Is DIY surgery a threat to the NHS? – cartoon

One man couldn’t wait for an operation and did the job himself. But is this story all it appears to be?

Varicose veins and skin complaints: how to get treatment

The NHS no longer deals with a range of common ‘minor’ ailments. If your GP won’t refer you, here’s how to get help – and even cure yourself

Full uptake of cervical cancer screening could save hundreds of lives

Almost 350 more women’s lives could be saved if all invited for NHS screening attended, says new study

The bomb that went off in my head

Ian Whitwham was reading to his granddaughter when he lost the ability to speak. A stroke had laid him low

Syphilis is on the rise when it should be confined to history

Infections among men who have sex with men have soared by 232% in five years in London, as sex with multiple partners combines with devastating service cuts

When I leave someone suicidal I’m scared they won’t be there the next day

From supporting a suicidal young man to being held at knife point by a child, social care professionals recount what keeps them up at night

Give young people and gay men free condoms to reduce STIs, watchdog says

Draft guidance from Nice says councils should consider schemes to provide free advice and condoms to halt rise in HIV and gonorrhoea

The NHS must show it cares about gay men’s lives – and roll out PrEP HIV drugs

A landmark court ruling that NHS England can fund the highly effective preventive treatment should be urgently acted on to stop the spread of the disease

Mind over mat: how yoga is helping refugee women

Charity-run classes provide a breathing space for women who may have faced torture and sexual abuse

LGA urges councils and NHS to provide more help for children’s mental health

LGA report cites assemblies on mental health and peer mentors as initiatives schools and centres could use to tackle anxiety and depression