General · 18 February 2026
Main supplier halts production causing NHS surgery delays
Heraeus Medical has stopped making bone cement for two months following a critical machine failure. This German company provides roughly 75 per cent of the product used for over 1,000 weekly NHS operations. Hospitals currently hold two weeks of stock and must now prioritise emergency cases like broken hips. Officials are urgently seeking supplies from four alternative manufacturers to help the 850,000 people awaiting treatment.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs