In brief

Female genital mutilation occurs throughout England and Wales: An estimated 137 000 women and girls in England and Wales have undergone genital mutilation, with the highest prevalence in the south London borough of Southwark (47.4 per 1000 girls and women aged 14-59), a study says.1 All the 10 boroughs with the highest prevalence were in London. Outside the capital, a high prevalence was also seen in Manchester (16.2 per 1000), Slough (15.5), Bristol (14.8), Leicester (12.9), and Birmingham (12.4). No borough was free of the practice, which has been illegal in the United Kingdom since 1985.

Government departments’ handling of death needs review, says charity: The National Council for Palliative Care has called for a review into how dying, death, and bereavement are dealt with across government departments and public bodies.2 It said that much has been achieved since the first national End of Life Care Strategy in 2008 but that the scale and rate of change needed to be stepped up. It …