Dr Ahmed Adbelghani was practising as a Registrar in General and Breast Surgery at the South Tees NHS Foundation Trust when he submitted five certificates for training courses he did not attend, between 2021 and 2023.

Concerns were raised by a member of the public who alleged that most of the conference, seminar, and course certificates Dr Abdelghani provided were non-existent or forged.

The doctor admitted forging the documents to a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel.

The panel considered that, while Dr Abdelghani’s misconduct was serious, the risk to the public was medium and determined that a period of suspension would be enough.

The panel took into account that Dr Abdelghani had been open and honest with the Trust once the issues had come to light.

He said: “I would like to begin by expressing my sincere regret, admitting my mistake and taking full responsibility for my actions.

“I admit that submitting certificates that I had not completed in my appraisal was a big mistake and is away from the professional standards.

“I deeply regret this lapse in judgement, and I fully understand that my actions were not keeping with the principles of good Medical Practice.”

Dr Abdelghani told the tribunal that the first instance of misconduct was during an appraisal at the height of the Covid pandemic.

He said he was separated from his family, living in hospital accommodation, and working in a highly stressful and understaffed work environment.

He added that, prior to 2021, he had never been asked to take part in an appraisal and subsequently took ‘bad advice’, from an individual who suggested he provide false certificates.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Tees said: “The tribunal determined there are no concerns relating to patient safety and, as such, Dr Abdelghani remains in our employment and the suspension will come into force following the 28-day appeal period, during which he has the right to submit an appeal.

“The tribunal specifically acknowledged Dr Abdelghani’s high standard of conduct during the hearing, recognising his remorse and reflection.”

Dr Abdelghani qualified as a doctor in 1988 and had worked at the Trust since 2019 after retiring from working as a doctor in the Egyptian army in 2018.

Hello, and welcome to WalesOnline’s live blog for Tuesday, July 7. We’ll be bringing you all of the latest news from across Wales – whether you’re on the move, at home or at work – as well as the latest traffic and travel.

We’ll also be keeping you informed of major news stories from the UK and overseas.

Contribute to the live blog by posting your comments below, or tweet us @WalesOnline to share the news that’s breaking in your area. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

The United States have been dumped out of the World Cup, humiliated 4-1 by Belgium – and the gleeful reaction of the rest of the world that followed. 

After FIFA reversed the red-card suspension of USA star Folarin Balogun following pressure from President Donald Trump, critics had warned that the integrity of the beautiful game was at stake.

And, led by the Trump-dancing Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, the reaction has been one of mockery. And Iran FA spokesperson this morning said: ‘Now the whole world is dancing to celebrate politics’ humiliating defeat by football.’ While Belgium, who were furious with Trump’s Balogun intervention, wrote on their official social media accounts: ‘Overturn this.’

The ‘Trump dance’ first went viral when he performed it on stage at numerous political rallies while YMCA played and involves him standing still and alternating fist pumps in time to the music. It’s since been mimicked plenty of times but Lukaku’s taunting was particularly pointed. 

Mauricio Pochettino‘s team were humiliated. Belgium opened the scoring in just the ninth minute after some sloppy defending was capitalised upon by Charles De Ketelaere. 

Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick brought the USA level but De Ketelaere scored again just minutes later and a horror error from goalkeeper Matt Freese allowed Hans Vanaken to add a third Belgium goal.

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Trump is pictured boarding Air Force One, hours after his intervention with FIFA

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Lukaku profited from a final defensive error to seal a 4-1 win. He appeared to celebrate with the ‘Trump dance’. At the final whistle the commentator on Turkish television joked: ‘USA is out of the World Cup… unless there’s a last-minute change.’

Another commentator from Croatia quipped: ‘Belgium won, but let’s wait… maybe tomorrow morning when we wake up, a call from the White House comes in.’ 

And while the VAR team for the match were being shown on Belgian television, commentator Frank Peterkenne said: ‘Here are the VAR officials. And of course, you can add Donald Trump from the White House.’ 

Plenty of other supporters took to social media, with teasing Balogun’s anonymous display, writing: ‘Nice of Balogun to do the right thing and not play today. Very noble.’

Another shared his stats from the game, noting that he lost possession eight times and failed to complete a single dribble.  

