Author: Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of Glasgow

NHS waiting lists are finally getting shorter, but not fairer everywhere

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on NHS waiting lists are finally getting shorter, but not fairer everywhere

After years of grim records, the NHS in England finally has some good news to report. The waiting list for planned hospital care has begun to edge down, and the share of patients treated within the 18-week target has climbed, from 59.8% in March 2025 to around 63% a year later. Ministers, who have promised […]

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Heat deaths are a public health crisis rooted in housing inequality

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on Heat deaths are a public health crisis rooted in housing inequality

Marharyta44/Shutterstock.com The heatwaves of late May and June killed an estimated 2,700 people in England and Wales, according to a recent analysis – around 550 in May, when west London hit 35.1°C, and 2,200 in June, as East Anglia reached 37°C. Both events broke records that had stood since 1944 and 1976, and researchers estimate […]

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New obesity figures highlight the income divide

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on New obesity figures highlight the income divide

Ms Deborah Waters/Shutterstock.com The number of obese adults in England rose from 26% in 2019 to 30% in 2025, according to a new analysis of 55 million people. Nearly one in three adults are now obese. But averages hide a lot, and behind this one are two very different trends. The sharpest rises are among […]

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NHS shakeup: if it sounds like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on NHS shakeup: if it sounds like we’ve been here before, it’s because we have

People in a hospital waiting room. toodtuphoto/Shutterstock.com Amid political upheaval and the subsequent resignation of the health secretary, the king’s speech unveiled the NHS modernisation bill – the most significant overhaul of the health service in more than a decade. By legally abolishing NHS England and bringing operational management directly into Whitehall, ministers say they […]

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Healthy life expectancy falls in the UK – and the decline is worse among women

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on Healthy life expectancy falls in the UK – and the decline is worse among women

LittlePigPower/Shutterstock.com Healthy life expectancy in the UK – the years we can expect to live in good health – has fallen by more than two years over the past decade, according to a new Health Foundation analysis published. The decline has been larger for women than for men – a finding the report says raises […]

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Fining hospitals for medical misogyny won’t help women – it will hurt them

Philip Broadbent, Wellcome Multimorbidity PhD Fellow & Public Health Registrar, University of GlasgowLeave a Comment on Fining hospitals for medical misogyny won’t help women – it will hurt them

At the back of the queue. toodtuphoto/Shutterstock.com Hospitals that score poorly on feedback from female patients could soon see their budget cut under a plan unveiled in April by Wes Streeting, the UK’s health secretary. Branded “patient power payments”, the scheme would tie a slice of hospital income to women’s experiences of care, a measure […]

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