Health & Wellbeing

Two Birmingham health charities that actively support their local communities have received donations from a regional house-builder. Smiling Families and Headway Birmingham & Solihull were both awarded £1,000 by Persimmon Homes Central, through the house-builder’s Community Champions scheme.

The scheme has been running since 2015 and across the UK Persimmon awards 64 grants of up to £1,000 each month – a total of up to £768,000 a year. Smiling Families supports families affected by serious and terminal illness.

Spokesperson for the charity Kerry Martin-Beades said: “As many of our families have short amounts of time together we arrange respite, days out, wish granting as well as support sessions and group therapy. Covid has had a huge impact on our funding and has increased the number of families referred to us. But thanks to Persimmon Homes this wonderful donation will help us do so much and we are truly grateful.”

Headway Birmingham & Solihull is raising funds to install a lift at its two-storey brain injury centre in Wylde Green, north Birmingham. Fundraising manager Julie Wedgbury said: “The lift will enable all of our brain injured clients and their carers to access the whole of our building regardless of any disability or mobility issue.

“This planned project has become more vital than ever in light of the Covid crisis and the need to use all available space for social distancing. Thanks to Persimmon Homes the lift project will be able to get underway and will help us both now and moving forward as we expand our specialist rehabilitation services to meet an increasing demand as more people survive a serious brain injury.”

Sarah Preston, Sales Director for Persimmon Homes Central, said: “We are delighted that our Community Champions funding has helped two more such good causes in our region. If groups and charities are unsuccessful with their application one month, we urge them to visit the Persimmon Homes website and to try again the following month.”

Women in key worker positions across the West Midlands are losing sleep, spending more on household bills, and worrying about the pandemic’s impact on their children’s education and mental health, according to a survey published today (Wednesday) by UNISON. 

The findings are based on responses from over 3,000 women including teaching assistants, nurses, council workers and police staff. They provide a comprehensive insight into the emotional, physical and financial impact of Covid on critical public services staff who are keeping the region running. The report ‘Women Working Through the Pandemic’ includes the experiences of those providing a wide range of essential services in the West Midlands including education, health, social care and policing, either in their usual workplace (57%) or from home (31%).  

It shows the desperate situations key workers are facing and why they need proper time off and a pay rise, says UNISON.  The findings are released ahead of UNISON’s ‘Empowering Women’ virtual conference, which opens later today with a keynote address from new general secretary Christina McAnea. Some have described being left to pay all the bills after the death of their partner from Covid or resorting to wrapping themselves in blankets to save on electricity bills.

The results show the huge strain of working during the Covid crisis with nearly two thirds (65%) not sleeping well, more than half (52%) not taking regular breaks and a significant number (58%) feeling stressed most of the time. The impact of the pandemic on children is also a source of anxiety for many. Of the women who are parents, three in five (60%) are worried about the mental health of their children and more than two fifths (45%) are concerned about how their education is being affected. 

The emotional impact of not being able to see friends or colleagues face to face – or look after themselves properly – is a major issue. The vast majority (92%) miss catching up with close friends in person, and many (51%) do not have time to reflect and destress. More than a third (36%) say they are experiencing loneliness. Women who can least afford it are paying the biggest price, according to UNISON. Nearly 3,300 who took part in the survey – half (50%) – earn £18,000 a year or less, and a more than a third (35%) have an annual salary of £15,000 or less.   

More than two fifths (45%) have seen their spending increase – especially on energy, food, technology, transport and housing. Reasons include having children off school all the time, a partner working from home or being furloughed. Three in ten (31%) say they had to dip into savings to cope with financial difficulties. One even revealed they had bought a caravan to live in to protect their vulnerable family members from catching Covid. More than half (53%) said being unable to get a regular hair cut or colour is affecting how they feel about themselves. Almost half (49%) are not exercising regularly.     

UNISON is calling on the government to ensure employers offer staff more flexibility over when they work and not to take long hours for granted, fund childcare properly so it’s affordable and accessible for key workers and maintain the £20 increase to the universal credit allowance. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Public services would have come to a standstill without the vital jobs done by women in our schools, hospitals, police forces and local councils.  

“But employees are exhausted. They’re worn out from meeting work demands during Covid while caring for relatives, looking after children and dealing with debt. Those on low wages are the ones shouldering these burdens most of all.  