For many, the final result was deserved reward for a nation and president who had tried to bend the rules of football to their own gain.

There have even been jokes about a Trump curse, listing this game, his prediction of a Kansas City Chiefs win at the Super Bowl, watching the New York Knicks lose during their NBA play-off streak and attending the Ryder Cup – where Europe beat Team USA, as evidence.

Balogun, at the centre of the red-card storm, said last night: ‘When you know you’re given a red card, and then you know usually the protocol is you don’t play in the following game, and then when that decision’s overturned, of course it’s going to be controversial.

‘I had to respect FIFA’s protocol. I didn’t know a lot about it. I accepted the decision when I was given a red card, and I accepted the decision when I was told I was allowed to play. I didn’t have any involvement in the process and that’s not something that has anything to do with me personally.

‘Belgium were a better team today. They played much better than us. I feel today we didn’t have a good game. We didn’t give the crowd a lot to cheer for. The feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words.’

Disconsolate American fans watch on as their side are humiliated on the world stage 

Trump is understood to have called FIFA president Gianni Infantino three times, starting the day after Balogun received a red card in the US game against Bosnia. FIFA subsequently decided to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban for a year, without explaining why – causing outrage.

Trump insists he did not know what a red card was – even though he was photographed with one at the White House during a meeting with Infantino in 2018 – but ‘asked for a review by FIFA’ after learning that Balogun would miss last night’s clash against Belgium.

The US President said: ‘He gave him a red card, I didn’t know what that meant. Then I started hearing that means he can’t play in the next game. I said, ‘Boy, that’s big’. You know, if it happened to another player it would’ve been unfair.

‘But when they take your best player, or just about… and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair.

‘It’s one thing to penalise someone for a game. But how do you penalise them for a game they haven’t even played yet? It’s very unfair. You can’t do that. I spoke to Gianni. I asked for a review by FIFA. I’m good at this stuff – that wasn’t a foul.’

Trump then cast doubt on Brazilian referee Raphael Claus – who sent Balogun off – claiming he was ‘suspect’. ‘If you check his past, I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect. If you’d like, I’ll provide you with his past,’ he said.

Claus was accused of match-fixing in 2023 in Brazil, but was never charged with wrongdoing, and there is no suggestion of any allegation aimed at him in the World Cup.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) hit back last night, saying: ‘There is nothing in his record that discredits him or gives grounds for any suspicion.

‘The CBF rejects any insinuation casting doubt on Raphael Claus’s integrity. He is an exemplary professional.’ 

Infantino defied Trump‘s World Cup narrative as he defended the tournament’s referees amid criticism from the President. 

The FIFA chief credited the crew of referees at the World Cup for the success of the tournament so far. 

Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino shared three phone calls before the overturning

‘The FIFA World Cup 2026 has been an overwhelming success and a major contributor to this is our fantastic group of match officials – Team One,’ Infantino wrote in an Instagram post on Monday, shortly after Trump’s scathing comments. 

‘The tournament is being officiated by the best in the world, selected through a rigorous process which considered their skills, consistency, and quality over a sustained period.

‘Once more, I reiterate that we must respect the referees and respect the rules that govern our game. It is very simple and cannot ever be overstated – without referees, there is no football.’

England manager Thomas Tuchel, ex-players and football federations across the globe expressed dismay at FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s punishment.

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: ‘This is our sport, not theirs. If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness – it calls everything into question.’

Broadcaster and pundit Piers Morgan, a former ally of Trump, described his intervention as ‘cheating’. The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was ‘astonished’. Its appeal was rejected without explanation.

UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, said the ‘unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable’ move ‘crossed a red line’.

Former England striker Wayne Rooney said: ‘It is an absolute disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed. The sportsmanship of the game is at question here.’

ITV pundit Roy Keane added: ‘It seems unfair because it is unfair.’ Balogun, 25, got a red card in the 64th minute of Thursday’s 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina after a video review ruled he raked his studs down the calf of defender Tarik Muharemovic.

Jubilant Belgium fans took extra joy in rubbing in their victory given the preceding events 

Trump said of the striker: ‘He didn’t do anything wrong.’

But Tuchel said FIFA had set a dangerous precedent, adding: ‘Where does this start and where does this end now? Can we overturn it or not overturn it?’

England defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in the 3-2 victory over Mexico yesterday, leaving former manager Harry Redknapp asking on Times Radio: ‘Is the King going to ring up FIFA and ask them to rescind the decision?’ It is just using power.’

The FA is considering appealing to FIFA against Quansah’s suspension.

Even former FIFA president Sepp Blatter criticised the decision, saying: ‘Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.’

Infantino, who gave Trump the ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ last year, stated that FIFA’s judicial bodies were ‘independent’ and rulings ‘must always be respected’.

He added: ‘I regularly discuss matters related to the World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues.’

FIFA said: ‘In line with article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.’

NEW: How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE 

The fan also has warm functions so it can be used as a heater during autumn, winter and spring

Another heatwave is on the cards this week. Households who struggled to get fans last time round might find it worthwhile to snap one up now because they are flying off the shelves again.

Bladeless air fans have been a popular choice for some years now, as they’re dust-free, making them suitable for allergy sufferers. Plus, they’re easy to clean.

Yimbly, a marketplace owned by this title’s parent company Reach Plc, has an offer on a Drew & Cole fan. The Smartair Bladeless Fan has hot and cold functions, so it can be used now and in winter as a heater.

The device is normally £129.99; however, users can buy it for £117 at Yimbly with the discount code SUMMER10. For comparison, it’s also sold on Amazon at the higher recommended retail price.

The Drew&Cole Smartair Bladeless Fan has three speed settings, including low, medium or high airflow to create the perfect breeze for a user’s comfort. It’s also equipped with two heat settings – select between 1100W and 2200W.

Yimbly’s bladeless fan

£129.99

£117

Yimbly

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Get 10% off this Drew&Cole Smartair Bladeless Fan ahead of the heatwave, with the code SUMMER10.

Drew&Cole’s Smartair Bladeless Fan also features adjustable temperature settings ranging from 15 °C to 45 °C. The cooling/heating device also has a timer with a maximum setting of 12 hours, making it suitable for use during hot, humid nights.

At the higher end of the market, Dyson offers this Pure Hot+Cool HP00 Purifying Fan for £449.99. Dyson claims the device can save you up to 30% in running costs when maintaining room temperature.

For other options, Argos offers a wide range of tower fans at lower prices. This Bush White Tower Fan is £35 and has three speed settings and a two-hour timer feature.

The Drew&Cole Smartair Bladeless Fan has no reviews on Yimbly or Amazon. However, new Yimbly shoppers can find reviews and ratings of the marketplace on Trustpilot, where one person who bought a fan said: “Ordered a Blade Air fan advertised in the newspaper that Yimbly were selling at a great price compared to other blade fan manufacturers.

“The whole experience from ordering to delivery of the fan went fine, and I am quite impressed with my purchase and would recommend Yimbly as a good seller of quality items.”

Another shopper who also ordered a fan wrote: “Easy to order, delivered on time, straightforward set up, we had it set up and running in a flash, absolutely perfect in our bedroom.”

Another positive review reads: “What a great range of products and at very competitive prices. Quality very good.”

Yimbly has a 4.1-star rating on Trustpilot. Negative reviews, in a minority, involve issues surrounding the occasional late delivery of items.

However, another shopper wrote: “My garden rocking chair arrived quicker than they said, great sturdy product for relaxing outdoors.”

A penultimate shopper commented: “Absolutely brilliant service and quality goods, thank you, definitely use you in the future.” A final buyer concluded: “A good quality product, delivered without any problems. Value for money.”

During patrols on Monday (July 6) in Newton Aycliffe, police say they spotted the driver and branded the motorist “a fatal collision waiting to happen”.

After pulling him over, police say the man, a 49-year-old, blew a breath test of 160.

The legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Police stop a driver on the roadside (Image: DURHAM CONSTABULARY)

He was arrested and charged with two counts of drink driving and remanded to court.

In a video shared by Durham Police, the police force used a series of football-related puns to bring home the severity of the situation.

The post read: “This is one guy who definitely wasn’t watching the match last night!

“Instead, he was sleeping off a skin-full after scoring a spectacular own-goal with a roadside breath test result of 160.

“Yes, you read that right, this 49-year-old was more than four times over the legal limit, ‘driving’ his Audi A5 in the middle of the road in Newton Aycliffe. We say ‘driving’ because quite frankly, with that much alcohol in his system, he was a fatal collision waiting to happen.

