House byline

Bridget O'Neill

Health correspondent

Bridget O'Neill is a house byline for InfoHandle’s Health desk.

22 stories

Community pharmacy consultation room with vaccine fridge and cotton gauze on a tray, fluorescent light, no readable labels

NHS Opens Adult Flu Booking Wave as Staggered Vaccine Deliveries Reach Pharmacies

From 1 October most English adults can book NHS flu jabs through GPs and pharmacies as staggered vaccine deliveries address a three-strain formula change.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 8, 2026United Kingdom

Ambulances queued outside hospital emergency department bay, paramedics in high-visibility jackets, hazy summer heat shimmer, documentary telephoto framing, no logos or readable text

Health

Every English Ambulance Trust Hits REAP 4 as Covid Staff Absences Pass 20,000

All ten English ambulance trusts escalated to REAP level 4 on Tuesday as near-record 999 demand, Covid-related staff absences above 20,000 and heat warnings strained hospitals.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 7, 2026United Kingdom

Hospital accident and emergency entrance with ambulance bay, wet pavement reflecting yellow lights, evening overcast, no logos or readable text

Health

Trust Leaders Warn Winter Admissions Will Test NHS Finances and Rosters

NHS trust executives warned ministers of tight autumn budgets and staffing gaps as hospitals brace for winter respiratory admissions on top of elective recovery targets.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 6, 2026United Kingdom

Community pharmacy consultation room with vaccine fridge and chair, clinician preparing a syringe out of focus, no readable labels or logos

Health

Night-Shelter Occupants Qualify for Autumn Jabs After JCVI Rule Change

Rough sleepers and hostel residents aged 16 and over joined the NHS autumn flu programme on 1 October under JCVI advice implemented across England.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 5, 2026United Kingdom

Hospital laboratory bench with rack of sample tubes and a computer monitor seen from the side, cool fluorescent lighting, no logos or readable text

Health

UKHSA Sentinel Network Flags Rising Rhinovirus Positivity in Midlands ICUs

UKHSA sentinel labs reported rising rhinovirus positivity among Midlands ICU samples, an early signal that autumn respiratory pressure may hit critical care before GP waiting rooms publish full flu statistics.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 4, 2026United Kingdom

Maternity ward corridor with pastel walls and closed doors, soft daylight from frosted windows, empty wheelchair parked, no people faces, no readable text

Health

Shrewsbury Hospital Enrols First Mothers in BEATRIX Group B Strep Vaccine Trial

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust enrolled the first participants in Pfizer's phase-three BEATRIX trial of a maternal Group B strep vaccine.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 3, 2026United Kingdom

NHS GP surgery waiting area with empty plastic chairs and a hand sanitiser stand, fluorescent ceiling panels, muted green walls, no patients faces visible, no readable posters

Health

UKHSA Syndromic Data Shows COVID-Like GP Rates Climbing in Over-65 Cohort

UKHSA syndromic surveillance for week 39 showed COVID-like GP consultations rising fastest among people aged 65 and over while children's respiratory indicators stabilised.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 2, 2026United Kingdom

A clinic treatment room with sealed syringe packaging on a stainless tray and blood-pressure cuff on a chair, clinical fluorescent lighting, no logos or readable text

Health

NICE Publishes Draft Guidance on New Obesity Injections for NHS Eligibility From 2027

NICE opened consultation on draft guidance that could widen NHS access to newer obesity injections for adults with weight-related comorbidities from 2027, setting cost-effectiveness tests that hospitals say will strain endocrinology clinics.

Bridget O'Neill Oct 1, 2026United Kingdom

Community pharmacy consultation room with vaccine fridge and clinical waste bin, bright fluorescent light, empty chair, no people, no readable labels

Health

GP Practices Report Vaccine Delivery Backlog as Over-65 Flu Cohort Becomes Eligible Tomorrow

GP leaders warned of appointment backlogs as NHS England opens adult flu bookings on the eve of the 1 October rollout for people aged 65 and over.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 30, 2026United Kingdom

Hospital trust meeting room with a wall monitor showing blurred analytics charts, empty chairs around a table, fluorescent lighting, no readable screen text

Health

Tuesday Webinar Walks NHS Trusts Through 2026-27 Oversight Compartment Updates

NHS England’s 1pm webinar introduces the 2026-27 Oversight Framework compartment inside the Model Health System and a new public data gateway report for trust benchmarking.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 29, 2026United Kingdom

Hospital accident and emergency entrance at dusk with ambulances parked under canopy lights, staff in high-visibility jackets, wet pavement, no readable hospital name

Health

UKHSA Issues Cold Weather Alert as NHS Trusts Refresh Winter A&E Escalation Plans

The UK Health Security Agency issued an early cold weather alert as NHS trusts in England refreshed accident and emergency escalation plans before flu season overlaps with freezing nights.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 28, 2026United Kingdom

School gymnasium with a small medical table, vaccine cooler box and folded chairs, fluorescent lights and scuffed wooden floor, no logos or readable text

Health

School Flu Spray Programme Accelerates Across England as October Adult Rollout Nears

School-age flu vaccinations continue across England in late September while most adult cohorts must wait until 1 October on the National Booking Service.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 27, 2026United Kingdom

Photoreal scene of a hospital laboratory scientist in a white coat and gloves loading a small sample tray into a benchtop genomic sequencing machine, while a clinician in the background reviews brain scans on a screen, cool clinical lighting, shallow depth of field, no logos or readable text.

