Can a sick note make you better? Dr Gavin Francis on the power of convalescence

After serious illness, busy lives mean a proper convalescence is now a rarity. But a full and proper recovery takes time. GP and writer Gavin Francis reveals why a sick note can be a ‘powerful prescription’

A strategy for women’s health in England: six areas of focus

From gynaecological conditions to healthy ageing, these are expected to be the priorities of the final plan

A moment that changed me: ‘After 102 days in intensive care, I finally came home’

A year after I left hospital, I’m still getting over the Covid that almost killed me. But I’m not going to waste another minute of my life

Doctors call on NHS to offer women more help after first miscarriage

Current rules state support only has to be provided to those who have had three unsuccessful pregnancies

Fear on the ward: UK mothers threatened with social services for refusing maternity care

Women who refuse advice from health service staff say they are being coerced with threats of referrals to agencies and police

Troubled maternity wards still jeopardising patients, watchdog warns

CQC inspection of nine struggling units suggests mothers and babies remain at risk from poor care and closed systems

GPs are full of kindness and wisdom – so why do they face constant criticism?

Here’s my prescription: let’s look beyond the attention-grabbing opprobrium and remember the day-to-day excellence surgeries strive to deliver

‘Mixed advice’ driving Covid vaccine hesitancy in pregnant UK women

Exclusive: campaign group warns of ‘wildfire’ of negative messaging given by healthcare professionals

Contraceptive ‘mini pills’ to be offered over the counter in UK

Progesterone pills can be dispensed by pharmacists without prescription from late July, for a charge

Weeds, wellbeing and pizza ovens: Bridgewater, a new kind of RHS garden

By allowing designers to playfully rewrite the rules, the Royal Horticultural Society has created a radical, sustainable garden that is almost guaranteed success

Why am I so furious about teeth? They are deeply socially divisive

The gap between those who can or can’t afford a dentist is widening. There is a three-year wait for NHS appointments – while the market for whitening and tweakments booms, writes Guardian columnist Emma Beddington

Contraception blood-clot risk: ‘public need better access to advice’

Health experts in UK say risk remains low, as social media debates shift from AstraZeneca jab to hormonal contraceptives

Screen Covid patients and NHS staff for post-traumatic stress, expert urges

Head of Royal College of Psychiatrists warns that the emotional toll from the pandemic could last for years

Many Different Kinds of Love by Michael Rosen review – life after Covid

The much loved writer gives a memorable account of the disease from a patient’s point of view, in poems, notes and emails – and conveys how it feels to come back from the brink

‘The ketamine blew my mind’: can psychedelics cure addiction and depression?

This week sees the opening of the first UK high-street clinic offering psychedelic-assisted therapy. Could popping psilocybin be the future of mental healthcare?