“Thankfully our Durham Roads & Armed Policing officers were on the ball as much as Bellingham last night and got this man stopped before he hurt anyone. He has now been charged with two counts of drink driving and remanded to court.

“This was the best outcome, but sadly some families aren’t so lucky, and our officers have had to tell them the horrendous news that their loved one isn’t coming home.”

Despite this shocking example, the police force did say they conducted random stop checks in Chester Moor on Monday, where everyone passed the roadside breath test.

The generator first appeared on Church Street on Friday 3 July, with the aim of ‘keeping supply online due to a fault in the substation,’ as they stated in correspondence.

Westhoughton has experienced frequent power cuts in recent months, with power outages on Church Street and issues with streetlights.

The repair work has now been completed, but the generators will remain in place ‘for the next few days’ in case of further issues.

Electricity North West said: “Thank you so much for all your patience and understanding while we’ve been carrying out repairs.

“We know it hasn’t been easy, especially with the generator trips, including one that had to be replaced and another switched off due to third party interference.

“Our teams were already in the area in case anything like this happened, and they were able to respond quickly, getting power back on within 30 minutes each time.

Cllr David Wilkinson previously described Westhoughton’s power supply as ‘poor’ (Image: Newsquest)

“Because this has been a large scale repair, we want to make sure everything is fully stable and reliable before we step back.

“For that reason, we’ll be keeping the generators and a team on standby for the next couple of days.”

The issue was caused be major cable faults which occurred on a 132kv oil-filled cable and 33kv cable which feed Westhoughton, Middlebrook, Daisy Hill and Atherton.

The temporary generators were placed next to substations while the repairs were undertaken, which is why one generator was placed on Church Street.

Electricity North West teams have been on standby near the generators to allow them to fix problems as they arise.

There were issues with the temporary generators – including one of third-party interference – but they were ‘able to get the generators back on within 30 minutes each time’.

The Church Street area has been the site of ‘a number of blowouts,’ according to Westhoughton Town Councillor David Wilkinson.

There was a large power outage on the weekend beginning May 10, and another one only a few weeks prior.

These affected homes on Church Street and Grundy Street – North of the Market Street substation.

Cllr David Chadwick put out a notice to residents, urging them to report any power disturbances to Electricity North West.

Cllr Chadwick said: “If you’ve recently experienced a power cut, please make sure you report it to Electricity North West by calling 105.

“It’s important that every outage is logged, as this helps build evidence of the ongoing issues.”

Electricity North West have been contacted for comment.

Café No.8 Bistro in Gillygate is a neighbourhood bistro known for its fine dining and seasonal menus and said to be one of the best in the city.

Highly acclaimed by diners, it has 4.7 stars out of five on Google, based on 544 reviews.

Tripadvisor awards 4.6 stars out of five, based on 1,871 reviews, ranking it 13th out of 800 York restaurants.

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Run by Chris Pragnell and Martin Gore, the café which opened in 2002 says it has stood the test of time thanks to Chris and Martin each playing to their strengths.

Chris shapes the culinary vision in the kitchen, and Martin leads the Front of House. Together, they say they have become a force to be reckoned with.

Chris said: “The hospitality sector has become a lot more competitive in York. Staying open is far more challenging than it was 24 years ago. But Martin and I believe Café No.8 continues to thrive because we put the customer experience before profit.

“We recognise as an informal fine dining restaurant that our pricing is not comparable to say a chain restaurant yet is modest compared to a traditional fine-dining setting.

“We keep our pricing as reasonable as we can ensuring we never compromise on the quality of the ingredients we buy. We source seasonally, and everything is made from scratch in our small on-site kitchen.

“As a result, our menus change regularly, our environmental impact stays low, and our customers get to experience new and exciting dishes every time they visit us.”

Chris says this has helped the bistro develop a loyal following of locals and tourists alike.

He further explained: “We don’t hike up our prices at Christmas or Valentine’s Day. It may not make business sense to some, but we find if our customers have a positive experience with us, the likelier they are to return and recommend us to other – this takes precedence.”

Café No.8 employs a small team of eight, with Chris’ son, Ian working with him in the kitchen who has become a young talented chef.

