logo
Every baby in England will get new health test under £650million NHS plan

Every baby in England will get new health test under £650million NHS plan

The Sun21-06-2025
EVERY newborn baby in England will receive a fresh health test following a hefty £650million investment.
The scheme will see babies' DNA mapped in order to assess their risk of contracting hundreds of diseases.
1
More than half a billion pounds will be pumped into the move, The Telegraph reported.
Gene technology will be instrumental in "leapfrogging disease, so we're in front of it rather than reacting to it", Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.
The tests will sequence newborn's DNA by extracting blood samples from their umbilical cords shortly after they have been born.
The move is part of a 10-year health plan, due to be published early next month, which will put an emphasis on personalised medicine.
It is hoped that the change will catalyse the end of blanket screening for issues including high cholesterol and blood pressure after the problem has become entrenched in patients.
The Department for Health and Social Care said that genomics - the study of genes - and AI would be used to "revolutionise prevention" and provide faster diagnoses and an "early warning signal for disease".
Mr Streeting said: 'The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health, to one that predicts and prevents it.
'Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we're in front of it rather than reacting to it.
'With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalised health care to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.
'Our 10-year plan will build on the founding promise of the NHS, so that it provides health care free at the point of risk, not just need.'
Mum shares heartbreaking photo of baby boy fighting for life as a warning - after she found him coughing and drooling
It comes after hospitals began screening of newborn babies for genetic illnesses in a world-first NHS study last year.
Thirteen clinics in England now carry out blood tests on more than 500 infants, ahead of plans to roll it out to 40 hospitals nationwide.
Heel-prick tests check for nine rare but serious illnesses. The new DNA study aims to identify 200 more.
NHS chief exec Amanda Pritchard said: 'If we can diagnose and treat children for rare genetic conditions years earlier, we have the power to help stop debilitating conditions.
"This will be life-changing for families.'
Plus, a new test could detect prostate cancer in 15 minutes or less, experts have claimed.
The 'breakthrough' blood test was able to diagnose men with prostate cancer with 90 per cent accuracy in a new study.
Scientists from Aston University, Birmingham, developed a new method that analyses crystal-like structures in dehydrated blood.
Professor Igor Meglinski said the non-invasive technique can detect prostate cancer before symptoms appear with up to 90 per cent accuracy.
"This breakthrough opens new avenues for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, representing a substantial leap forward in personalised medicine and oncology," he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New data shines light on ‘staggering' NHS waiting list
New data shines light on ‘staggering' NHS waiting list

The Independent

time27 minutes ago

  • The Independent

New data shines light on ‘staggering' NHS waiting list

An analysis by MBI Health reveals that three million patients in England have not yet received an appointment after being referred by their GP to specialist care. This figure accounts for nearly half of the 6.23 million patients currently on NHS waiting lists, leading the Patients Association to dub it an 'invisible waiting list'. Delays in initial assessments are contributing to late diagnoses, worsening patient symptoms, and increased strain on emergency services, and the Patients Association describes the problem as 'staggering'. Approximately 70 per cent of referral-to-treatment pathways involve patients who have not been seen, with one million of these three million having waited over 18 weeks. While the Department of Health and Social Care noted progress in reducing overall waiting lists, it did not comment on the specific issue of the three million unseen patients.

Paying people to eat healthily and to exercise doesn't work
Paying people to eat healthily and to exercise doesn't work

Telegraph

time28 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Paying people to eat healthily and to exercise doesn't work

