For those at higher risk, the tech can log, chart and document the changes of even a minuscule freckle

When the Sk:n chain of clinics collapsed suddenly last month, my immediate concern was for its excellent and affordable mole-checking service. I have written about it here before and three readers told me those columns resulted directly in the detection and diagnosis of treatable skin cancers. With NHS GP appointments and dermatology referrals so hard to obtain, Sk:n’s closure is a blow. The search for alternatives led me to the infinitely more advanced mole mapping service at the OneWelbeck Clinic in London.

My standard appointment began with consultant dermatologist Hiva Fassihi, who took my history and inspected my moles, freckles and age spots. I then stripped to disposable knickers and was led into a huge AI chamber, where a camera scanned every millimetre of skin until each mark, mole, scar or lesion on my body was identified, enlarged and charted, from most concerning to least. This took about a minute, and by the time I was dressed again, we had a detailed 3D avatar and map of my body’s surface. In one year’s time, a rescan will be able to detect the tiniest change in the moles.

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Steven Aguirre Giler was shot in a failed kidnapping attempt as a growing number of rural health workers are targeted by extortionists

Jose Aguirre Giler never imagined his brother’s work as a doctor in a rural Ecuadorian town would end in kidnapping attempts and fatal gunfire. His youngest brother, Steven, had a bright future ahead of him after graduating from medical school in 2023 and starting a government-mandated year of service at a health centre in Guayas, a south-western province racked by drug gang violence . “He helped out anyone who needed help,” says Jose.

The first kidnapping attempt was in November 2023 as Steven was on his way to work, according to the Ministry of Public Health. His brother says the attack went awry when the assailants’ car was damaged, and Steven escaped. After that came anonymous threats demanding money.

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As fewer Britons have children, more will be left to navigate our threadbare social care system and overstretched hospitals alone

It was visiting time at the hospital, and the corridors were full of dutiful middle-aged sons and daughters. The woman who held the ward door open for me was balancing a formidable stack of Tupperware boxes: home-cooked food, in case the nurses were too busy to make sure her elderly father ate. Why hadn’t I thought of that? But there’s always something more you probably should be doing; always a ball you might have dropped.

So much about looking after ageing parents reminds me of early motherhood, that old juggling act that, in retrospect, looks almost like a rehearsal. Hello again, my old friend nagging guilt. And hello again, that sense of needing to be in two places at once – except now it’s three, if you are so madly ambitious as to want a job, children and parents.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist

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Another report found pesticide levels posing ‘significant risks’ in 20% of tested fruits and vegetables

A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food , presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.

The paper, published on Wednesday in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters, comes amid ongoing debate over the extent of pesticide contamination of food, and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues.

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African disease control centre urges ‘collective and collaborative approach’ after cases rise by 160% in a year

The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the agency is likely to declare a continental public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak.

The Africa CDC’s director general, Dr Jean Kaseya, said on Thursday that because of the increase in mpox cases and its continued spread across borders, he had resolved to start “active engagement” with African Union member states to prevent the outbreak from becoming “another pandemic”.

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Experts warn there are ‘no quick fixes’ as NHS goes through ‘really tough’ rise in patients seeking emergency care

The NHS in England has had its busiest summer ever in A&E with 4.6m attendances over the past two months, while 1.5m hospital appointments were rescheduled because of the junior doctors strikes, according to the latest figures.

The three busiest months for A&E staff in history have been in 2024, with 77,945 attendances a day in May, 76,469 in June and 74,459 in March.

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BBC presenter was told fibromyalgia is ‘not a thing’ by medic, before being diagnosed with condition

Kirsty Young has said a doctor dismissively “snorted” at her self-diagnosis of the chronic pain that had forced her to step away from her job as host of Desert Island Discs.

The BBC television and radio presenter said her concerns that she had fibromyalgia were “memorably” rejected by the doctor.

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As a struggling single mother, the past 14 years have been brutal. I need to know he understands how hard life is for some of us in Britain

When Keir Starmer stood on the steps of 10 Downing Street as our new prime minister , he spoke of hope and of a promise that things will change for the better. But hope is in short supply in my household. At the age of 44, I have never been this skint, this hungry, this cold or this worried.

I am unable to work owing to multiple disabilities, and the past few months have been a very frightening time to be receiving benefits. While I understand people cheering the end of 14 years of the Conservatives, I am nervous that when Starmer promises change he is not thinking about people like me. In his victory speech he spoke of cleaners, builders, and nurses facing insecurity despite doing the right thing. I feel that insecurity every minute of every day, but simply cannot work because of my disabilities. That leaves me completely unable to make ends meet.

Marie (an alias) is a lone mother of three who lives in southern England. She takes part in Changing Realities , a coalition of parents and carers on a low-income, researchers at the University of York and Salford, and Child Poverty Action Group, working together for change

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New health secretary aims to resolve dispute in England and warns health service is ‘not good enough’

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The new health secretary, Wes Streeting, has declared the NHS is broken as he announced talks with junior doctors in England would restart next week.

The Ilford North MP said patients were not receiving the care they deserved and the performance of the NHS was “not good enough”.

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