In recent months, the bistro has pivoted to introduce new changes to the bistro, including being open during the evenings and Sunday Lunch times only to create a better work-life balance for everyone within the business.

The venue has also relaunched its on-site art exhibitions with local artists as well as introduced more dishes to cater for different dietary requirements in preferences.

Martin said: “There’s been a real shift in recent years, with more people choosing meat‑free diets or feeling more confident dining out as allergen‑aware options become more widely available.

“We don’t market ourselves as a specialist dietary‑requirements restaurant, but it is something we can potentially cater for. If customers do have specific needs, we simply ask that they let us know in advance so we can prepare properly.

“For example, a couple recently told us one of them was gluten‑free and wanted to join us for Sunday Lunch. Because they gave us notice, we were able to make a gluten‑free Yorkshire pudding, which, from what they told us, is quite rare to get with a gluten-free Sunday Roast.”

Looking to the future, Chris and Martin now have aspirations to secure Michelin Guide recognition for Café No.8 Bistro.

Martin added: “We’re proud to have achieved many awards over the years, and being recognised by the Michelin Guide would really be the icing on the cake. We’re hopeful that by this time next year we’ll have news to share, and we’re committed to working hard to reach that goal.

“The general feeling among the team is that we offer something genuinely unique: removing the pretence from fine dining and creating a relaxed experience that feels welcoming to all.”

To find out more, visit: www.cafeno8.co.uk

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: The neighbour described the child killer as ‘horrible’ as she spoke out

A former neighbour has described the disturbing warning signs shown by former schoolteacher Jamie Varley years before he sexually abused and murdered his adopted baby boy.

The neighbour described Varley’s household as a ‘nightmare’ and said he was ‘horrible’ to live opposite. Varley, 37, who lived in Grimsargh in Lancashire, is currently serving a whole-life order for the horrific killing of 13-month-old Preston Davey.

On the day of his tragic death on July 27, 2023, defenceless Preston endured two unspeakable sexual assaults at the hands of the secondary school teacher. Varley had climbed the professional ladder to become a head of year and safeguarding lead at South Shore Academy in Blackpool.

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His partner, former public schoolboy John McGowan-Fazakerley, meanwhile, was employed as an accounts manager for a finance firm. Yet beneath this respectable façade lay a deeply disturbing past.

In sharp contrast to his partner’s privileged, middle-class upbringing, Varley was raised on a council estate in Newark.

The second youngest of six children, he moved to Blackpool as a teenager, with no father recorded on his birth certificate, reports Lancs Live. A former neighbour, who lived adjacent to the family’s Victorian mid-terrace home in the Lancashire seaside town, has described the household as an absolute ‘nightmare’.

The woman, a mother-of-five who has fostered around a dozen children, told the Daily Mail: “He [Varley] was horrible. I had to report him to the police and to the housing association for anti-social behaviour and criminal damage but he was never arrested.”

She said she was left concerned for her children’s wellbeing at the time. She said: “He started shouting nasty abuse and ended up throwing lit cigarettes at their toys, trying to set them on fire.”

She added: “I wouldn’t let my children play in the front of the house because of him, not unless I was on the doorstep. When his family moved out [in 2014], we put the flags out. How on earth he got to be a secondary school teacher, I really don’t know.”

Varley began his working life at South Shore Academy as a design and technology technician, before later attending university as a mature student and ultimately qualifying as a textiles teacher. Roughly seven years ago, the killer took a six-week absence from work, with colleagues told his time away was linked to mental health difficulties.

A further unsettling episode arose during the Covid pandemic lockdown, when Varley failed to report for work after allegedly sustaining a back injury. The injury occurred when he tumbled from a ladder or drainpipe while spying on a boyfriend — not McGowan-Fazakerley — whom he suspected of being unfaithful.

Following his sentencing at Preston Crown Court last month, Varley has now been added to the grim roll call of approximately 70 notorious British criminals condemned to die in prison, joining the ranks of Wayne Couzens, Levi Bellfield and Jeremy Bamber.

Preston was born to Sarah Davey, a convicted murderer, on June 16, 2022. Five days after he was born, the 5lb 7oz tot was taken into the care of Oldham Council.

Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley were approved for adoption in January 2023. At the age of nine-months-old, in April 2023, Preston began living at their home in Blackpool, Lancashire.