“All women deserve better and this country’s economic recovery depends on them. But their mental and physical health is at stake. The government needs to step up by providing the funding and support to make their working lives easier.”

New analysis of respiratory inhaler medicine use in the UK shows that 83% of all short-acting beta-2-agonist (SABA) relievers for asthma are prescribed to patients who are potentially overusing their reliever medication (prescribed ≥3 inhalers/year). The overuse of SABA relievers represents 9.24 million SABA prescriptions and is responsible for 250,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually.

These findings will be presented at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting and are based on SABA prescription and use data extracted from the UK study in the SABA Use IN Asthma (SABINA) global programme of harmonised, large-scale observational studies collected between 2007 and 2017. The prescription of three or more SABA inhalers per year is associated with poor asthma control approximately twice the number of exacerbations compared with low SABA users (prescribed 0-2 inhalers/year) and increased asthma-related healthcare utilisation.

Asthma is a chronic, variable, inflammatory disease affecting 5.4 million people in the UK (4.3 million adults) and can cause asthma attacks and symptoms including breathlessness and wheezing. Every 10 seconds someone in the UK has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack with, on average, three people dying from asthma every day.

Alexander J K Wilkinson, Consultant in Respiratory and General Medicine, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Stevenage, UK and lead author of the study said: “Overuse of reliever inhalers in asthma is widespread in the UK and associated with an increased risk of exacerbations for patients, highlighting the importance of adopting strategies to improve disease control and reduce short-acting beta-2-agonist overuse. This new analysis shows that reliever overuse is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in respiratory care, similar to driving an average diesel car for about 900 million miles. These findings are important for informing clinical guidelines and healthcare policies to support improvements in asthma care while also realising carbon savings.”

Vice President, Medical & Scientific Affairs, AstraZeneca UK, Alex de Giorgio-Miller, said: “We know that the overuse of SABA ‘reliever’ inhalers is associated with an increased risk of severe asthma attacks, but this analysis highlights the scale of the problem we face in the UK, both in terms of poor health outcomes and the corresponding greenhouse gas burden. By reducing over-reliance on SABA inhalers and improving asthma outcomes, we can also have an important positive impact on the environment.”

Further results from the analysis showed that SABA inhaler use drives 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from inhaler devices in the UK. The per capita use of all SABA reliever inhalers in the UK was approximately treble or more than that observed in other large European countries, resulting in even higher GHG emissions.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is asking supporters to ‘game for good’ and turn their hobby into a fundraiser to support their Raise Your Game campaign this March. Board-gamers and console players alike are being encouraged to ‘plug in and play’ to pledge their support to Hospice care by hosting virtual gameathons. Players are being encouraged to hold household board game tournaments or livestream their favourite games with their Twitch followers in exchange for donations.

The Hospice, which provides support free of charge to people and their families living with a life-limiting illness every day across Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull, has been forced to cancel events and close its retail shops over the last 12 months in line with Covid-19 restrictions. During this time, Birmingham St Mary’s has relied more than ever on the support of the local community, with supporters taking part in virtual events and challenges such as Raise Your Game to raise essential funds.

This year’s campaign is being sponsored by award-winning British video game developer and publisher, Codemasters, makers of the award-winning official F1 Series. Ian Flatt, VP Executive Producer at Codemasters said of their support: “Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice was the obvious charity to support for everyone at the Birmingham studio, both for the great work they do in the local community, and how they have positively touched the lives of so many. 

“We hope to increase awareness of Raise Your Game and encourage our players to get involved and raise funds to enable the Hospice to help more people and continue to enrich our local community.” The Birmingham studio will also be planning their own exciting Raise Your Game event to help raise further funds for the Hospice.

Maria Goodwin, Community Fundraiser at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice added “We are thrilled to have Codemasters sponsor our Raise Your Game campaign and excited to build a fantastic and long-lasting relationship with their Birmingham studio. In what has been a challenging year, they have already provided a wealth of knowledge to continue to grow this campaign and help make it the best year yet.”

Social care staff, in the West Midlands, are being urged to make sure they have their Covid-19 vaccine. Frontline health and social care staff are already eligible for the life-saving jab, and thousands of residential and home care staff in Wolverhampton already had theirs Covid jab too. However, it is estimated that around a third of social care staff nationally are yet to do so – and are putting themselves and the people they care for at risk from coronavirus.