Paying people to eat healthily and to exercise does not work, a government study has found. A five-month trial in 2023 recruited people in Wolverhampton to download the Better Health app and engage in healthy behaviours in exchange for financial rewards. Participants got points for taking part in challenges such as 'Let's get moving', 'Step it up', 'Snack attack' and 'Say no to fried food'. Rewards for engaging included gym passes, supermarket coupons, high street gift vouchers and cinema tickets. But government analysis of the study revealed that financially incentivising people with various exercise and diet-related goals was ineffective. People did not exercise more, did not lose more weight and did not eat healthier, the analysis by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities found. It also did not improve calorie intake, sleep, mental health and motivation to change physical activity and diet. More than 28,000 people in the West Midlands signed up for the scheme and more than 7,000 of those completed the five-month trial. Data show that more than half a million pounds was given out to participants in rewards, equating to around £71 per person, on average. The study found exercise increased by around one minute a day and people walked just 42 more steps. These were not statistically significant. There was a small increase in fruit and vegetable intake of around two portions extra a week, but no improvement in the amount of saturated fats and sugars consumed. The study found that people who were paid more money in the trial, around £130 per person, did see more benefits than those in lower-paid arms of the trial. Women, poorer people, white people and those over 41 also saw marginally more benefits than others. Critics have said the trial was a poor use of taxpayers' cash and called for a smarter approach to public health going forward. Officials are understood to be reviewing the results and using both the positive and negative findings to make judgements on any future trials or policies. Dr Chris Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, told The Telegraph: 'It would seem that you can't get people to live healthier lives even if you pay them. 'The impact of this multimillion-pound experiment on people's food choices and physical activity has been extremely trivial. 'It is good that the Government is testing ideas like this with rigorous research, but the results are in and this initiative is clearly not cost effective.' Shimeon Lee, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This has been an absurd use of money, and it's crystal clear that this pilot should never have been embarked on in the first place. 'Every government seems to be obsessed with trying to shrink waistlines and not concerned enough about wasting taxpayer cash. 'Ministers should get the Government out of the work of social engineering and focus on delivering front-line services as effectively and efficiently as possible.' The Government is shifting to a prevention first approach to health and in particular in tackling the obesity epidemic which is said to be costing the NHS more than £6 billion a year. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, announced a £280 million investment from Lilly, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, in October and this included the first real-world trial of weight-loss jabs on worklessness, productivity and reliance on the NHS.

Abortion pioneer died at 93 in hospital after being diagnosed with dementia
Abortion pioneer died at 93 in hospital after being diagnosed with dementia

BreakingNews.ie

timean hour ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Abortion pioneer died at 93 in hospital after being diagnosed with dementia

A pioneer of abortion services in the United States died at the age of 93 after being detained under the mental health act at a Dorset hospital after suffering paranoia and delirium having been diagnosed with dementia, an inquest has heard. Dr Horace Hale Harvey III, who was born in New Orleans in December 1931, opened one of the first independent abortion clinics in the US in Manhattan in July 1970 after New York State had reformed its laws. Advertisement The clinic, called Women's Services, provided safe and affordable abortions. In an obituary, the New York Times reported that Dr Harvey had become an abortion provider to 'combat what he felt was an epidemic of unsafe abortions at a time when unmarried women were denied access to contraceptives, and when comprehensive sex education was discouraged'. Dr Harvey, who had a son and a daughter, later moved to the Isle of Wight and worked for public health services there but in 2014 moved to Dorset after his house burned down. The obituary states that Dr Harvey had chosen the Isle of Wight because 'according to his research, it had the highest average temperature and received more hours of sunlight than anywhere else in England'. Advertisement In a statement read to the Bournemouth inquest, his daughter Kate said that her father was 'very determined' to keep healthy by walking a mile and doing 20 squats each day and said he 'enjoyed laughter and making up jokes' as well as activities such as dance, table tennis and snooker. Dr Harvey later worked on the Isle of Wight (Andrew Matthews/PA) She added that he was a scholar who was 'committed to Aristotelian ethics and scientific learning'. The inquest heard that in late 2024, Dr Harvey was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and PTSD after the house fire 10 years earlier. On January 22 2025, he was taken to Dorset County Hospital having suffered a rib fracture in a fall at home. Advertisement After physiotherapists expressed concerns at his ability to understand care instructions, he was assessed by psychiatrists and was detained under the mental health act. Coroner Richard Middleton said that Dr Harvey was increasingly experiencing delirium and paranoia. He said that Dr Harvey was found dead in his hospital bed in the early hours of February 14 and a post-mortem examination found he died of natural causes from ischaemic heart disease and coronary artery disease. The coroner, recording a conclusion of death by natural causes, explained that the inquest had to be held by law because Dr Harvey was formally detained by the state at the time of his death. Advertisement Mr Middleton added: 'I express my deepest condolences to all of Dr Harvey's family and friends for their loss.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store