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54 headlines found — Page 4 of 5

The Guardian Politics29 Mar 2026

NHS to miss targets for cutting A&E wait times and performance in England

Exclusive: Health secretary’s pledges in doubt as analysis shows health service will not deliver key improvements The NHS is set to miss key targets to shorten waiting times for help at A&E, cancer care and planned hospital treatment, leaving millions of patients facing persistently long delays. The health service in England will not deliver a series of milestone improvements in its performance that ministers demanded it achieve by the time the fiscal year ends on Tuesday, a Guardian analysis of

EconomyHealthcare
The Guardian Politics27 Mar 2026

Reform candidate in Wales steps down after apparent Nazi salute

Party announces Corey Edwards’ decision to quit Senedd election campaign on grounds of mental health A Reform UK candidate for the Welsh Senedd elections in May has announced he is standing down because of his mental health, after a photograph emerged of him apparently making a Nazi salute as an imitation of Adolf Hitler. The announcement by Reform comes a day after Nigel Farage defended Corey Edwards, its lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, saying he might have instead

PoliticsDefenceReformHousingHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

NHS bosses say resident doctors’ strike will cause ‘maximum harm’

BMA’s decision to withdraw from talks with government and NHS chiefs has sparked a war of words NHS bosses have accused resident doctors of seeking to cause “maximum harm” to patients by striking for six days next month over pay and jobs. Wes Streeting has given resident – formerly junior – doctors in England until 2 April to reconsider their rejection on Wednesday of his “generous” offer to end the dispute. It would have given them £700m in extra pay over the next three years. Continue reading

DefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Labour failing to live up to ambition to overhaul public services, analysis finds

Ministers not on course to meet their objectives, including to shift power from Whitehall to local areas, says IfG Keir Starmer’s drive to overhaul public services is failing to live up to its aims of shifting power from Whitehall to local areas, a report from the Institute for Government (IfG) has found. Last summer, the government set out its three guiding principles for reform aimed at making public services such as the NHS, court system and children’s social care easier to access and better

CrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

The Guardian view on a recovering NHS: public confidence has risen, but not enough | Editorial

Wes Streeting pronounced the UK’s health system ‘broken’. An upbeat survey does not mean that it is fixed For the government, news that public satisfaction with the NHS has increased for the first time since 2019 came as a huge relief. After 20 difficult months in office, ministers can point to proof that one public service at least is getting better, in spite of doctors’ strikes. The annual survey also found that the proportion of people who are dissatisfied with social care provided by council

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics26 Mar 2026

Doctors waiting on asylum decisions can work in NHS as Home Office lifts ban

Rule change follows high court challenge brought by two doctors prevented from working in specialist fields Doctors who have been prevented from working in the NHS while they wait for asylum decisions are celebrating after the Home Office agreed to lift the ban. The changes come into force on Thursday. The changes to the immigration rules follow a high court challenge by two specialist doctors who had the relevant qualifications to work for the NHS but were prevented from taking up work. Doctors

ImmigrationCrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Wes Streeting: ‘I don’t want to see Keir challenged in May’ – podcast

Wes Streeting gave a speech outlining his performance on the NHS and plans for the future. Was this his unofficial leadership pitch? Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with the health secretary to find out Continue reading...

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Resident doctors in England to begin six-day strike after rejecting offer in pay dispute

British Medical Association blame government for longest proposed walkout so far, with NHS leaders warning it could cost £300m Resident doctors in England will strike for six days after Easter after rejecting what they said was the final offer by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to end the long-running pay and jobs dispute. The British Medical Association blamed the government for its decision to undertake its longest stoppage so far, from 7am on Tuesday 7 April to 6.59 on Monday 13 April.

DefenceHealthcare
The Guardian Politics25 Mar 2026

Public satisfaction with the NHS rises for first time since 2019

Wes Streeting set to hail result as proof of progress, but Britons remain frustrated with long waits for GP hospital care Public satisfaction with the NHS has risen for the first time since 2019, but people remain deeply frustrated with stubbornly long waits to receive GP, A&E or hospital care. The proportion of voters in Britain satisfied with the way the NHS runs has increased from the record low of 21% seen last year to 26%. At the same time dissatisfaction with the health service fell 8% – t

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics24 Mar 2026

UK medical council overhaul may mean more doctors struck off for racism and antisemitism

Health department says ‘too many’ doctors have been using racist and antisemitic language, particularly on social media, without rebuke An overhaul of the General Medical Council is expected to lead to more doctors that face accusations of racism and antisemitism on social media being struck off. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a consultation on changes to the legislation governing the regulation of doctors, saying the move will lead to the biggest reform of the medi

Healthcare
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

Lords vote to back clause pardoning women convicted over illegal abortions

Peers’ decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeated Women who have been convicted, and in some cases jailed, over illegal abortions are set to be pardoned, after an historic vote in the House of Lords. Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the th

PoliticsCrimeHealthcare
The Guardian Politics19 Mar 2026

‘Superhuman’ healthcare workers saved NHS from collapse, Covid inquiry finds

Chair Heather Hallett says pandemic had devastating impact due to NHS being in ‘parlous state’ at time The NHS “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the Covid pandemic, and only just coped thanks to the “superhuman” efforts of healthcare workers, an official inquiry has concluded. In a damning assessment of how the UK’s healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, said the impact was “devastating” due to the NHS being in a “parlous state” before t

Healthcare