Councillor Linda Leach, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "It's really important that everyone gets their vaccination as soon as they are able to, but particularly our city's wonderful social care staff – not just to protect themselves from Covid-19 but also to enable them to continue doing their vital work at this time.

"It's great news that so many social care staff have already been vaccinated, but it is worrying that for whatever reason, a third haven't yet had their jabs, and it’s important that they do so as soon as possible. I’d also ask responsible employers to do all they can to ensure members of their workforce are vaccinated against this deadly virus.

“I would also encourage all health and social care staff to make sure they get a weekly rapid Covid-19 test because, while we know the vaccine offers a great deal of protection if someone were to catch coronavirus, we don't yet know how effective it is at preventing them from passing it on to someone else, for instance the person they are caring for.

“Employers have been asked by the Government to make routine testing available to social care staff and encourage them to have a test in line with the guidance, and again I would urge everyone working in frontline care services to ensure this is happening.”

In addition to routine testing, social care workers are classed as 'critical workers' and so have priority access to rapid testing at the Civic Centre between 8am and 9am, Monday to Friday; Pendeford Library from 7am-10am and 4pm-6pm, Monday to Friday; and Bilston Community Centre between 8am and 9am Monday, Thursday and Friday. Workers are asked to bring a form of ID to prove eligibility. Alternatively, they can attend one of Wolverhampton's six rapid tests sites at other times.

 The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that an Ebola vaccination campaign has been launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a recent outbreak. The country has confirmed four cases since a resurgence of the virus was announced in Butembo.

The WHO said Health workers at a medical centre, where the first Ebola (a virus that initially causes sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat) patient was treated, were the first to be vaccinated. The news comes after Guinea, in West Africa, declared an outbreak.

A previous Ebola outbreak in DR Congo was declared over in June 2020 after it was claimed the lives of 2,287 people since August 2018. Reports from the capital Kinshasa have stated that the Ervebo vaccine which were kept after the outbreak, are being used in the latest inoculation campaign.

Ervebo was the first Ebola vaccine to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2019. Separately, Guinea declared a new Ebola outbreak, following seven confirmed cases and three deaths.

Alfred George Ki-Zerbo, the WHO representative in Guinea was quoted as saying: "The WHO is on full alert and is in contact with the manufacturer of a vaccine to ensure the necessary doses are made available as quickly as possible to help fight back." Between 2013 and 2016 more than 11,000 people died in the West Africa Ebola epidemic, which began in Guinea.

Liberia's President George Weah has put the health authorities on heightened alert to prevent the spread of the virus.

There is far more fear of Ebola in the country than Covid-19 as it progresses to vomiting, diarrhoea, and both internal and external bleeding with people getting infected when they have direct contact through broken skin, or the mouth and nose, with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone with the virus.

In an age where grind culture is the norm, every industry is working the hardest they ever have, increasing chances of burnout. Delamere reveals the industries and regions most at risk of burnout.

Burnout is when an individual physically cannot do their job anymore, this could be due to heavy work pressures, long hours or workloads. When you have long exposure to these stressful factors, burnout can be the result. Stress is also a major cause of anxiety and depression.

The Burnout Britain study takes 15 booming industries and regions and scored them on a range of criteria to reveal who is working the hardest.

Construction took the top spot for the industry analysis with 1.21 out of 4, this is due to its long working hours and high mortality rate. The tech industry is the least likely to experience burnout due to its shorter working hours, low mortality rates and good work-life balance.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, Advisory Board Member at Delamere Health says: “Stress generally is down to the individual recognising that they are working too hard or long, but it's a two-way street. The individual needs to manage their priorities and manage their health and wellbeing. It’s also down to the employer to set manageable workloads, the boss should be contacting you as an individual if they notice overworking”.
The key component to preventing burnout is spotting the symptoms that lead to burnout. Having someone that will help you recognise and these symptoms are very beneficial. Spotting that you have a problem is the first step to resolving it, once you recognise that you are being negatively affected you can start to find the root of the problem and devise a plan to stop it.
Speaking to someone is incredibly important, whether it is your partner, a friend or a professional, talking about the problem will help significantly.

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the rapid response, pre-hospital emergency service provided by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

While the charity is facing up to 50 per cent reduction in community fundraising income this year due to the pandemic, throughout 2021 Midlands Air Ambulance Charity will be running a series of activities to commemorate 30 years of providing advanced pre-hospital emergency care across the Midlands.

