Stories

The Manchester MediCinema Appeal, launched by Freddie Flintoff and Rachael Flintoff and supported by Manchester Evening News, has reached its £1.1 million fundraising target after a final donation from The Peel Group Foundation, clearing the way for a 50-seat fully accessible cinema to open at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary this summer 2026, offering more than 260 screenings per year for young patients and their families.

Broadcaster Emma Barnett, diagnosed with endometriosis 10 years ago, presents the first British TV documentary on the condition, Emma Barnett: Fighting Endometriosis on BBC iPlayer, featuring interviews with women like 26-year-old Chloe and 35-year-old Mada (whose diagnosis took 25 years), and grilling former Health Secretary Wes Streeting over the lack of a specific endometriosis care pathway.

A phase-two trial led by the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and funded by AstraZeneca and the University of Birmingham found that the immunotherapy drug durvalumab, added to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, spared 54 bladder cancer patients from bladder-removal surgery, with cancer not returning in 46 patients (85%) compared to 60% with chemo-radiotherapy alone.

Cara Hood, 18, from Glasgow, died on November 8, 2025 from medulloblastoma after her initial headaches in spring 2024 were dismissed as exam stress; she underwent surgery, proton beam therapy at The Christie in Manchester and chemotherapy before the cancer returned to her brain and spine in September 2025.

Queen Camilla opened the Neuro Intensive Care Balcony Garden at St George's Hospital in London on June 2, 2026, a rooftop outdoor ward for critically ill neurological patients, as part of a collaboration between the John King Brain Tumour Foundation and St George's Hospital Charity, following the UK's first outdoor Critical Care garden opening at King's College Hospital.

South West Water admitted at Exeter Magistrates Court to supplying cryptosporidium-contaminated water to ~17,000 households in Brixham, South Devon between March 31 and June 1, 2024, resulting in 143 confirmed infections, 10 hospitalisations, and an unlimited fine being pursued by the Drinking Water Inspectorate due to a faulty air valve at Hillhead Reservoir.

All 32 bowel cancer patients in the UK's NEOPRISM-CRC trial who received three doses of pembrolizumab immunotherapy before surgery remain cancer-free after three years, with 59% showing no signs of disease after the drug alone, offering hope for the 2,000-3,000 annual UK cases of MMR-deficient/MSI-high bowel cancer.

The Panorama investigation into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust's maternity unit reveals a 13-year inquiry covering 2,500 families, with evidence of staff writing 'FOH' ('fuck off home') next to women's names, senior midwives advising others not to be 'too kind', bias against South Asian women as described by inquiry lead Donna Ockenden, and cases where women were warned off coming to hospital so long that one arrived to find her baby dead and her perineum and vaginal wall had collapsed.

Libby Instone, a 20-year-old Newcastle University student from Billingham, Teesside, died from a blocked intestine in August 2023 after three visits to North Tees Hospital Urgent Care Centre, where doctors repeatedly misdiagnosed her with gastroenteritis; her mother told an inquest that staff were watching a Women's World Cup penalty shoot-out on television instead of caring for her daughter.

Royal Kennel Club data shows French bulldog registrations fell 37% (to 1,400), bulldog registrations dropped 34%, and pug registrations fell 43% (to 126) in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025, with experts crediting campaigns highlighting health issues such as breathing difficulties, skin disorders, and spine abnormalities in brachycephalic breeds.

HuffPost article on baby poo, with photos from La Leche League GB, explains normal colours and consistencies from meconium (black/tar-like, first 48 hours) to weaning poos (solid, brown, smelly at 6 months), covering breastfed vs formula-fed differences, and warning signs like white poo (possible liver disease), bloody stools, or green frothy poo (potential cow's milk protein allergy).

Patrick Leonard, 18, from Weybridge, Surrey, donated his organs after dying from SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) due to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy on August 26, 2025; his lungs went to a man in his 20s and his kidneys to a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s, inspired by headteacher Peter Martin who spoke about donating bone marrow through Anthony Nolan.

A study of 94,827 women aged 45-80 with a BMI of 25 or above, presented at the ASCO conference in Chicago by University of Pennsylvania researchers, found that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro were associated with a roughly 30% lower risk of breast cancer (1.7% of users vs 2.6% of non-users diagnosed), with lead author Professor Elizabeth McDonald calling for a large-scale clinical trial to establish causality.

Six-year-old Esmae Smith from Southend-on-Sea developed a rash in hot weather and was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital on April 16, where she was diagnosed with life-threatening Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), possibly triggered by Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA), and is now undergoing chemotherapy.

Dr Amir Khan, an ITV medic, warned in an Instagram video that supplements like St John's wort, turmeric, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin K can interfere with prescription medications including antidepressants, the contraceptive pill, blood thinners like warfarin, antibiotics, thyroid medication, levothyroxine, and statins, and advised patients taking regular medication to consult their GP about supplement use.

Nearly 29,000 people were diagnosed with genital herpes in England in 2025, a 3% rise from the previous year, bucking an overall 8% drop in STIs to 334,000, according to the UK Health Security Agency, with chlamydia remaining the most common infection.

Princess Kate will join King Charles and Queen Camilla at St James' Palace in London this evening (June 2, 2026) for a Cancer Research UK event marking the charity's 125th anniversary, where they will meet researchers and view immersive installations about cancer research.

Comedian Bobby Davro revealed on ITV's This Morning that he has been diagnosed with intermediate prostate cancer after a close friend urged him to get a PSA test, following his doctor noting his prostate was swollen; his PSA level was 24, but his urologist told him it is not terminal.

The UK's MHRA has warned users of semaglutide-based medications including Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus to seek urgent medical attention if they experience sudden vision problems, following evidence that the drug is linked to a doubling of the risk of NAION — a rare eye condition affecting the optic nerve that can cause permanent sight loss, estimated to affect up to 1 in 10,000 users.