Exclusive: UK an ‘unwelcoming, racist’ country for overseas health workers, according to medical colleges leader * ‘The NHS would collapse within hours’: BME staff say Britain fails to appreciate their roles Foreign doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created “a hostile environment”, the leader of Britain’s medics has warned. The health service is being put at risk because overseas health professionals increasingly see the UK as an “unwelcoming, racist” country, in part because of the government’s tough approach to immigration, Jeanette Dickson said. Continue reading...

Blunt remarks indicate UK’s largest union may be on collision course with Wes Streeting and Labour more widely The new general secretary of Unison has declared the trade union will end its support for the “destructive right wing of the Labour party” and said any leadership election in 2026 should not swap Keir Starmer for Wes Streeting. Andrea Egan, who won a decisive victory as a leftwing challenger this week, hit out at Streeting in an article for the Guardian over his handling of the resident doctors’ dispute, saying it was “simply unacceptable for a Labour politician to describe striking workers as morally reprehensible”. Continue reading...

In his 46 years of service, Nick Hulme has seen the best and the worst of the NHS. He issues a stark warning about its future, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Paramount is telling WBD shareholders that it has a smoother path to regulatory approval than does Netflix.

Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’ The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has ordered a clinical review of the diagnosis of mental health conditions, according to reports. Streeting is understood to be concerned about a sharp rise in the number of people making sickness benefits claims because of diagnoses for mental illness, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the Times reported. He has asked leading experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become “over-pathologised”, the newspaper said, as he seeks to grapple with the 4.4 million working-age people now claiming sickness or incapacity benefit. The figure has risen by 1.2 million since 2019, while the number of 16 to 34-year-olds off work with long-term sickness because of a mental health condition is said to have grown rapidly in the same period. Streeting told the Times he knew from “personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can’t get a diagnosis or the right support”. He added: “I also know, from speaking to clinicians, how the diagnosis of these conditions is sharply rising. “We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding of what we know, what we don’t know, and what these patterns tell us about our mental health system, autism and ADHD services. “That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.” The review, which is expected to be launched on Thursday, is set to be led by Prof Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London specialising in child mental health, with Sir Simon Wessely, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatry, acting as vice-chair. Continue reading...