As one of the first air ambulance services in the country, named ‘Air5’ with just one helicopter flying out of a temporary airbase five days a week, Midlands Air Ambulance is proud of its heritage. The charity now has three helicopters and two critical care cars serving a population of six million people, and to date the service has responded to over 63,000 missions. The critical care paramedics and doctors support land ambulance crews by bringing advanced skills, medicines and equipment to the incident scene, giving those critically ill and injured the best possible chance of survival and recovery.

To mark the launch of ‘Air30’, with social distancing in place and following Government guidance, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity started 2021 by launching its first commemorative initiative by inviting local people in the communities it serves to get involved in the Air30 Airbase Challenge to raise vital funds and make future missions possible. In addition, the charity is introducing 30 ways* in which local people and businesses can support the lifesaving service.

Hanna Sebright, chief executive for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, states: “Air30 is an important milestone year for the charity, and while the past year has been exceptionally challenging for our charity in terms of increasing demand for the service and reduced fundraising income, we are determined to commemorate the year with the communities we serve.

“As a result of the long term, loyal support we receive from people and businesses based within the local communities, we have been able to continue to develop our clinical expertise over the last 30 years. This includes increasing our doctor-led cover across the region and expanding our fleet of, which now includes three helicopters and two critical care cars, with advanced critical care paramedics and doctors treating patients in their critical hour of need. 

“We are extremely fortunate to have received such support over the past 30 years, and we never take this commitment for granted. We solely rely on the public’s support and generosity for our daily missions and would encourage you to find out how you can get involved in our Air30 anniversary celebrations and help keep our service operational for future years to come.”   

More than 15 million people in the UK have now had their first coronavirus vaccine with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailing it as “an extraordinary feat" just over two months after the first jab was given. It comes as the government announced it has met its pledge of offering a jab to everyone in the top four priority groups in the UK. The rollout is now being expanded to over-65s and the clinically vulnerable.

In a video message, the PM praised a "truly national, UK-wide effort", adding that in England the jab had been offered to all those in the top four priority groups.

Wales has also met the target. But he stated that no-one is resting on their laurels. He said: "We've still got a long way to go to. And there will undoubtedly be bumps in the road. But after all we've achieved, I know we can go forward with great confidence."

Sunday's daily coronavirus figures show 15,062,189 people have now received an initial vaccine dose - after 505,362 first jabs were given out on Saturday. A further 258 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test, taking the death toll by that measure to 117,166. Fewer deaths tend to be reported on Sundays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend. There were 10,972 new cases reported, bringing the total number of recorded infections to 4,038,078.

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “The 15 million milestone was a remarkable shared achievement" - reached 10 weeks after the first vaccine was administered in the UK.

He said: "The NHS vaccination programme is the biggest and fastest in Europe - and in the health service's history - and that is down to the skill, care, and downright hard work of our fantastic staff, supported by local communities, volunteers and the armed forces."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “It meant one in every four adults was now starting to receive protection from this dreadful disease". But he cautioned: "There is so much more to do and I urge anyone eligible to step forward and take up their appointment. The vaccine is our route to freedom - we will beat this virus jab by jab."

So far the vaccination programme has been aimed at the top four priority groups, including NHS frontline staff, care home residents and workers, over-70s, and people deemed clinically extremely vulnerable. These groups have accounted for 88% of the UK's Covid-19 deaths so far, according to the Department of Health and Social Care and are estimated by the JCVI to be some 15 million people.

A small number of the 15 million to receive a jab will have been outside these priority groups.

Ruth Rankine, director of the NHS Confederation's PCN Network of GP practices, paid tribute to the incredible accomplishment but added that until everyone is protected, no one is protected. “There is still work to do to administer first doses to all the remaining people from the first four cohorts, as well as moving down the cohorts until everyone has at least been offered a jab, not to mention beginning the work of administering second doses," she said.

Labour's shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “Ministers needed to lock in the gains of vaccination and introduce further measures to reduce the spread of the disease.” This included increased financial support for those who have to self-isolate, updated guidance on masks and help to make workplaces Covid secure.

Work at a brand-new purpose-built residential care home for children has now started on site in Nuneaton, including four stand-alone residential care homes and associated facilities. The £5.1 million state-of-the-art build, named The Forge, has been designed to provide a safe, secure and encouraging place for up to 20 children who are experiencing emotional and behavioural disorders or recovering from early childhood trauma.

