Health & Social Care

Beven and the tumultuous start to the NHS | Matron, Medicine and Me

The start of the National Health Service wasn't a new idea and also wasn't greeted with pleasure by all, ...

Caring for sick children before the NHS | Matron, Medicine and Me

Lucy speaks to Historian Tanya Macintosh about how children were treated before the NHS.

History of treating Cerebral Palsy in Britain | Matron, Medicine and Me

Lucy talks to Hugh and Margy about growing up with cerebral palsy at the beginning of the NHS.

Hospitals and technological improvements at the start of the NHS | Matron, Medicine and Me

Londonderry was home to the first purpose-built hospital under the new NHS and was...

The evolution of treating a heart attack | Matron, Medicine and Me

Denise hears how treating a heart attack has dramatically changed over the years.

The Royal Hospital's innovative 1940's air-conditioning system | Matron, Medicine and Me

Myleene hears about a revolutionary and the first purpose-built air-conditioning uni...

GP's on the front line | Confessions of...

Former GPs talk about practising in the 1960-70s, when GPs on call were primary care for their patients.

GP's and the Abortion Act | Confessions of...

The 1967 Abortion Act made abortion under some circumstances legal in the UK.

Being a Nurse from overseas in the 1970's | Matron, Medicine and Me

Myleene speaks to her mother about coming over from the Philippines to be a nurse in Great Yarmouth.

Reproductive care in the 1970's | Confessions of...

An exploration of the experiences of doctors providing contraception and reproductive healthcare to women in the 1960-70s.

The evolution of treating a heart attack | Matron, Medicine and Me

Denise hears how treating a heart attack has dramatically changed over the years.

Being a bed manager | Celebrities on the NHS Frontline

Bed manager Emma speaks about she copes doing her job.

First days nursing on an A&E Ward | Saving Our Nurses

Newly qualified Nurse Lauren is observed working in A&E.

Introduction to care work | Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience

Rhod Gilbert finds out what it takes to be a carer, firstly getting a lesson in ''manual handling'' and assisted w...

Hospital bed management | Celebrities on the NHS Frontline

Anne Widdecombe tries to free up beds across Kings Hospital.

Working as a newly qualified nurse in A&E | Saving Our Nurses

Newly qualified nurse Lauren has reached a breaking point and is seeking a move to a different department.

Home visit | Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience

Rhod Gilbert does a home visit as a carer for someone who has had Parkinson's disease for 17 years.

Hospital bed management and monetary penalties | Celebrities on the NHS Frontline

Targets for waiting times and hospital beds incur expensive penalties for over-worked hospi...

Nurse in an SAU | Saving Our Nurses

Lauren is adapting to new roles and new equipment in the Surgical Assessment Ward, where work is a little quieter than A&E.

Caring for an elderly resident | Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience

Rhod helps wash and clothe 90-year-old Merv as a carer for the day and finds it to be a rewarding experience.

Realities of nursing in A&E | Saving Our Nurses

Jasmin has a tough time working in the A&E department as a nurse.

Intravenous drip falls out of arm | Saving Our Nurses

Recent nursing graduate Lauren spots an issue with a surgery patient's drip.

Tirage Nurse describes how to spot a brain aneurysm | Matron, Medicine and Me

Si King hears from a Triage Nurse who details how to spot the signs of brain aneurysm.

Nurse does a blood transfusion for the second time | Saving Our Nurses

Fabie is daunted about doing only her second blood transfusion unsupervised.

Nurse has an issue with a patient in ICU | We Are England

Neelam deals with a patient with spiralling vitals. She also talks about the importance of reassurance.

Nurse gets guided through blood transfusion basics | Saving Our Nurses

Nurse Katie is guided through the steps of doing a routine blood transfusion.

Looking inside the body with a CT scan | Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young

Dr Alice Roberts looks inside the body with a CT (computerized tomography) scan.

Hospital play specialist | Celebrities on the NHS Frontline

Johnny finds out about a niche role in hospitals, being a play specialist for unwell children.

Nurse reveals why she works on ICU | We Are England

Niamh details what its like to work on an ICU and why she became a Nurse.

Keeping a patient diary for unwell children | Matron, Medicine and Me

Lucy discusses the importance of keeping a patient diary when children are ill.

Nurse talks about when a patient dies | We Are England

Niamh talks about facing death in ICU.

A physio deals with stress of patients | Saving Our Nurses

Esther finds it tough to manage appointments piling up and speaks honestly with her mentor about how she deals wit...

Fern Britton speaks to the doctors who treated her Sepsis | Matron, Medicine and Me

Fern Britton discusses the warning signs for sepsis, as well as meeting the surgeon who o...

The NHS and the 70-year fight against infection | Matron, Medicine and Me

Fern Britton describes the evolution of the NHS' fight against infection with antibiotics and vacci...

The origins of Sepsis and its effects | Matron, Medicine and Me

Nurse Julia details how sepsis forms, and Yaku talks frankly about the disabilities which the disease has lef...

Cleaning a hospital ward | Matron, Medicine and Me

Fern gets taught how to clean a hospital ward and the techniques to trap infection.

Hand sanitizer and cleaning compliance in hospitals | Matron, Medicine and Me

Fern gets a lesson in hand washing and learns why correct cleaning practices are so important i...

Sugar in processed foods | Diet: A Horizon Guide

The introduction of sugar into processed foods improved the taste and had a dire effect on a generation's health.