In the months that followed, Preston was subjected to ever increasing physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of Varley. McGowan-Fazakerley turned a blind eye to the escalating abuse and on July 23 took part in a joint attack on Preston, as he slumped helplessly over the bars of his cot.

On July 27, Preston was carried into Blackpool Victoria Hospital in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 7.18pm.

The campaign group of beer lovers is also hopeful that son Sam Smith taking over the Tadcaster-based brewery from father Humphrey Smith will open relations between both sides.

In recent weeks, preparations have been made to re-open several Sam Smith’s pubs in the area.

The Tankard Inn at Rufforth is due to re-open later this month, as is the Wellington Inn on Alma Terrace, Fishergate.

This follows the re-opening of the Ebor Inn at Bishopthorpe in May.

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Nick Love, pub protection officer for York CAMRA, says he has no inside knowledge of goings on at the brewery and he can only judge matters on how better the brewery’s London pubs are doing, which for several years have been run by  son Sam instead of dad Humphrey.

Nick said: “There are definite indications that there has been a significant increase in activity regarding re-opening their closed pubs and also widespread optimism that some of the outdated rules imposed by Humphrey will be relaxed under the tenure of his son Samuel Smith – evidenced by the removal of rules signs in The Royal Oak in Tadcaster recently.”

At present around half of the 300 or so pubs Sam Smith’s Brewery owns are said to be empty, according to a list compiled by Malton man Tom Taverner.

Humphrey Smith, who died last week aged 81. (Image: SWNS)

Social media groups that report matters concerning Sam Smith’s brewery have noted that the brewery is disposing of empty pubs.

Recently, the Corporation Brewery Tap in Doncaster was sold at auction.

The Old Brown Cow pub in Bradford was also recently sold.

Nick Love continued: “Because of the way Samuel Smiths does its business out of the public eye I don’t think we’ll get much transparency on how many pubs they choose to dispose of.

“All we would hope and urge them to do is make sure that any pubs they deem surplus to their estate are then offered to local independent breweries and operators rather than large pub companies and God forbid – property developers.”

In the meantime, York CAMRA is keen to develop better relations with the brewery, putting them on the same footing as other breweries in its area.

Branches of CAMRA typically have a brewery liaison officer that works with the brewery to inform each other of their activities and new products to look out for.

York’s brewery liaison officer Steve Gorton says the branch has received ‘no response’ from Sam Smith’s brewery.

Steve said he wondered if that would change now, adding he might now contact the brewery to find out.

He added: “CAMRA has good relations with the other brewers. We would hope to build a good working relationship with Sam Smith’s Brewery.”

Last month a young woman sat in front of me in my consulting room and told me she was convinced she had Lyme Disease after reading about all the possible symptoms.

She wasn’t the first patient I’ve seen to say this and I’m sure she won’t be the last. Why? Because as diseases go, this one has rather a high profile.

Last summer, Justin Timberlake told his fans that he’d been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. He revealed that he’d been performing with a great deal of nerve pain, had felt worn out and unwell and had a diagnosis for what was troubling him.

He’s just one of a long line of famous faces, including model Bella Hadid, singer Shania Twain and comic Miranda Hart, who’ve all spoken about the same illness.

It seems hardly a week goes by without another article, another celebrity, another warning.

Of course, that’s going to trickle down to the rest of us, including the patients that come through my door.

What the coverage almost never makes clear is that, a good deal of the time, the illness being discussed isn’t ‘Lyme Disease’ at all. It’s something called ‘Chronic Lyme Disease’. And the two are not the same thing.

To be clear, there is an infection, spread by the bite of a tick and caused by a bacterium called Borrelia. That is Lyme Disease. The first sign is often a spreading rash, sometimes in the shape of a bullseye, though fewer than half of patients ever develop one.

Flu-like aches and tiredness can follow. Left untreated, it can do serious damage: a drooping of the face, inflammation of the heart and painful swollen joints that surface months or even years later.

So this isn’t an illness to shrug off and I’ve nothing but sympathy for anyone who has been dismissed by a doctor who never thought to ask about a tick bite.

Caught early, though, it’s treated much like any other bacterial infection, with a short course of antibiotics, usually doxycycline. For the vast majority of people that clears it, and that’s the end of the matter.

