Dreadfully itchy, blistering red spots – usually in clusters – and possibly a fever. One grizzly, over-tired toddler; one rather fed up but vaguely concerned parent. The diagnosis? Chicken pox. It’s one of the most common illnesses I see in surgery, week in, week out. And I’m always glad to reassure mums and dads that this … Read more
School attendance rates have been well over 90 per cent across England this week, a Mail audit shows in a much-needed boost to Boris Johnson Hundreds of primaries and secondaries reported high numbers of pupils No indications so far of any areas where children have been kept away out of fear Handful of absences of … Read more
Ten per cent more of Britain’s sickest coronavirus patients are surviving than at the start of the pandemic. Analysis of NHS records shows that 44 per cent of intensive care admissions were dying of the virus when the pandemic first started to spiral out of control in March. The Intensive Care National Audit and Research … Read more
People who are vitamin D deficient are nearly 60 percent more likely to test positive for coronavirus, a new study finds. Vitamin D plays an important role in the immune system, boosting the health of T cells and macrophages, which fight infection. Previous studies have noted a link between low vitamin D levels and higher … Read more
Starved savers struggling to find a decent return may be better off using their cash to reduce their mortgage bills instead. Savings rates have hit a record low after halving during lockdown, with all the big banks now paying out just 0.01 per cent on easy-access accounts. Anyone seeking a home for a sizeable sum … Read more
Another record month for Premium Bond buys meaning £8bn has poured in within five months – how long will it be until NS&I’s best buy rates are cut? Some £1.81bn worth of Premium Bonds were bought in July This is a record for the fifth successive month since the lockdown began Treasury-backed NS&I in July … Read more
Treasury says widespread evasion and avoidance of business rates eating into £25bn a year raised through the tax By Dan Atkinson, Financial Mail on Sunday Published: 21:48 BST, 29 August 2020 | Updated: 21:48 BST, 29 August 2020 Widespread evasion and avoidance of business rates is eating into the £25billion a year raised through the … Read more
One of the top bosses at TSB says it is a ‘great fallacy’ that interest rates are important for savers By Helen Cahill, Financial Mail On Sunday Published: 21:49 BST, 29 August 2020 | Updated: 21:49 BST, 29 August 2020 One of the top bosses at TSB has said it is a ‘great fallacy’ that … Read more
Hospital at centre of a maternity scandal is the first to face action over high coronavirus rates on its wards East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust is the first to face action over high Covid rates Care Quality Commission issued a legal order after an inspection on August 12 It will now be subject to weekly … Read more
Last week, I asked savings expert Anna Bowes if she could come up with five tips to ensure savers don’t fall victim to paltry savings rates of 0.01 per cent or below. She went one better and offered six. ‘Don’t leave your cash with Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, HSBC, Halifax or Santander,’ she said. I laughed … Read more