Shift in UK doctor demographics is welcome but imbalances remain

Since Elizabeth Garrett Anderson became the first woman in Britain to qualify to practise medicine in 1865, it has been a long road to gender parity. Now, for the first time, female doctors outnumber their male counterparts in the UK, according to figures from the General Medical Council, which also reveal that black and minority ethnic doctors are now in the majority.The shift in demographics is welcome, not least in a profession that has frequently fallen short of meeting the needs of female and minority ethnic patients. There have been a series of scandals in women’s health, from failing maternity units to harm caused by vaginal mesh and the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate.The Covid crisis, when people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds died in disproportionate numbers, put a harsh spotlight on the unequal access and treatment that has long existed

‘It’s hell on earth for me’: how did Joe Black overdose in a homeless hostel with zero tolerance for drugs?

Joe was a gifted musician who struggled with addiction and poor mental health. When he got a place at an award-winning ‘sanctuary’ in London, it sounded perfect. The reality was shockingly differentJude Black was delighted when her son, Joe, moved into Holmes Road Studios in Camden, north London. This wasn’t any old homelessness hostel. It had just won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and it looked gorgeous

UK scientists develop DNA sequencing system to fight superbugs

Scientists have developed a rapid DNA sequencing system to stem the rise of superbugs by identifying bacterial infections faster and more accurately.Currently, hospital labs can take as long as seven days to specify bacterial infections, while for some infections a definitive diagnosis may take eight weeks.In the meantime, doctors may have to give patients broad-spectrum antibiotics, which carry risks of side-effects and complications, may fail and prolong the illness, and can lead to antibiotic resistance and superbugs spreading across wards.Now scientists have developed a solution. In a UK first, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Barts Health NHS trust in London have designed a DNA sequencing programme to diagnose bacterial infections much faster and more accurately

Town hall leaders condemn ‘ill-thought-out’ plan to merge English councils

Ministers’ plans to shake up the structure of English local government by merging councils are “ill-thought-out”, “insane” and a “bizarre diversion” that will fail to deliver savings, according to a survey of town hall leaders.The depth of unhappiness with the plans is revealed in an annual poll of senior councillors and executives, most of whom said the changes would be costly, time-consuming and do little to address the dire financial crisis facing councils.Most local authorities are preparing to cut local services from April while increasing council tax, fees and charges, as they battle with cost pressures that could put up to 19 town halls into effective bankruptcy over the next year, the survey found.The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), which carried out the survey, said the scale and speed of the proposed reorganisation had added a “new layer of uncertainty” to a sector already in a “state of crisis management”.The government defended its plans on Wednesday night, saying it was prepared to take “tough choices” to rebuild the local government sector

Bacterial vaginosis can be passed to women by men, researchers find

Bacterial vaginosis can be passed to women by male sexual partners, researchers have said, challenging the longstanding view that it is not a sexually transmitted infection.Experts say the study offers a new way to reduce the risk of the infection returning in women, with another scientist saying it showed up the UK’s NHS website as “outdated and misleading”.BV is thought to affect up to a third of reproductive-aged women and is caused by an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the vagina and a reduction in “good” bacteria.While some people experience no symptoms, BV can cause unusual, unpleasant-smelling discharge and can increase the chance of miscarriage and premature birth in pregnant women. It has also been associated with an increased risk of infertility

The untold stories of female climbers summiting the world’s tallest peaks

In 1970, Grace Hoeman led the first all-female team in an attempt to climb North America’s highest peak, DenaliIn 1970, Alaskan doctor and mountaineer Grace Hoeman led a team of six women in the first all-female attempt to summit Denali – which was the first all-women’s ascent of any of the world’s big peaks.At the time, people thought that women were incapable of climbing mountains without men’s help. We had sent men to the moon, and women still hadn’t stood on the highest points on Earth, which made Hoeman’s bold idea all the more audacious.From 1917 to 2015, North America’s tallest mountain was officially named Mount McKinley. But over that century, Alaska Natives, climbers and many others still called it by the name it had held for millennia: Denali, Koyukon Athabascan for “the great one