Health & Wellbeing

A dedicated and passionate pilot, who spent 18 years flying the lifesaving aircrew of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to some of the most critical incidents across the region, has won a prestigious national award.

Captain Matt Wood from Stafford was nominated, shortlisted and named winner for the Pilot of the Year Award at this year’s Air Ambulances UK (AAUK) Awards of Excellence.

Responding to the latest Emergency Department performance figures published by NHS England for November 2022, Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The Emergency Care crisis remains incredibly challenging. As we head into winter, we know things will get worse before they get better, but making things better requires the political will to drive change and improvement. Patients continue to face dangerously long waits which are harmful to them and are distressing for staff doing their best in difficult conditions.

Family members of three tourists who died while staying at an Airbnb in Mexico City, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, urged the short-term rental company Thursday to require detectors in properties it lists to prevent future tragedies.

“Our main goal is to try to get the word out to those planning to use short-term rentals like Airbnb,” said Jennifer Marshall, whose son, Jordan Marshall, was one of the travellers.

Parents and guardians in Wolverhampton are being urged to be aware of the signs and symptoms of Strep A and scarlet fever. The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that Group A strep cases are higher than normal.  

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria. Lots of people carry it in their throats and on their skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious, including strep throat, impetigo and scarlet fever.

As temperatures continue to reach minus figures this week, people are being urged check in on loved ones, friends and neighbours living with dementia. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for severe cold weather and icy conditions across much of England, from today (7 December) through to Monday 12 December.

For people living with dementia across the West Midlands, Alzheimer’s Society says the cold spell coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, may bring added anxiety and challenges.

Birmingham’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has been named the most inclusive NHS employer for the second year in a row, taking 7th place in the Top 50 list at the Inclusive Awards. Compiled by Inclusive Companies, the list acknowledges and ranks businesses which are most consistent throughout the whole tenure of their organisations and encompass all types of diversity.

Volunteering can play a vital role in improving both the working and living environment for staff and residents in care homes, claims a new report by Royal Voluntary Service. The report, Reimagining Social Care – The Role of Active Citizenship, authored by Dr Julie MacInnes, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Kent and Dr Allison Smith, Head of Research & Insight at Royal Voluntary Service in partnership with Anchor – sets out to explore the contribution of volunteering to social care.

Mencap, the UK’s learning disability charity, has launched its new ‘easy read’ GP Learning Disability Register resources which are designed to support people with a learning disability from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. 

The GP Learning Disability Register is an essential document for the health and wellbeing of the 1.2 million people with a learning disability in England.

The first drug to slow the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer's has been heralded as momentous. The research breakthrough ends decades of failure and shows a new era of drugs to treat Alzheimer's - the most common form of dementia - is possible.

Yet the medicine, lecanemab, has only a small effect and its impact on people's daily lives is debated.

More than 10,000 ambulance workers have voted to strike in nine trusts across England and Wales. Paramedics, Emergency Care Assistants, call handlers and other staff are now set to walk out in the following trusts: 

Further catch-up clinics are being held for children who have missed their free flu vaccination in school, with another this weekend.

This year, all children from Reception to Year 9 are eligible for a vaccination, which is safe, effective and delivered via a nasal spray, not a needle.

Hundreds of people have already had their say by completing a short survey about the safety of women and girls living, working in or visiting Wolverhampton – and others are encouraged to do so as soon as they can.

The survey, which is being conducted by West Midlands Police and the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership, asks women and girls how safe they feel when they are out and about, and to share details of issues they may have either witnessed or experienced anywhere in Wolverhampton, along with locations that are of concern to them.

There has been a surge in female plasma donors in Birmingham since the introduction of new ‘female friendly’ donation machines in August, boosting future supplies of a lifesaving medicine.

There are now 402 female donors in Birmingham, making up 29% of the active donor base. Before the new machines were introduced, only about 8% of donors were female, fewer than 100 people.

The University of Wolverhampton is working with partners from the Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS) to improve healthcare for Black African and Caribbean communities.

Nearly 300 social workers came together in-person for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic for the City of Wolverhampton Council's seventh annual Adults and Children’s Social Worker Conference earlier this week. The event, at Fox’s Lane Conference and Banqueting Centre, featured a range of keynote speeches and workshops, with the aim of celebrating social work practice and further improving services for Wolverhampton’s children, young people, families and adults with care and support needs.

Volunteers and staff at St Giles Hospice will be going above and beyond to help patients, and their families, living with a terminal illness create special memories this festive season.

One person who is familiar with the support St Giles provides over Christmas is Sheila Shaw, whose daughter, Mandy, was cared for during the festive period in 2021. As Sheila’s first Christmas without Mandy approaches, she’s looked back and relived the special memories that they created together with the support from volunteers and staff at St Giles.