School nurse access to be improved

Access to school nurses will be improved, health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced, including easier methods for pupils to schedule an appointment, such as by text, email and phone apps rather than just...<<Read More>>

Oxygen test detects baby heart defects

A new oxygen test has a high success rate of detecting heart defects in babies. Testing for oxygen in the blood, using a pulse oximeter, can find 75% of the most serious cases within five minutes. Congenital heart defects affect about one...
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Gene tests for children

A study has found that parents want to be able to genetically test their children, with the benefits of such a procedure valued more highly than the possible costs. The results showed that: "parents offered the genetic susceptibility test for common prevent... <<Read More>>

Fewer teenagers seek help for misuse of Class A drugs

Demand amongst young people for help with problems caused by primary use of Class A drugs has fallen significantly over the last five years, according to new figures released today by the National Treatment Agency for... <<Read more>>

Increase in MMR vaccination coverage in England, report shows

The percentage of the English child population immunised with vaccines for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) is rising - but is still at a lower level than in other UK countries, an NHS Information Centre report... <<Read more>>

School food ‘vital’ in helping children stay at a healthy weight

Responding to a study published on bmj.com that children who have a high body mass index (BMI) between 9 and 12 years of age are more likely to have high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood insulin levels (all risk factors for deve... <<Read more>>

Children account for one in three eating disorder hospital stays

In worrying news, the NHS Information Centre has revealed that its data shows that one in three hospital stays for eating disorders are for children. The data also shows that the largest number of those stays are for children aged 14-16. The NHS Information Centre’s chief executive Tim Straughan said...

NICE calls for antenatal classes for teens

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has announced that it believes that the NHS needs to provide antenatal classes in schools and colleges for young mothers.

Deputy Chief Executive Dr Gillian Leng said: “Expectant mothers need support throughout their pregnancy yet some groups of women do not access, or continue to maintain contact with traditional antenatal care services...

Kennedy review reveals ‘scale of issues’, by according to Lansley

The government has revealed its plans on how it intends to improve health services for young people, in a document called ‘ Achieving Equity and Excellence for Children’.