
Woman's death exposes need for ME care reforms
This commitment follows the death of 27-year-old Maeve Boothby-O'Neill, who died from severe malnutrition due to ME, prompting a coroner to highlight systemic issues.
The inquest into Miss Boothby-O'Neill's death revealed a critical lack of specialist beds, 'extremely limited' training for doctors, and insufficient funding for ME/CFS research and treatment.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is set to publish a new plan outlining steps to improve patient care, including new training for NHS staff and investment in research.
While public health minister Ashley Dalton welcomed the plan, the charity Action for ME criticised it for not going 'far enough,' advocating for a dedicated, funded research hub to find treatments and cures.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
UnitedHealth says it is under a federal investigation and cooperating
Shares of UnitedHealth Group slipped Thursday after the health care giant said it was under a Department of Justice investigation. The company said it has started complying with both criminal and civil requests from federal investigators and it was cooperating with them. '(UnitedHealth) has a long record of responsible conduct and effective compliance,' the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal said federal officials had launched a civil fraud investigation into how the company records diagnoses that lead to extra payments for its Medicare Advantage, or MA, plans. Those are privately run versions of the government's Medicare coverage program mostly for people ages 65 and over. The company's UnitedHealthcare business covers more than 8 million people as the nation's largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts. UnitedHealth Group Inc. said in February that it wasn't aware of the start of any new activity as the paper reported. The company said Thursday that it reached out to the Justice Department 'after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain aspects of the company's participation in the Medicare program.' UnitedHealth runs one of the nation's largest health insurance and pharmacy benefits management businesses. It also operates a growing Optum business that provides care and technology support. Company shares have mostly shed value since December, when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan on his way to the company's annual investor meeting. The stock price dropped 2%, or $6.13, to $286.50 Thursday morning.


The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
NI chief medical officer rejects claim of ‘air of unreality' at pandemic's start
Northern Ireland's chief medical officer has rejected a claim that there was an 'air of unreality' at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Sir Michael McBride said he 'failed to understand' the comments made by Eddie Lynch, the former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. The exchange came during Sir Michael's final appearance at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday. The long-running inquiry is currently looking at adult and residential care as part of its scrutiny of the response to the pandemic. It was put to Sir Michael that during a meeting in March 2020, Mr Lynch felt there was an 'an air of unreality', that scenes from Italy of old people dying, 'won't happen here'. Sir Michael said: 'I fail to understand those comments if I'm really honest.' He said it related to a meeting on March 13, which he described as 'part of a series of meetings which reflected the seriousness of the impending situation'. 'So in that series of meetings that day, I met with all the trade unions, I met with primary care representatives and secondary care representatives. 'I met with the Department of Communities and Local Government, and explained the evolving situation and the seriousness of this. 'This was about communicating to the system in Northern Ireland, not just health and social care, but right across other government departments as well, what we were about to face into. 'So I really don't understand any sense of unreality or lack of urgency.' He said he met Health and Social Care on February 11 and asked them to draw up plans for a surge, which he said he was 'fully anticipating', and had been attending meetings of Cobra, with the UK Government and Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). 'There was no sense of unreality in terms of what we were facing into at all,' he said. 'Within days, we had introduced, on March 16, social distancing, working from home, advising people not to go to pubs and restaurants. 'So I really don't understand that reflection.' Sir Michael also spoke about a shortage of Covid tests. It was put to him that in the first interim protocol for testing, which came out on March 19, frontline clinical workers were included in the priority for being tested, but not care home workers. He said: 'Frankly, we didn't have enough tests. It was simply that. 'We had just moved from the contain to the delay phase on March 12. 'We had stopped contact tracing because we didn't have enough tests to continue that, and we had to prioritise what tests we had for those people who were in hospital, either requiring ventilation like pneumonia. 'The management tried to protect individuals who may have been in contact with them in hospital, and to ensure that we were able to support those staff who were providing care for them, so it wasn't anything other than the fact we simply did not have the tests that we needed.' Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett thanked Sir Michael for his evidence. 'Whatever findings I make, I don't think anybody disputes how much pressure you and your colleagues were under and the efforts you went to to try and protect as many people as possible. 'So thank you very much for what you did, and thank you very much for your help with the inquiry.'


Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Doctor reveals four foods to avoid if you're one of the millions of Brits who suffers from heartburn
A doctor has revealed the foods most likely to keep people up at night. Dr Kunal Sood, a US-based anaesthesiologist, says avoiding chocolate, tomatoes, spicy food, and coffee can prevent heartburn—a burning sensation in the chest caused by stomach acid flowing back into the oesophagus. It's a painful condition which troubles one in four UK adults, and can also be a symptom of a far more serious condition. Dr Sood warned that recurrent instances of heartburn may be a sign that you have gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 'Typical symptoms include heartburn, sour taste, persistent cough or hiccups, hoarse voice and bad breath,' he said in a video posted on TikTok to his 2.7million followers. Previously a study found chocolate increases acid exposure which makes reflux more likely. Similarly, another found many GERD patients self-reported that eating tomatoes worsened reflux. Other researchers have found capsaicin, the component in chillies which gives the vibrant salad fruits their heat, can trigger heartburn in some people. However, the symptoms, which can be worse after eating or lying down, can also be triggered by smoking, stress and even pregnancy, he warned. Doctors have previously warned that drinking coffee, particularly first thing in the morning, can lead to the condition. As well as avoiding these foods, he recommended trying to eat 'smaller and more frequent meals'. This is backed up by a study which found larger meals increased risk of reflux when compared with smaller, more frequent meals. He also advised keeping a food diary to help those suffering identify which foods are triggering their heartburn. Other things you can do to prevent heartburn are sleeping on your left side, drinking less alcohol, and avoiding eating right before bed, he shared. It follows a study in 2023 found that sleeping on your left side at night can reduce your risk of acid reflux. Meanwhile a systemic review found there is some evidence drinking alcohol increases your risk of GERD. Similarly, another study found eating dinner a couple of hours before sleeping increased risk of the condition. In the comment sections, several social media users wrote about their struggles with heartburn. One user wrote: 'I let mine go too long and ended up with stomach ulcers that became worse and had to go on medication.' Meanwhile another commented: 'I have GERD, it's so annoying.' Dr Sood was reacting to a video posted two years ago by @paleaverse that amassed 2.1 million views. In that video, Palesa Phooko, a 23-year-old medical student, shared she had an acid reflux/heartburn problem. Earlier this month, heartburn sufferers were offered a test in a bid to catch the earliest possible signs of a deadly cancer. The 'sponge on a string' test available on the high street sees individuals swallow a special pill containing a sponge the size of a 1p coin. It aims to spot a condition called Barrett's oesophagus, which occurs when stomach acid rises up the food pipe causing heartburn and damaging tissue. In some cases, the damaged tissue may have abnormal changes, which may one day become cancer. While the sponge on a string test has been offered in hospitals and other clinical settings for years, this is the first time it will be offered in a high-street setting. The NHS says if the two-year pilot is successful the initiative could be rolled out to more parts of the country. Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national cancer director, said: 'For the majority of people with persistent reflux, these quick and easy heartburn health checks will provide peace of mind that you aren't at increased risk of cancer. 'For those who do find out they have Barrett's oesophagus, regular follow-up checks will be put in place so any further cell changes can be spotted early.' If worrying sings are detected patients can have treatments to have the cells removed.