Recorded cases are creeping up. In England last year there were about 1,170 confirmed, against 959 the year before.

Warmer, longer summers certainly give ticks more time to feed, yet much of the increase can be attributed to the fact we’re all more alert to Lyme now, more likely to spot the signs and get tested. None of that adds up to an epidemic.

However, the word ‘Lyme’ has become stretched to cover something quite different and this is what’s muddying the waters.

Chronic Lyme Disease is the claim that a whole raft of vague, persistent symptoms: headaches, exhaustion, aching muscles, the fog that settles over your thinking, are all the work of a hidden Borrelia infection.

The trouble is that there’s often no clear history of an infection in the first place. The standard tests come back negative.

Rather than accept that, sufferers frequently become convinced the tests themselves must be wrong. Some go as far as sending blood samples to private laboratories abroad, which run their own unregulated tests, with no evidence behind them, that will then hand back a positive result.

It’s easy to see why this happens. A label, any label, is easier to carry than being told nobody knows what’s wrong with you.

Lyme Disease is an infection spread by the bite of a tick and caused by a bacterium called Borrelia. But, Dr Max Pemberton explains, this is easily treatable if caught early

And it’s nothing new. In 2007, a landmark paper in the New England Journal of Medicine looked hard at Chronic Lyme Disease and found no convincing evidence the symptoms had anything to do with Borrelia.

Study after study has since failed to turn up any evidence that symptoms are due to a lingering infection.

As for treatments, patient groups press for long courses of antibiotics, sometimes running to many months. Yet controlled trials show they work no better than a placebo, while carrying serious risks of their own.

That hasn’t stopped a handful of doctors, some aligned with campaign groups, insisting the guidelines are too timid and that patients need ever-longer treatment. Other evidence gets wheeled out too but it rarely stands up to scrutiny. A pilot study this year, for example, hailed in some reports as a breakthrough, gave psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, to people with lasting Lyme symptoms who reported big improvements in their condition.

Impressive, until you read the detail. Only 20 people took part in the trial, there was no comparison group and everyone knew exactly what they’d taken. That’s not proof of anything.

I want to tread carefully here, because the distress these patients feel is not in question. They are unwell, and they deserve to be taken seriously. Only that isn’t the same as signing up to a diagnosis that doesn’t hold.

If the symptoms aren’t caused by an infection, more antibiotics won’t help.

The kindest thing we can do for these patients isn’t to nod along, it’s to tell them the truth and look at the whole picture. And that, very often, means considering causes that have nothing to do with a tick.

Picture of Kate says so much

What a lovely photograph of the Princess of Wales at the summit of Snowdon. 

She had taken on the National Three Peaks Challenge, climbing the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in 24 hours… in the rain.

The resilient Princess of Wales, seen with a fellow climber on the summit of Mount Snowdon, serves as a reminder of how important it is to care for one’s mind after recovery

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She did it in aid of the Royal Marsden, the hospital that treated her cancer, and also to raise awareness of ‘life beyond diagnosis’. That phrase really resonated with me. 

Health services are generally great at the sharp end of illness: the scans, the surgery, the drugs. What comes after can be another matter. So many people who’ve come through something frightening are left with an anxiety that won’t switch off. 

What Catherine seems to grasp is that recovery is about the whole person, not just the disease. Being outdoors, moving, setting yourself a hard physical target and reaching it, can do things for the mind that no prescription manages.

Good news for coffee lovers. People drinking five or more cups a day were found to be 47 per cent less likely to develop liver cancer and a third less likely to develop cirrhosis, a study of more than 355,000 adults shows. Decaf drinkers saw similar benefits. Not that I’m urging anyone to start downing five cups a day. If you want to look after your liver, go easy on alcohol, keep your weight in check and stay active. Still, that morning cup may quietly be doing you a good turn. 

Dr Max prescribes… 

The Happiness Lab

We think we know what will make us happy. A pay rise, bigger house, expensive holiday. We’re usually wrong. 

In this warm and waffle-free podcast, the Yale psychologist Dr Laurie Santos, pictured, takes the science of wellbeing, drawn from the most popular course her university has ever run, and turns it into something you can use. 

Well worth a listen and guaranteed to get you rethinking what true happiness really is. 

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