Located off Plough Hill Road, the therapeutic facility is being developed by Nuneaton based children’s home provider Forge Care, with Rugby-based construction partner Stepnell as the main contractor and Coventry-based architects IDP. Once complete, the ground-breaking scheme will provide more than 80 jobs on site for the local area and will become a flagship scheme for Forge Care, offering the highest level of care with a strong focus on quality spaces, materials and design principals. 

Gavin Miller, director at Forge Care, said: “We are excited to have this flagship project underway, The Forge is a trauma-informed service that evolves as a whole system underpinned by the Sanctuary Model. Within our Therapeutic Community environment the social relationships, structure of the day and activities are all deliberately designed to facilitate learning, and develop people’s personal, social health and wellbeing. 

“It has been a pleasure working with our various suppliers, and keeping those suppliers local was an important factor in selecting our team, from our designers and architects to our building contractors, working with companies based in Warwickshire was important for us and we are proud of what we have achieved as a team.” 

Regional director at Stepnell, Adrian Barnes, said: “We’re delighted to be starting on site at The Forge and we are incredibly proud to be involved in a project that will have such a big impact on the local community, particularly vulnerable children looking for a safe and secure place to call home. The scheme is ground-breaking in a number of ways and we are confident that it will have the ‘wow factor’ once finished. 

“We are really excited to be on site and get started on this fantastic scheme, and we will be adhering to strict COVID-19 and Public Health England Guidelines throughout the build to ensure that we are keeping everyone safe.”  

Each of the four individual buildings at The Forge will incorporate a welcome space, main lounge, kitchen, quiet space, games, and an activity space, as well as five en-suite bedrooms on the first floor, to replicate the traditional family home layout.

Marcus Jones MP said: "I am pleased to welcome a new, purpose-built, children's care home in Nuneaton.  Sadly, some children need specialist care to overcome traumas that would otherwise blight their young lives. The team at Forge Care is committed to helping young people overcome the problems they have encountered and to realise their full potential. I wish the staff and residents at The Forge every success."

The development has a strong focus on sustainability, using carefully selected materials like timber cladding and zinc, and will provide a variety of green space to promote physical activity and wellbeing.The communal amenity space will include a games area and a stand-alone art room. Outside, children will have access to large play areas that support mental and physical health – such as yoga and meditation amenities - as well as external dining and BBQ’s for the warmer months.

The external spaces will also feature sensory and nature spaces, to encourage residents to grow plants or food and encourage wildlife, while utilising the existing pond to provide a tranquil setting for residents. 

Jenny Bachelor, associate architect at IDP, said: “IDP is incredibly proud to have been involved with The Forge since early concept sketches and development of the brief. As a multi-disciplinary practice experienced in quality healthcare design our involvement has embodied architectural design and services, interior design, landscaping, technical delivery and cost consultancy, and we are very much excited to see the homes built as they were intended to be. 

“It is such a unique and forward-thinking project in its care model and design and it is a real credit to Forge Care and the wider team that this has been made possible. The design encompasses a collection of four truly bespoke homes nestled within intimate gardens and individually designed to orientate outlook and maximise connectivity to the beautiful site, all in the interest of aiding recovery.

“Each en-suite bedroom also has its own window seat towards the main garden and a soft natural and monochrome finish has been used to offer a calming backdrop to the colourful interior design. The Forge seeks to provide a safe and nurturing environment very much in tune with the high level of care that will be provided there, yet its playfulness encourages a sense of adventure and intrigue.” As well as the four care homes, there will be 21 car parking spaces, including two disabled spaces and cycle parking for staff. The existing community building is remaining on site. 

The development received planning approval from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council in 2018 with funding finalised last year from Assez Capital. The residential development is expected to be completed by Christmas 2021.

The first bikes for the new West Midlands Cycle Hire scheme are on the streets today following the launch of a trial in Sutton Coldfield. This limited trial will feature five docking stations and 25 bikes placed in and around the town centre for the next month to allow a group of selected volunteers to road test the bikes, docks, locks and mobile app technology.

The scheme has been launched by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to encourage more people to become active and healthy and offer a convenient and more environmentally-friendly alternative to the car for shorter journeys. That will also help support WM2041 – A Programme for Implementing an Environmental Recovery, which aims to see the region become net zero carbon within the next 20 years.

