Mother launches petition over changes to cervical cancer screening
Gemma Barley, whose family has a history of cervical cancer, discovered abnormal cells during a routine three-year check-up, despite her previous screening being clear.
She is worried about new NHS England guidelines that extend cervical screening intervals from three to five years for women aged 25-49 who test negative for HPV.
Ms Barley, a mother of one, fears these extended intervals could endanger women's lives, citing her own experience where abnormalities appeared quickly between screenings.
She has launched a petition to reverse the changes, arguing that rapid cellular changes necessitate more frequent monitoring.
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have defended the new guidelines, stating they are based on robust scientific evidence and the increased accuracy of HPV testing.
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Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Paramedic's brain tumour missed five times by doctors
A paramedic has said her brain tumour was missed five times by doctors. Hannah Lemanski, 24, thought she was experiencing symptoms of stress from shift work when she complained to medics about vomiting, headaches, and double vision. She first visited her GP in February 2023 after experiencing headaches and vision problems for two months, but was sent home with no answer and told her symptoms would be passed on to another doctor. On her fourth visit to the GP she was told she had a lazy eye. After a fifth visit to the eye assessment clinic, an MRI scan diagnosed her with central neurocytoma – a rare brain tumour which grows in the ventricles of the brain. She had 80 per cent of the tumour removed in surgery but two years on it is returning. Doctors recommended gamma-knife radiosurgery to shrink the mass but this is not funded by NHS England for her specific tumour type. The treatment is recognised by the NHS and used to treat various health conditions, including brain tumours, both benign and cancerous. She is now fundraising to get the treatment privately. Ms Lemanski, from Middlesborough, said she thought she was going to die when she was first told of her diagnosis. Her wedding to her now-husband, Przemek Lemanski, 34, who was delivering invitations at the time of the diagnosis, had to be delayed. She underwent surgery to remove 80 per cent of the tumour James Cook hospital in May 2023 and returned to work as a paramedic. During a routine scan in March 2025, she was told her tumour is returning. The NHS offers conventional radiotherapy, a destructive treatment which can lead to more cancer developing, but doctors told Hannah the most effective treatment is gamma-knife surgery – a non-invasive and highly targeted form of radiotherapy. But Ms Lemanski was told by The National Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital that they don't offer this treatment for her condition – and said NHS England does not commission funds for this treatment and her specific tumour type. She applied for individual funding, but this was rejected. She said: 'It's quite upsetting. You pay your taxes every month and you expect to be looked after when you need it. How can you not look after one of your own? 'Maybe if I wasn't someone who worked for the NHS, I might have just accepted the conventional radiotherapy route, which I think for anyone of a young age without cancer puts them at so much higher risk, especially when there's more effective treatments out there. 'I think it's quite discriminatory really, because I don't understand why someone's brain tumour is better than mine.' Her friend Becky Calpin, 32, has raised over £12,000 to help Ms Lemanski get private treatment, but it could cost up to £20,000. Becky said: 'Hannah is more than a paramedic – she's a bright, healthy, active young woman, married to her best friend and dreaming of starting a family. 'She's the kind of person who lights up every room – always smiling, always giving, always ready to help.' An NHS England spokesperson said: 'We understand the importance of making decisions quickly to avoid unnecessary distress and, where treatment isn't routinely funded, clinicians can submit an individual funding request if there are exceptional clinical reasons. 'The NHS funds specialist stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy for some cancers where there is evidence of a clinical benefit over standard treatments, as part of the personalised care provided for patients.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Third delay to ME care plan prompts backlash from patients
Health ministers have delayed a plan for the future treatment of the debilitating condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) for the third time in nine months. Work on the ME Delivery Plan — which the government claims will boost research, advance medical education and improve patients' lives — began more than three years ago under the Conservative health secretary, Sajid Javid. Labour ministers have repeatedly pledged to publish the plan and have yet to explain why it has been delayed. Last October the public health minister at the time, Andrew Gwynne, said the government planned to publish 'in the winter of 2024/25'. In December, responding to the inquest into the death of the ME patient, Maeve Boothby O'Neill, 27, the minister told a coroner 'we aim to publish by the end of March'. On June 5, Gwynne's successor, Ashley Dalton, said it was 'a priority for the department to publish the final ME delivery plan by the end of June 2025'. On Saturday, however, a health department spokesperson would only say the plan would be published 'shortly'. ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) affects at least 400,000 people in England and Wales. Many people with long Covid experience similar symptoms. The illness is characterised by extreme fatigue, disturbed sleep that does not bring rest and a flare-up of symptoms after even mild exertion (known as post exertional malaise). It is usually triggered by a viral infection and there is no proven cure or treatment. About 25 per cent of sufferers become severely ill with many housebound or bedbound. In a small number of cases patients die. The Times understands the ME initiative has been put on the back burner because the health secretary, Wes Streeting, is determined that nothing should distract from the promotion of his ten-year plan for the NHS. In a further blow to the hopes of ME patients, Streeting has also ruled out any new money for the delivery plan and rejected appeals for a ring-fenced fund to advance ME research. The plea for a specific funding resource was made in a letter signed by all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs. But the health secretary has written back saying ring fencing ME funding 'goes against our commitment to open competition to ensure transparency and scientific excellence'. His statement appears to contradict previous government awards such as the £50 million five-year commitment made in 2021 to finance research into Motor Neurone Disease while last year the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) called for proposals to address 'evidence gaps in liver disease research'. The NIHR is also running an 'open call' for a five-year research consortium to prevent cardiovascular disease. ME campaigners had lobbied for a similar scheme to build a research network and are surprised by Streeting's response. Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said people with ME and their carers had been left behind for decades. 'They have faced inadequate care, scant research funding, no treatments and little hope of a better future,' she said. 'Further delay to the Delivery Plan for ME is inexcusable. People with ME are right to feel that improving this situation is not a priority for this government. The government must think again, publish the plan without delay and allocate it the resources it needs to make a real difference.' • Severely ill patient with ME begs for home feeding Sonya Chowdhury, of the charity Action for ME, said she was 'deeply dismayed' by another delay to the delivery plan: 'Just weeks ago, the minister gave a public commitment that the plan would be published by the end of June. This is now the third delay in nine months, and the government's language around publication has become increasingly vague. 'The ME community is once again left in the dark — with no clear timeline, no explanation, and growing doubt over whether the plan will appear at all. What message does this send to a group already fighting for basic recognition, where the most severely affected are so often the most neglected?' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are with all those whose lives have been touched by myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. We are committed to improving the care and support for all those affected and will publish a final delivery plan shortly.'
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Can you mix hay fever tablets with medication and alcohol?
Peter Thnoia, superintendent pharmacist at NHS-registered online pharmacy PillTime, is urging the public to double-check medication ingredients. He warns people taking sleeping tablets or tranquillisers, such as diazepam or zopiclone, face a "heightened risk of developing breathing difficulties" when these drugs are mixed with certain allergy treatments. Can you take hay fever tablets with other medications? While the NHS advises that it's generally okay to take hay fever tablets with other medications, it's always crucial to check for potential interactions and side effects. It's also wise to consult with a pharmacist or GP before taking hay fever tablets alongside other medications. Mr Thnoia, from PillTime, said: 'Hay fever is hitting the country hard, but taking these sedating-style tablets is a no-go if you're already taking medication to help you get to sleep. 'Not only will they both combine to sedate you, but it can impact breathing, and make you short of breath. 'It can also lead to dizziness and in extreme cases people could even fall unconscious.' The concern centres around first-generation antihistamines – the older type of hay fever medication commonly sold under brand names such as Piriton and Benadryl. These drugs are known for causing drowsiness, which can become dangerous when combined with other sedatives. How do I know which hay fever tablets to take? Non-drowsy antihistamines, such as loratadine, cetirizine, and fexofenadine, are widely available and generally safe to take alongside sleep aids or tranquillisers. Mr Thnoia continued: 'These are becoming increasingly common on shelves and are less likely to cross the blood-brain barrier, so shouldn't cause the same sedative effects.' Even SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants - such as sertraline - may carry similar risks, particularly when combined with older-generation antihistamines. Can you drink alcohol while taking hay fever tablets? One of the most commonly mixed substances with antihistamines that isn't a medicine at all – but can have the same dangerous effect when combined – is alcohol. Recommended reading: And it's easy to forget while having a good time in the sun that you've had both in the same day. Mr Thnoia added: 'Alcohol significantly amplifies the sedative effect of first-generation hay fever tablets, which can result in severe impairment and lead to unconsciousness or serious accidents. 'Even non-drowsy antihistamines can occasionally react with alcohol, depending on individual sensitivity, so it's best to avoid alcohol altogether if you're thinking of allergy medication.'
