A boom in plant-based diets means next year’s Veganuary will attract more uptake than everWhen the term “vegan” was first coined, even vegetarians believed it was a fringe lifestyle. But the image of vegans as eccentric ascetics is now itself a margina…
UK to ease immigration rules for care workers as shortage worsens
Loss of more than 40,000 staff over past six months prompts move to recruit overseas Thousands of additional care workers are to be recruited from abroad to fill chronic gaps in the workforce, the government has announced, after figures showed more tha…
Four ways to celebrate Christmas Day if you are forced to self-isolate
As a record 119,789 people in UK test positive for Covid, here is how to keep the Christmas spirit alive on your ownBetter days ahead: those self-isolating look on the bright sideHo, ho … oh no. This second Covid Christmas will not be a huge improvemen…
Essential workers thousand of pounds worse off than a decade ago, TUC says
Nurses, care home staff and police officers have had real pay cuts since 2010 as wages lag behind pricesNurses, care home staff and police officers working on Christmas Day will be thousands of pounds worse off than they were a decade ago as a result o…
NHS England to offer life-changing drug to children with peanut allergy
Up to 600 children in the first year and 2,000 the year after will be among first in Europe to receive Palforzia treatmentChildren in the UK will be the first in Europe to receive a life-changing treatment for peanut allergies, after NHS England secure…
Charity says 16,000 UK children could be exposed to domestic abuse at Christmas
Early Intervention Foundation calls on ministers to commit to funding specialist support services in new yearAlmost 16,000 children in the UK could be exposed to domestic abuse this Christmas, a leading research charity has estimated, calling on minist…
Ministers pledge to ‘reset the dial’ on women’s health in England
After 100,000 women voiced concerns, plans include menopause support, GP training and banning ‘virginity repair’ operationsFinally the UK has noticed its rampant sexism in healthcare. What now?A strategy for women’s health in England: six areas of focu…
Neurodiversity and the problem with labels | Letter
Matthew Belmonte responds to an article on adults who were diagnosed with autism after their children wereIs it necessary to carry a diagnostic label simply to know oneself? Joanna Moorhead’s article suggests so, and this is a great shame (A lot fell i…
Why are women ‘failing’ to reproduce? Maybe it’s time to ask them | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Economic panic about the birthrate is drowning out the voices of those who matter most in this debateThe birthrate is declining across the west. It has been doing so for some time, but the recent drop appears to have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I…
Exponential growth is unintuitive and can be frightening | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters
But, fortunately, it cannot continue indefinitelyThe health secretary impressed parliament last week when he said daily Omicron infections were estimated at about 200,000. This was classic “number theatre” – pulling a big statistic out of a hat without…