Thank you, NHS England, for offering baby-loss leave. This kindness should be every employee’s right

Only about one-fifth of employers give paid leave after miscarriage, says Kat Brown, editor of No One Talks About This Stuff: 22 Stories of Almost Parenthood

Sweating with fear, I waited to hear the doctor’s verdict. Then the radio started playing Call Me Maybe …

I’m all for a bit of distraction in a tense medical situation, writes Nell Frizzell, but who on earth picks those tunes?

Investors are making a fortune from UK healthcare. Why is nobody holding private equity to account?

From care homes to cancer treatment, millions in taxpayer funds are being paid out of the system every year, says David Rowland, director of the Centre for Health and the Public Interest

The Guardian view on the privatisation of health: outsourcing will not save the NHS

Editorial: Buying care from the private sector brings short-term relief, but it won’t solve the problem of underfunding

Aviva’s profits rise as demand for UK private health insurance booms

Fears over NHS waiting lists contribute to 41% increase in sales of policies, contributing to £1.5bn operating profit

‘Ageing isn’t inevitable’: The 100-Year-Life co-author on how to live well for longer

Andrew Scott says we can stop one of humanity’s biggest achievements turning into a dystopian near-future

UK fertility treatment comparison tool featuring IVF data launched

Dashboard allows people to explore data including egg and sperm donors from 1991 onwards

Pliers, abscesses and agonising pain: Britain’s dental crisis – as seen from A&E

With ‘dental deserts’ all over the UK, hundreds of thousands of people now flock to hospitals or GPs each year for treatment. And the problem is only getting worse

More than half of hospitals in England rated substandard by health regulator

The Care Quality Commission also evaluated 68% of hospitals in London as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’

‘He could have died’: family calls for better jaundice testing of black and Asian babies

Jaxson’s symptoms were initially dismissed by health staff in a case that could have had fatal consequences

Crisis in NHS maternity units revealed as 21 rated ‘substandard’

Care Quality Commission finds many services inadequate, needing improvement or shut over safety concerns

Wednesday briefing: What really ails the NHS at 75 – and three ways to treat it

In today’s newsletter: Staff are leaving in droves, wait times have tripled and critics say it’s locked in a ‘death spiral’. But the situation might not be terminal, with some big changes

‘You reach a point where you can’t live your life’: what is behind extreme hoarding?

The long read: Hoarding can be distressing and dangerous. But it’s not just a matter of ‘too much stuff’ – it’s a complex condition that requires careful, targeted help

‘A future worth fighting for’: five health experts on the state of the NHS at 75

Ideas for improving standards of care include robotics, more time for GP consultations and a tax on salt

‘No need to rush’: How to give up vaping

E-cigarettes are popular but the health risks remain unclear. We hear from experts on how to reduce your nicotine intake and help the environment