Advertise on podcast: Medical Minefield

In recent weeks, a spate of shocking stories, telling of wheelchair users being left on empty planes for hours on end, have laid bare the shameful treatment of disabled people on planes and trains. Barney and Eve welcome on air disability campaigner and Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, who tells of her own experience of discrimination while travelling, including the time she had to crawl to the toilet on board a plane, because there were no staff to help her. Next, they speak with travel consultant Chris Wood, who thinks he has one solution – a wheelchair that safely slots into the cabin, so disabled passengers can travel safely – and with dignity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a controversial claim made by women’s health experts this week: the menopause is being ‘over-medicalised’ – with too many women taking drugs to treat symptoms that simply the ‘natural’ signs of ageing. The Medical Minefield team interrogate the doctor behind the theory, Professor Martha Hickey from the University of Melbourne, who says she is concerned that women who expect to suffer bad symptoms end up noticing problems that wouldn’t have bothered them otherwise. But menopause specialist GP Dr Juliet Balfour disagrees – in fact, far too few women are taking HRT, she says. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Medical Minefield team speak to Alex Preston, who lived for 8 years thinking he had early onset Alzheimers when in fact, his brain was perfectly healthy all along. What went wrong? Eve Simmons and health reporter Jo MacFarlane speak to Alex about his experience, and Professor June Andrews, a specialist in dementia care, explains how this problem may be far more widespread than you think... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent report revealed that one million GP appointments are missed every month – costing the NHS billions, and wasting doctors’ precious time. The Medical Minefield team consider one solution posed by TV doctor Sarah Jarvis – charging patients a tenner for failing to show up. Dr Ellie Cannon, The Mail on Sunday’s GP columnist, explains why she supported a similar idea in the past – but has since changed her mind. Meanwhile, public health expert Dr Peter English explains why he thinks the measure would be more trouble than it’s worth? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid accusations that reports about the new virus spreading via sex are ‘stigmatising’, the Medical Minefield team ask the experts – What’s the truth about monkeypox and sex? And how can the government get the message across without making people feel embarrassed to come forward for help? The team speak to Dr Laura Waters, a sexual health expert working in a London hospital clinic and chair of the British HIV Association, who says official messaging about the virus and sexual transmission has been ‘clumsy’, while dr Paul Hunter says it’s crucial to be plain and clear about the risks to stop people engaging in risky behaviour and increasing the spread. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent investigations by The Mail on Sunday have found nine hospital trusts are still banning visitors completely, and half of all UK hospitals still have visiting restrictions in place – due to Covid regulations. The Medical Minefield team hear from one woman who’s husband spiralled into a mental health crisis while being treated for heart failure in hospital, after being banned from seeing his loved-ones in April. Meanwhile, Julia Jones, co-founder of visitor’s rights charity John’s Campaign, says these stories are all too familiar, and explains why she’s calling on ministers to resolve the issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year and half on from the first Covid-19 vaccines, what do we know about the few who have experienced severe complications or even death from taking it? The Medical Minefield team speak with Sarah Moore, a solicitor representing over 50 families seeking compensation after the jab triggered severe health problems and in some cases, death; and to Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious disease about what we do know about these side-effects, and why he thinks the benefits far outweigh the risks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who needs care will have to stump up vast sums of cash – with families often paying £10k a month and having to sell their homes to cover it all. But in some cases, the NHS is supposed to pay. But one in five applicants fail to secure funds, so many turn to expensive private law firms who claim to be able to help fight to payouts. The Minefield team speak to Karen who’s currently trying to get money to cover her war veteran father’s care bill, and legal expert Ruth Pople, who takes on cases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vegan diet gurus The Happy Pear claimed last week that eating mushrooms could prevent breast cancer – but doctors blasted back, saying it simply wasn’t true. So can you eat to beat cancer, or it is all simply wishful thinking, or worse a cynical bid to sell diet books? The Medical Minefield team speak to breast surgeon and two-time cancer survivor, Liz O’Riordan; a naturopath and Head of Education at the College of Naturopathic Medicine Bobby Qureshi; and journalist Ruth Sunderland, whose husband is a survivor of throat cancer, about the role food has in treating and recovery from illness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of Britons paying for their own ops has doubled in some areas, as NHS waiting lists get longer and longer. But what does the trend mean for the NHS? The Medical Minefield team speak to Dr David Strain, who has worked in the NHS all his life, about the pitfalls of private care, while insurance broker Brian Walters says a ‘mix and match’ system is the only way to save the NHS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As top GPs warn of patients spiralling into post-natal depression - after being told to come off vital mental health medication during pregnancy - The Medical Minefield team ask: do the benefits of the pills outweigh the risks? Dr. John Read, a clinical psychologist from the University of East London, says no – warning of risks of heart defects in unborn children. But Dr. Philippa Kaye, a GP who specialises in mental health, says the risks that come with a mentally ill mother are far greater, and are often overlooked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Covid test suppliers turn their hand to £300 blood tests – which check for every little problem – The Medical Minefield team asks, are they worth it? Dr Dean Eggitt, a GP working in Doncaster, says such a service might be just what is needed to help clear the NHS backlog. But TV doctor and author Dr Ellie Cannon passionately disagrees – and says the tests are simply feeding the ‘worried well’, and offer misleading results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.