largely due to staff shortages and lack of beds and cots Maternity wards in England were forced to close their doors 382 times in 2016, according to new figures that have triggered claims of women being “pushed from pillar to post in the throes of labour”….