Wednesday briefing: What really ails the NHS at 75 – and three ways to treat it

In today’s newsletter: Staff are leaving in droves, wait times have tripled and critics say it’s locked in a ‘death spiral’. But the situation might not be terminal, with some big changes

‘You reach a point where you can’t live your life’: what is behind extreme hoarding?

The long read: Hoarding can be distressing and dangerous. But it’s not just a matter of ‘too much stuff’ – it’s a complex condition that requires careful, targeted help

‘A future worth fighting for’: five health experts on the state of the NHS at 75

Ideas for improving standards of care include robotics, more time for GP consultations and a tax on salt

‘No need to rush’: How to give up vaping

E-cigarettes are popular but the health risks remain unclear. We hear from experts on how to reduce your nicotine intake and help the environment

More than one in 10 women struggle to bond with their baby, survey shows

73% of surveyed women say they received no information on bonding in first weeks after giving birth

‘Water is too boring’?! Can you really survive on nothing but coffee, tea or juice?

Everyone agrees you need some form of hydration – but are any of the alternatives as good for you as H20? And precisely how much should you be gulping down?

‘I was sick with pain – but doctors thought I was a hypochondriac’: the spreading agony of kidney stones

Up to one in 10 of us will get kidney stones, according to the NHS. Even teenagers are at risk from what was long seen as an older man’s affliction. Why – and what can we do to prevent them?

Babies are dying because of NHS failings, poverty and inequality, charities warn

Maternity services need urgent improvement and investment to meet government target of halving stillbirths and neonatal deaths

Tim Dowling: how can I make my blood pressure normal in a hurry?

My reading is so high I daren’t send it to our GP. And that’s before I’ve got stuck in traffic on the way to the surgery …

Woman who miscarried fined by NHS for claiming free prescription while pregnant

Plight of expectant mum who miscarried is latest case exposing errors in issuing charge exemption certificates