Cottingley Pharmacy

Smokers are being urged not to dismiss the early signs of a debilitating disease as simply a smoker's cough. In a new campaign, Public Health England says too many smokers remain unaware of the risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD, which narrows the airways, can leave people struggling to do simple tasks such as climbing stairs. Figures show more than 1m people in England are living with it, with nine in 10 cases caused by smoking. COPD is actually the

Free wi-fi is to be provided in all NHS buildings in England in a bid to improve services and reduce costs, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. It will mean patients can use their smart phones or other devices to go online to keep in touch with friends and family or watch on-demand TV. At present some hospitals charge for wi-fi and others have no access at all. The government has set no deadline for the plans but expects the NHS to be "digital and paperless" by 2020. The move

Doctors say there is now "encouraging" evidence that an annual blood test may cut ovarian cancer deaths by a fifth. Ovarian tumours are often deadly as they are caught too late. A 14-year study on 200,000 women, published in the Lancet, has been welcomed as a potentially landmark moment in cancer screening. But the researchers and independent experts say it is still too soon to call for mass screening because of concerns about the analysis. Ovarian cancer is difficult to pick

Four of the world's biggest tobacco firms have begun a legal challenge to the government's new packaging rules. The regulations will ban companies from using any logos or branding on packets of tobacco products from May 2016. Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International say it will unlawfully take away their trademark intellectual property. The government argues the measure will discourage more people from smoking. Un

A tax on sugary drinks should be introduced as part of a "bold and urgent" set of measures to tackle child obesity in England, MPs say. The Commons' Health Committee said there was now "compelling evidence" a tax would reduce consumption. Its report, which puts pressure on ministers who have so far been resisting a tax, also proposes a crackdown on marketing and advertising. Food industry representatives say a new tax would be unfair on consumers. The government will be setti