From Monday, March 8, the distinctive grey and green bikes will be available to the public in Sutton Coldfield. It will be rolled out in Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge, West Bromwich, Solihull and Walsall by the end of July. Customers will hire the bikes via an app and it will cost £1 to unlock a bike and 5p per minute after that. This means a 20 minute cycle will cost £2 and an hour £4.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “It is great to see the docks and bikes finally on the streets of Sutton Coldfield and arriving across the wider West Midlands over the next few months. As well as providing a great opportunity for more people to take up cycling - these bikes are also made here in the West Midlands, supporting local jobs and businesses.”

The scheme is run by Serco, operator of London’s famous Santander Cycles, under a five-year contract from TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The bikes are made by Pashley’s in Stratford-upon Avon and the docking stations and locks are also manufactured in the West Midlands. When fully rolled-out there will be 170 fixed docking stations and 1,500 bikes for hire, of which 150 will be powered e-bikes. There is an option to increase this as demand grows.

Councillor Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We're working hard to grow our network of segregated cycle routes, giving more people the confidence to get out and about.

“But we also know that affordability can be a barrier, so cycle hire offers a great alternative to buying a bike. Hopefully this will help encourage more people to take up cycling as a healthy, environmentally-friendly alternative means of transport.” The pedal cycles have three gears to cope with hilly parts of the region and are fitted with high quality laser safety lights.

Simon Bailey, managing director of Serco’s Leisure business, said: “We are very much looking forward to introducing the first bikes to the West Midlands Cycle Hire Scheme with the initial trial in Sutton Coldfield. The Serco team are working hard with our partners Pashley and Beryl to ensure that the scheme when fully launched meets the needs of users and is a boost to cycling across the West Midlands.”

A contribution towards the set up costs of £5 million has been provided from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund allocation to TfWM. Running costs are being covered by rental income and commercial sponsorship. The Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council is contributing £61,000 towards the costs of the Sutton Coldfield scheme.

The bikes are manufactured in Stratford-upon-Avon by Pashley Cycles who also work with Serco to provide the bikes for London and Edinburgh. Supporting technology will be provided by British micromobility operator Beryl who also work with Serco in London.

The on-street docks are being made by Universal Fabrications in Nuneaton, while the locking system is produced by Coventry-based RDM Group and PHA Europe in West Bromwich. The plastic mouldings for the bikes and docks are made in Telford by LVS.

Cllr Simon Ward, leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, said: “It has been a pleasure to see the cycle hire docks begin to emerge around Sutton Coldfield.  With the Royal Town at the forefront of this regional scheme, I would encourage our local community to take advantage of this fantastic new facility when it opens to the public in March”. 

Levels of coronavirus are going down in all four nations of the UK, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The data provides more evidence that lockdown is working to control the virus, even with the more infectious variants circulating.

The latest R number, estimated to be between 0.7 and 0.9, also suggests infection numbers are shrinking. This is the first time since July that R has been this low. It means, on average, every 10 people infected pass it on to between 7 and 9 more.

Experts warn that infection levels remain high, however. It is not clear yet when lockdown will begin to be lifted. Scientists advising government say the lower the cases can get, the better. Unlocking too soon risks another surge of the virus, even though more people are being vaccinated against the disease every day.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will outline plans for easing any restrictions in the week of February 22. Getting schools back will be the immediate priority, the government says.

The PM's official spokesman did not rule out that one option being considered is social distancing being maintained until the autumn: "The latest data and evidence clearly shows that we remain in a difficult situation with the pressure on the NHS still very significant. We will set out a gradual and phased approach towards easing the restrictions in a sustainable way."

The ONS figures, based on tests from people whether or not they had symptoms, suggest:

·         One in 80 people in England has the virus

·         In Northern Ireland, it is one in 75

·         In Wales, it is one in 85

·         In Scotland, it is one in 150

London continues to have the highest proportion of people likely to test positive for coronavirus in any region of England, with around one in 60 estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week up to 6 February. The ONS's data is slightly out of date - covering the week up to 6 February - so may not reflect the situation right now.

Senior Statistician Sarah Crofts said: "Rates of infection remain high but have continued to decrease in England and across the UK.

"The percentage of positive cases compatible with the new UK variant also continues to decrease in all regions of England except for Yorkshire and The Humber, the East Midlands and the South West where trends remain uncertain."

