Health & Wellbeing

People can have their say about proposals relating to a number of adult social care services by completing a short online survey. The City of Wolverhampton Council is currently consulting on a series of proposals, with service users, their families and carers, staff and other stakeholders urged to take part.

A new £120,000 fitness area has opened at Sandwell Valley Country Park in West Bromwich – the largest free outdoor gym in the country. The gym, which is free to use and open every day of the year, was opened Sandwell Mayor Councillor Barbara Price. The 40 items of equipment – backed by the council's public health team and supplied by Wicksteed Leisure Ltd – are aimed at anyone aged 14 and over, from the complete novice right through to the experienced athlete.

Birmingham's health boss has warned Government cuts to public health funding will 'hit the poorest hardest' unless the city's inequalities are taken into account. The Department of Health has set out options to achieve the planned £200m in-year reduction to nationwide public health spending, with an across the board 6.2% cut for all authorities emerging as its preferred proposal.

It may be the school holidays at the moment and we all remember those halcyon days of never ending summers but the new term is closer than you think. The constant reminders are everywhere with displays selling pristine white shirts and pencil cases taking pride of place in the nations supermarkets. For parents across Britain this may be comforting news, as around about now your children will have destroyed almost every part of your once tidy house.

When Wayne Wright needed knee replacement surgery, his wife wanted him to undergo the operation in an American hospital, but Wayne did his research and all signs pointed to searching for a solution overseas, more specifically to Health City Cayman Islands. Because Wayne's company is self-insured, finding an affordable, high quality medical facility was a critical element in the decision-making process.

A pilot scheme to transform health and care services has been so successful, it's being rolled out across Sandwell. Targeting the over 65s, the Sandwell Community Offer has helped more than 1,400 people  in their home or local community since it launched in October last year. The project - which aims to reduce demand on formal heath and care services - brings together voluntary and community organisations to offer a wide range of support.

Young people are playing a leading role in Wolverhampton's fight against obesity. More than 100 pupils from 30 primary schools across the city have been trained up to lead fitness classes within their schools – and are helping classmates develop their health and wellbeing. Partnerships and School Sport Wolverhampton (PASS), which provides sporting opportunities in local schools, has given leadership training to around 150 Year 5 pupils over the last 12 months.

The life of a QE patient who became the first person in the UK to qualify as a nurse following a liver transplant has been detailed in a book written by her dad. The book was launched at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on Wednesday 5^th August. Sally Painting sadly died in 2005, eight months pregnant and aged 30, after enduring liver disease since she was 7-years-old.

Health chiefs in Wolverhampton have welcomed the news that a supermarket giant is withdrawing sugary drinks aimed at children from sale amid concerns over childhood obesity. Tesco has announced that from September it will stop selling pouches and cartons of high-sugar Ribena, Capri-Sun and Rubicon, drinks that have been popular with parents and often marketed as ideal for school lunchboxes. It will continue to stock no added sugar varieties.

Much is said of the importance of several well-known minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, selenium and zinc for good health. But another important mineral, magnesium is often neglected and forgotten. It is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, found predominantly in the bones, muscles and nervous system. It is required for more than 300 different important bodily chemical reactions and is vital to health and wellness.

Kelly Tittley, 39, from Oldbury in the West Midlands, will be doing a wing-walking challenge on Saturday 8 August 2015 at Breighton Aerodrome, Selby, North Yorkshire at 3pm to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust inspired by her niece Lauren, 10, who has the condition.

New research out this week reveals that Brits are exploring the great outdoors less than ever before - with over a third of the nation (35%) walking a mere 15 minutes or less a day - equating to less than 1,500 steps - 85% less than recommended. To mark TRACKER®'s 30 year partnership with the great outdoors, the original cereal bar, with the help of James Cracknell and the Woodland Trust, is launching a campaign to get Brits to pledge to walk 30,000 miles off the beaten track. 

A Birmingham mum who has been battling lung disease for ten years has spoken out about the hospice staff who gave her a new lease of life. Tracey O’Rourke was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) aged 39. She developed anxiety issues which made breathing even more difficult and came to rely more and more on her non-invasive ventilation (NIV) mask.

For many married couples, a wedding anniversary is an opportunity to enjoy a special luxury or a romantic getaway to a destination far away from the realities of everyday life. Not so for Janice and Kelly Renegar, who marked their 30th anniversary by choosing to have surgery at Health City Cayman Islands, a world-class tertiary care facility in the Caribbean.

Children will be joining their favourite Disney characters for short bursts of exercise this summer. Change4Life’s latest 10 Minute Shake Up campaign has been launched – inspiring children to complete six or more 10 minute bursts of physical activity throughout the day so they meet the recommended 60 minutes children need each and every day.