Health

NHS Expands Rapid Brain Tumour Genomic Test to Five Specialist Centres

NHS England has expanded a rapid genomic test for brain tumours to five specialist centres in a £2m+ pilot aimed at returning diagnoses in days rather than weeks. The programme is phase one, not a national rollout, and the key questions are who gets tested and whether turnaround times actually change care.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 26, 2026United Kingdom

A UK hospital ward bay in flat morning light: an empty made-up bed with a folded blanket, two plastic bags of patient belongings and a walking frame beside the locker, a clipboard of discharge paperwork on the overbed table, a wheelchair parked at the edge of frame, scuffed vinyl flooring and a wall-mounted hand gel dispenser, documentary wire photo, slight underexposure, no identifiable faces, no logos or readable text

Health

NHS Corridor Care Persists After Busiest Summer A&E Attendances on Record

NHS England counted 92,177 cases of corridor care in August, an average of 2,973 patients a day, in the second monthly release of a measure ministers say they will eliminate by the end of this Parliament — after a summer of record A&E attendances, 2.4 million ambulance callouts and £1.5bn of new estate funding.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 25, 2026United Kingdom

NHS GP surgery exterior with brick facade and bicycle rack on a rainy English high street, empty pavement, documentary wire photo, no logos or readable text

Health

NHS Ghost Patient Purge Leaves Deprived Areas Off GP Lists Sooner

NHS England’s accelerated FP69 validation—three months instead of six since October 2025—is stripping lists faster in deprived areas, with doctors warning vulnerable patients are losing GP access before practices can reach them.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 24, 2026United Kingdom

Community pharmacy consultation room with an open vaccine fridge and a clinician preparing a syringe on a stainless tray, fluorescent lighting and scuffed vinyl floor, no logos or readable text

Health

NHS England Urges Pharmacy Flu Jabs as Hospital Respiratory Admissions Tick Up

NHS England asked pharmacies to extend walk-in flu capacity after weekly respiratory admissions rose in the first fortnight of September, while urging eligible adults to book jabs before October tariff and heating season overlap with ward pressure.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 23, 2026United Kingdom

Community pharmacy private consultation room with a vaccine fridge door ajar and a paper shift rota folded on the counter, fluorescent ceiling panels and scuffed linoleum, no logos or readable text

Health

NHS England Opens Pharmacy Flu Jab Booking for Care Home Staff Rosters

NHS England is urging care home operators to upload rota extracts before pharmacy flu slots go live on the National Booking System, so night-shift carers can book jabs that match handover windows instead of missing appointments.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 22, 2026United Kingdom

NHS hospital corridor in soft fluorescent light, transplant coordinators with clipboards speaking quietly beside a closed ward door, no readable badges or posters, muted blues and greys, documentary framing

Health

NHS Issues First Urgent Organ Donation Alert as Waiting List Hits Record High

NHS Blood and Transplant launched its first urgent organ-donation response plan on Monday as waiting lists reached about 8,700 patients and officials said nine people a week are dying because no suitable organ is available.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 21, 2026United Kingdom

NHS ophthalmology day-case corridor in Cornwall with a mobile laser cart parked outside a closed theatre door, green surgical drapes folded on a trolley and overcast daylight through frosted windows, worn vinyl flooring, no logos or readable text

Health

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust Schedules Ophthalmology Laser Backlog After Summer Theatre Shutdown

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust will run Saturday ophthalmology laser lists through October after a planned summer theatre shutdown left more than 400 YAG and retinal cases waiting past the 18-week referral target.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 21, 2026United Kingdom

Community pharmacy consultation room with handheld dermoscope on laminate counter beside NHS referral forms, fluorescent lighting, no logos or readable text

Health

NICE Draft Lowers Urgent Skin Cancer Referral Thresholds for Pharmacists in Pilot Boroughs

NICE’s draft update would let community pharmacists in six pilot boroughs refer more suspected melanomas on the two-week pathway when dermoscopy scores cross a lower threshold, shifting triage before hospital dermatology lists absorb the cases.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 20, 2026United Kingdom

NHS hospital outpatient corridor with a digital weighing scale on worn vinyl flooring and a wall-mounted patient information board with blurred graphics, cool fluorescent light, no logos or readable text.

Health

NICE Draft Guidance Tightens GLP-1 Prescribing Gates for NHS Weight-Management Clinics

NICE's draft obesity update would require tier-three weight-management clinic sign-off before GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide reach NHS patients, tightening BMI and comorbidity gates as waiting lists outrun specialist capacity.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 19, 2026United Kingdom

A community pharmacy consultation room in England with a clinician preparing a flu vaccine syringe beside a laptop showing a blurred appointment calendar, fluorescent ceiling light, scuffed laminate counter, no logos or readable text

Health

NHS England Expands Flu Jab Booking Slots Before Weekend Surge

NHS England opened extra pharmacy and GP flu slots after Friday bookings jumped 28% week on week, as trusts brace for a September weekend rush before school return.

Bridget O'Neill Sep 18, 2026United Kingdom