A bust of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore by West Cornwall sculptor Penny Lally, will be at the centre of an exciting online auction being held by Cornwall Hospice Care in March. A number of artists have donated 100 items to the Cornish healthcare charity, including Ken Howard OBE RA who’s given a stunning oil on canvas of St Michael’s Mount.

“I was amusing myself in the first lock down sculpting famous people’s faces when Captain Sir Tom started his walk,” explains Penny Lally. “It was meant to be as the sculpture came together really quickly and I decided to cast it in bronze resin.” Amongst Penny’s other works is a bust of Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty that’s now in Manchester Art Gallery ready for the opening of a Grayson Perry Exhibition. “I’m very proud of my work as it’s a hobby really and people are surprised when I tell them I’ve sculpted 111 faces of all sorts of people during this pandemic.”

Penny’s links to Cornwall Hospice Care and St Julia’s Hospice in particular, go back a long way. In 2008 she and a friend were part of a team who raised £90,000 on a trek to Peru for the charity. Both had husbands who died from cancer and now Penny visits the hospice with her dog. “I care passionately about the hospices and the care the nursing teams provide to patients and their families. I love going in to St Julia’s with my dog and have had the privilege of experiencing some very special and magic moments with extremely poorly people. The effect a dog can have is very powerful.” Penny says it was her determination to keep raising money for the charity that relies on public support, that prompted her to donate the bust of Captain Sir Tom to the auction.

“I sold a bust of Dominick Cummings to a man who wanted it as a memento of this historic period in our lives and I hope someone will purchase the bust of Captain Sir Tom for the same sort of reason. I know he’d approve of it being auctioned to support a healthcare charity.”

“We’ve been humbled by the number of items donated to the auction”, says fundraiser Julie Treneer. “We now have more than 100 lots and with our shops closed and fundraising activities severely curtailed, this is a golden opportunity to bring in funds to help keep our two hospices open. Both have continued admitting patients 24/7 throughout the pandemic.”

The auction will run from the 14^th to the 21^st of March and can be accessed via the following links: www.cornwallhospicecare.co.uk/events/artauction2021

www.jumblebee.co.uk/chcartauction

A top Ghana-born plastic surgeon in the US has successfully removed Gorilla Glue from the scalp of a woman who sprayed it on her hair last month mistaking it for hairspray, TMZ videos show. It took Dr Michael Obeng four hours to remove the glue from Tessica Brown’s head, the celebrity gossip site said.

The Harvard-trained, Beverly Hills-based doctor offered to perform the $12,500 (£9,000) procedure for free when he heard about Ms Brown’s plight after she shared a video on TikTok last week. Nothing she had tried to remove the waterproof glue, which is usually used for fixing bathroom tiles, wood flooring and decking, had worked - and she had been forced to cut off her ponytail as it was pulling her scalp so much. After the treatment, an emotional Ms Brown can be seen running her fingers through her hair.

Asked how she felt, she replied that she wished she hadn’t had to cut off her ponytail.

Dr Obeng, who has a chemistry background, told TMZ that he used various things to break down the polyurethane, which is the main ingredient in Gorilla Glue. He did some research and came up with a mixture of medical-grade adhesive remover, aloe vera, olive oil and some acetone.

After mixing up the ingredients, he first tested them on a dummy, whose hair extensions had been sprayed with Gorilla Glue, to make sure it worked.

“She is very very lucky that she did not sustain a lot of injuries to her scalp. This type of ordeal is no joke,” he said, adding that the glue had made Ms Brown’s ponytail as hard as a stick.He urged people to take more care to read bottles before using products.

Dr Obeng specialises in cosmetic surgery and, according to his website, he is the founder of Restoring Emotional Stability Through Outstanding Reconstructive Efforts (Restore), a charity which offers free reconstructive surgery in developing nations and trains local physicians.

The impact of COVID-19 on older people and their carers in Coventry and Leicester’s BAME communities will be explored as part of a major new study into how social and economic inequalities have affected health and care provision during the pandemic.

Professor Shirin Rai of Warwick’s Department of Politics and International Studies is one of nine academics from across the UK who have formed the Consortium on Practices for Wellbeing and Resilience in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Families and Communities (Co-POWeR).

Professor Rai will focus on the interaction of care, caring and carers within BAME families and communities in Coventry and Leicester, seeking to understand how COVID-19 has affected those being cared for as well as their paid and unpaid carers, and recommending ways to increase their wellbeing and resilience.

