Health & Society

A chance to change

It is a familiar scene – patients trapped in a cycle of addiction and homelessness, seemingly doomed to make repeat visits to emergency departments and GPs. But Peter Blackburn meets the clinicians determined to give people a fighting chance to start new lives

Peter Blackburn 03.02.26

Invisible, invaluable

They've been called a second NHS: the millions of unpaid carers who not only sustain their loved ones but keep them out of hospital and residential care. But for too many there is a chronic lack of support, which can affect their physical and mental health. Seren Boyd reports

Seren Boyd 29.01.26

BMA Giving open to applications

Funding is used to provide a range of help and advice to doctors in financial need and assist some back into work

Tim Tonkin 13.01.26

Full of care

Even the busiest NHS job can seem like respite when you're caring for someone with complex needs at home. But doctors in the almost impossible position of balancing both can also face discrimination and harmful assumptions. Seren Boyd reports

Seren Boyd 07.01.26

Children under pressure

BMA research shows the mental health of children and young people in England is worsening. Support services in the NHS and schools are not sufficiently resourced to meet the growing demand. Patients struggle to find the help they need, which harms them, their families and staff working in areas under extreme pressure. Peter Blackburn reports

Peter Blackburn 06.01.26

An act of conscience

GP Patrick Hart has been to prison for actions relating to his climate activism and was recently suspended from the GMC register. He tells Ben Ireland why he has 'never been so sure' he is doing the right thing

Ben Ireland 16.12.25

The war on waits

Hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland are a source of 'national shame', says Mark Taylor, the surgeon appointed to tackle the problem. He tells Jennifer Trueland that breaking down barriers between health and social care trusts is a key part of the solution

Jennifer Trueland 08.12.25

More to give

Mike Farrar is bringing decades of experience to tackling waiting times and health inequalities in the worst-performing part of the health service. In the first of three features about efforts to improve care in Northern Ireland, he tells Jennifer Trueland why he's up for the challenge

Jennifer Trueland 05.12.25