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Exclusive: As NHS targets are being missed nearly 300,000 people paid for chemotherapy in last five yearsHundreds of thousands of cancer patients in the UK are being forced to pay for private treatment amid record NHS waiting times, according to data obtained by the Guardian.The figures emerged as King Charles began treatment for the disease within days of being diagnosed. Buckingham Palace has not...

UK prime minister says he is in regular contact with the monarch and wishes him a full recoveryJustin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, says he is “praying for the king and his family – for God’s comfort and strength in the weeks and months to come”.The archbishop of Canterbury, who is in Ukraine to show solidarity with the country as it repels the full-scale...

PM says he was ‘shocked and sad’ when told of the diagnosis and wishes the king a full recoveryKing Charles: latest updatesKing Charles’s cancer was caught early, Rishi Sunak has said as he wished him a full recovery.The king, 75, is facing regular treatment for cancer after receiving a shock diagnosis during a recent hospital stay for a procedure on an enlarged prostate. Continue...

Advocates lament missed opportunity for reform, saying some safeguards have become barriers Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAllowing doctors to start conversations with terminally ill patients about voluntary assisted dying will not be considered under a review of Victoria’s euthanasia laws – sparking criticism from advocates who say it is a missed opportunity for reform.A five-year review...

Children’s parents and those who performed the procedure are in police custody, according to local reportsPolice in Sierra Leone are investigating the deaths of three girls who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM).Adamsay Sesay, 12; Salamatu Jalloh, 13; and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, died during initiation ceremonies in the country’s North West province last month, according to local reports. Continue reading...

Family of Lauren O’Neill told ‘we believe a NSW Ambulance staff member was responsible’ for leak after St Vincent’s hospital launched investigationGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales ambulance staff member is responsible for leaking an image of a shark bite victim’s injuries from inside the hospital, the state’s health department has revealed.NSW Ambulance said...

MSF begins vaccine drive against incurable disease, which is spread via dirty water and kills thousands of pregnant womenA push to tackle an outbreak of hepatitis E in South Sudan is being hampered by flooding that has isolated populations and turned villages into islands.A pioneering vaccination drive has begun to protect people against a spate of cases but the true scale of the disease...

Treatment for ailments including sore throats, earaches and shingles to be offered without a GP appointmentPatients in England can get treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP, under a shake-up of pharmacy services.From Wednesday, thousands of pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections...

Draft legislation will aim to stop firms trying to get around legislation, says health secretaryUK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on...

Mark Butler says doctors look to have made a ‘significant return to bulk billing’ but patients should ‘vote with your feet’ if their clinic doesn’tFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe health minister, Mark Butler, has encouraged Australians to “ring around” doctors in their area and “vote with your feet”...

Women losing ‘everything’ after being accused of illegal abortion in England and Wales, even if not charged, says Dr Jonathan LordWomen in England and Wales accused of having illegal abortions have been held in custody after pregnancy loss, had their children taken into care and been saddled with debt, an expert has said.Dr Jonathan Lord, a co-chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and...

Charity set up by Martin Lewis says up to 1.3m people forced to cut back on food, energy and even medicineHomeowners with mental health problems are more likely to have cut back on food and energy to keep on top of their mortgage payments, a charity set up by the consumer finance champion Martin Lewis has warned.The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said...

Asbestos-like fragments found at newly-opened Regatta Park in Emu Plains sent for urgent testing, Penrith city council saysPenrith council has closed part of a park in western Sydney over fears it could contain asbestos-contaminated garden mulch from the same company that supplied the product used at Rozelle parklands.Penrith city council says the newly opened Regatta Park at Emu Plains in the city’s west was...

Bloc plans to bulk-buy key drugs for all 27 countries, potentially leaving Britain ‘behind in the queue’The EU is to stockpile key medicines that will worsen the record drug shortages in the UK, with experts warning that the country could be left “behind in the queue”.The EU is seeking to safeguard its supplies by switching to a system in which its 27 members work...

Hazardous material found in mulch at railway substations in Dulwich Hill, Canterbury and Campsie and alongside Prospect Highway, authorities sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAsbestos has been found in garden mulch at new locations in Sydney’s inner-west and west after the discovery of contamination at the Rozelle parklands earlier...

In today’s newsletter: As more women in the UK are facing prosecution, RCOG has released new guidance cautioning against reporting – could it shift the debate about decriminalisation?• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Between 1861 and 2022 only three women were prosecuted and convicted in the UK for illegal abortions. Over the last two years, six women have been taken...

UN agency calls for ‘urgent vaccination efforts’ in region to prevent further spread of diseaseThe World Health Organization has issued an urgent warning over measles after an “alarming” 30-fold rise in cases across Europe.The UN agency reported an enormous increase in numbers affected by the disease, which it said had accelerated in recent months. More than 30,000 cases were reported between January and October...

Exclusive: Despite the immediate horrors, women have largely led recovery efforts where government has failed, researchers sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastWomen were subjected to violence and sexual assaults resulting in pregnancies in the immediate aftermath of the northern rivers floods due to a lack of triaging and separation...

Royal college voices concern at rise in number of prosecutions of ‘deeply traumatised’ womenMedical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions...

Campaign ad, titled Forced, is designed to tie Donald Trump directly to the abortion issueThe Biden re-election campaign rolled out a new campaign ad Sunday, signaling a shift in emphasis to reproductive rights that the White House hopes will carry and define Democrats through the 2024 election cycle.The campaign ad, titled Forced, is designed to tie Donald Trump directly to the abortion issue almost...

More than 1.5 million women in the UK are affected by the painful condition - but new study says NHS is failing themWomen with endometriosis who have endured years of excruciating pain are being “fobbed off” by doctors and told their symptoms are “all in their head”, leading them to give up seeking NHS treatment, new research has found.A study carried out by academics...

Increase in syphilis also recorded in most council areas as sexual health services face greater demand, says LGA reportAlmost every council area in England and Wales has seen a rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses, figures show, as sexual health services face “unprecedented increases in demand”.With gonorrhoea, the rate of diagnosis has increased in 97% of council areas since 2017, while 71% have seen increases in...