Some of the stories encountered during the research will be dramatized in partnership with Coventry’s EGO theatre group to provide a powerful narrative illustrating the interaction of the COVID-19 pandemic with the social and institutional discrimination faced daily by BAME groups in the UK.

Professor Rai said: “I am looking forward to working with colleagues and with BAME communities in Coventry and Leicester on this important issue to develop a rigorously researched, innovative and participative piece of work with policy relevance.”

The UKRI Agile Research and Innovation Response to COVID-19 has awarded £2.5 million to create the Consortium on Practices for Wellbeing and Resilience in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Families and Communities (Co-POWeR).

Co-POWeR will explore how emergency COVID-19 powers are disproportionately impacting people from BAME backgrounds, and how the pandemic is affecting care and caring, as well as mental and physical health and wellbeing across all ages.

The group will be led by Iyiola Solanke, Professor of EU Law and Social Justice in the University of Leeds School of Law. Co-POWeR is a multi-disciplinary consortium of nine academics from across the UK who are all members of the Black Female Professors Forum. 

Joining Professor Solanke in the consortium are:

·             Florence Ayisi, Professor of International Documentary Film from the University of South Wales

·             Professor Claudia Bernard, Professor of Social Work & Head of Postgraduate Research at Goldsmiths, University of London

·             Gargy Bhattacharyya, Professor of Sociology at University of East London

·             Anna Gupta, Professor of Management at Royal Holloway

·             Raminder Kaur, Professor of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex

·             Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of integrated Community Child Health at University College London

·             Shirin Rai, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick

·             Maria Stokes, Professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the University of Southampton.

Sabu Padmadas, Professor of Demography and Global Health at the University of Southampton, will be providing statistical expertise.

The researchers will form a People’s Commission to conduct interviews with people in BAME families and communities to establish what support is needed.

UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding inequalities in health, employment and education in the UK.

“Emerging evidence suggests that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds have experienced the hardest economic shocks. We cannot ignore the social, cultural and economic factors that have shaped the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities throughout the pandemic.

“It is crucial that we understand the depth and breadth of the impacts of these factors so that we can take action to alleviate the consequences for these communities.”

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Sandwell Council’s Domestic Abuse team want to raise awareness of abusive relationships and let victims know there’s help available.

Domestic abuse isn’t always physical. Coercive control is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten victims. Many abusive relationships are a pattern of physical, emotional, sexual and verbal abuse that escalate over time - often without people even realising. Victims can often be ashamed or embarrassed to seek help – or have been made to believe by perpetrators that the abuse is their fault. However, there’s no excuse for domestic abuse. Victims are not to blame and support is available.

The Domestic Abuse team would like to share, Tina’s Story. She was murdered by her partner in 2017. Her partner had subjected her to years of abuse and controlling behaviour.

He was jailed for life with a minimum of 24 years for her murder. How do you know if this is happening to you?

Some common examples of coercive behaviour are:

• Isolating you from friends and family
• Depriving you of basic needs, such as food
• Monitoring your time
• Monitoring you via online communication tools or spyware
• Taking control over aspects of your everyday life, such as where you can go, who you can see, what you can wear and when you can sleep
• Depriving you access to support services, such as medical services
• Repeatedly putting you down, such as saying you’re worthless
• Humiliating, degrading or dehumanising you
• Controlling your finances
• Making threats or intimidating you.

Councillor Farut Shaeen, cabinet member for living healthy lives said: “At this difficult time it is important that everyone knows that there is a huge amount of support available to those who find themselves victims of domestic abuse.

“Domestic Abuse is never acceptable in any circumstance but it is perhaps even more terrifying for victims when they are living in such close proximity to the perpetrators. Please be assured that victims of Domestic Abuse are an absolute priority for the police and support agencies."

Sandwell Council Deputy Leader Councillor Maria Crompton added: "For most people, Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate their relationships and the love they share with their partner. However, for many it is just another day of living in fear of abuse. Love and relationships should be based on equality and respect, not violence and abuse.

“We are only too aware that not every home is a safe one and, during this lockdown period, there is a heightened risk of domestic abuse. If anyone is experiencing domestic violence or is at risk then help is here. Sandwell Council is continuing to provide critical services to our residents when they need them most - all you need to do is call us."