Breast Milk | The Secrets of Your Food

Michael examines the chemical makeup of breast milk to see what nutrition babies are being provided with.

The why of obesity and its history | Diet: A Horizon Guide

Susan Jebb mentions her own research that proved that obese people having a slow metabolism was a complete myth.

Carbohydrates and energy | The Secrets of Your Food

James defines what carbohydrates are and why they are essential for our everyday.

Fasting, fats and ketones | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The "cravers" are put on a strict intermittent fasting diet which has a considerable effect on t...

Eggs and protein | The Secrets of Your Food

Michael explains the chemical makeup of a standard chicken egg and why they are a great source of protein.

Saturated fats and fibre | Diet: A Horizon Guide

Susan Jebb looks back at when Horizon brought light to the different types of fats we were eating and the affect this had on...

Amino acids and sweetcorn | The Secrets of Your Food

James explains what our amino acids are and how a certain type of sweetcorn can be a good source for them.

Fat and the brain | The Secrets of Your Food

Fats have a "rewarding" effect on the brain, the more fat we eat the more we stimulate the "reward pathway".

Foods with a low glycaemic index | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The "feasters" are split and are given different lunches with varying GI (glycaemic index...

Chocolate cravings | The Secrets of Your Food

James explains why treats like chocolate are so pleasurable for our brains and why its chemical makeup links back to when we we...

Mushrooms, Sun and Vitamin D | Britain's Favourite Foods - Are They Good for You?

Alice reveals how mushrooms have a similar membrane to our skin that soak up vitamin D when...

Fat, addiction and the reward pathway | The Secrets of Your Food

Michael describes in detail what is happening in the pleasure centres of our brain and why such fatty foods ...

Group-support and stress-eating | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The "emotional eaters" are given another stress test and encouraged to think positively an...

Calcium, lactose and yogurt | The Secrets of Your Food

James explains why calcium is good for our bones and how yogurt can even be a source of it for those with lactose into...

Fish and kale: brain-food | Food on the Brain

Stephen tries some foods that are good for the brain and finds out why fish and kale are particularly good.

Coffee, caffeine and cravings | The Secrets of Your Food

James finds out about a study done with bees that suggest caffeine works in a similar way to fat when it comes to ou...

Lunch choices and calorie counts | Britain's Favourite Foods - Are They Good for You?

With some surprising results, Alice does a test with different lunch choices to show wh...

Alcohol and the brain | The Secrets of Your Food

Michael explains what happens to the brain when we drink alcohol.

Sugar and the brain | Food on the Brain

Neuroscientist Nicole Avina describes the affect of a consistent supply of sugar on the brain and the similarities this has to drug a...

'Feaster's'' and gut hormones | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The scientists test the theory that some people lack a certain amount of GLP1, a gut hormone...

Fatty food and the body | Horizon

Michael Mosley eats a Scottish breakfast and gets a lesson in how fats stay in your bloodstream.

'Emotional eater's'' and stress-eating | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Scientists give some of the dieter's a purposefully stressful driving test and then...

Misleading ready-meals | What's Really in Our Food?

Loose rules about what can be put on food packaging can become misleading when describing where parts of the food has com...

'Constant craver's'' and wanting food | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Some of the dieters use a grip-meter to test how much they want foods high in fat an...

Exercise and fat intake | Horizon

Michael Mosley eats the same Scottish breakfast he had yesterday, but this time he went for a long walk the night before. This time the fat...

'Hungry'' genes and food cravings | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The "cravers" are strapped up with an eye tracker and results are compared with other di...

Chickens pumped with water | What's Really in Our Food?

A detailed investigation into how chicken can be injected with water to booster sales.

Alternate day fasting | Horizon

Michael Mosley finds out about alternate fasting where you have specific food on one day and anything you like on the other.

Brain ''reward'' response to eating | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

A "comfort eater" is shown an MRI of her brain during an experiment, proving her rewar...

Food labelling and design | What's Really in Our Food?

A design company skirts around the truth of what can be put on food packaging.

Diet and water-loss | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

When dieting, the initial loss of weight is actually water-loss rather than fat.

Exercise, weigh loss and compensation | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

An exercise scientist explains the benefits of exercise and the phenomenon of "compe...

Junk food and the hippocampus | Food on the Brain

Some research indicates that junk food can reduce the size of the hippocampus, which is a common trait of people with depre...

Tiredness, cravings and food shopping | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

The dieters are given a shopping task, split between some who have slept well and ot...

Obesity and dopamine receptors | Food on the Brain

Some research shows that obese people often can have reduced dopamine receptors, meaning that genetically they are transpo...

Metabolic rate myths | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Nutritionist Susan Jebb shows how the dieters metabolic rate has reduced in line with the them losing...

The importance of breakfast | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Geneticist Giles Yo outlays the importance of breakfast with a simple experiment.

Reward and the search for food | Food on the Brain

A study on mice and rats have revealed that there is reward in the seeking of sugar, not just the eating of it.

Eating slowly and feeling full | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Doctor Gribble experiments with what eating slowly can do for the "fullness" hormone and ul...

Genes, fat levels and leptin | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

Scientist Giles Yo demonstrates how the dieters genes may not be helping them in their battle...

Junk food and pregnancy | Food on the Brain

Studies are showing a wide range of negative effects that junk food can have on unborn babies, even later in their life.

Breaking diet and ''catastrophic'' thinking | What's The Right Diet For You? A Horizon Special

An experiment that lies about calories in a slice of cake demonstrates how the...