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IT Team staff are the proud winners of a national award for the vital work they have carried out to transform Pathology services in the Black Country. The team won the prestigious Royal College of Pathologists Achievement Award which was given out at the college’s annual dinner last week. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) acts as a host for the Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) hub.

From entertainers on hospital wards, to a bake sale, a singing Mayor, tea parties and a glitz and glamour ball – 75th birthday celebrations for the NHS promise to be fun-filled and fabulous in Wolverhampton and Walsall next week. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust are both pulling out all the stops for staff, patients and visitors on Wednesday 5 July. And the Trusts have purchased special George Cross and NHS 75 badges for all staff as a keepsake.

More than 70 Midwives across four Black Country NHS Trusts will be celebrated at a special event tomorrow that acknowledges their contribution to their teams and the invaluable support they give to pregnant women and families. The Midwives have joined The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trusts from Lagos, Nigeria and Ghana in the main.

At the beginning of this month we celebrated Dietitians Week which was a great opportunity to showcase the value that dietitians bring to the organisation. You may have seen some of the posts on social media, demonstrating the wonderful cultural diversity within the Dietetics Team which enriches its work. Below, I have shared some examples of how the team contributes to staff wellbeing, patient care and education.

Digitalised jaw re-alignment is now putting smiles back on the faces of patients thanks to an innovative technique being performed in Wolverhampton. Consultants at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) have carried out surgery using 3D modelling on around 15 patients with complex dental problems. These are normally most complex jaw deformities from birth and varied malocclusions – known as ‘bad bites’ – which significantly affect function and aesthetics.

A dementia service has been relaunched in Wolverhampton to provide effective care and challenge practice, ideas and misconceptions. Just under one million people are currently living in the UK with dementia (diagnosed and undiagnosed) and one in three people will have the disease. Dawn Southey, Senior Advanced Nurse Practitioner Lead for Dementia/Delirium at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), leads a three-strong team with Healthcare Assistants Donna Cattell and Sharon Salmon.

Artwork inspired by the stories of the Windrush generation, created by talented Wolverhampton students, took centre stage at a celebration event to mark the 75th anniversary of this significant period in history. “Came to Care: Windrush and the NHS” was staged at the city’s Grand Theatre and showcased work that The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) Charity and the Arts and Heritage Group have been involved in over the past few months.

A free, drop-in event packed with activities and advice for mums and babies is being held in Wolverhampton this week as part of National Breastfeeding Week. Aimed at parents of young children, new mothers, pregnant women and their families, the event features a host of have-a-go activities, to celebrate and raise awareness of breastfeeding. The session is taking place tomorrow – Thursday 29 June – from 10am-12 noon at The Hub at Ashmore Park, WV11 2LH.

A grateful Wolves supporter has donated £1,000 to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity after “amazing” care when he suffered a heart attack at a game. Ian Walker was admitted to New Cross Hospital after developing chest pains during a Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion at Molineux on 30 April, 2022. “By the time their second goal went in (Wolves lost the game 3-0), I was going downhill, rapidly becoming so seriously unwell that I was unable to even raise a hand to seek assistance.”

Today we celebrate a special generation of people who have enriched our society in so many ways. In 1948, more than 800 passengers arrived from the Caribbean on the ship HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury docks. It is a moment that shaped modern Britain. Sadly these people – along with many other ethnic minorities – were faced with overt racism and were not always made to feel welcome in this country. The same experiences were faced by those who followed over the next few decades.

Staff and visitors at two Black Country hospitals were given an opportunity to join Thanksgiving services held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Windrush generation arriving in the UK. Led by the Chaplaincy – Spiritual Care Teams across Walsall Healthcare and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trusts (RWT), both services reflected on the landmark moment that altered the course of British history, acknowledging the courage of those involved, and the great sacrifices they made.

A kind-hearted security team has donated a £500 prize it won to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Charity-run staff foodbank to help colleagues cope with the cost of living crisis. Carlisle Support Services, which carries out car parking and security work at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Jaguar Land Rover, won third prize at the latter’s annual Superstars awards, a competition to recognise staff.

A renowned Nursing leader is to leave her roles at two Black Country NHS Trusts to take up an exciting new challenge in the academic field. Professor Ann-Marie Cannaby, Group Chief Nurse at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, is to become Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Health at Coventry University. Prof. Cannaby, who joined RWT in April 2018 and is Deputy Chief Executive at Walsall Healthcare, was made Group Chief Nurse in June 2022.

A generous student ensured he wasn’t the only one celebrating his 21st birthday after donating £501 to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity. Jaikiret Singh, from Wolverhampton, made the donation from his own savings, with the extra £1 being a blessing for the Charity. “As part of our Sikh culture, our faith has always taught me and my family to do selfless acts,” said Jaikiret. “It’s important to show good community spirit in helping others and I hope this donation can help staff and patients.”

A healthcare team has held an outpatient clinic at a South Staffordshire prison for the first time. More than 30 inmates were reviewed by the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Team from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) in a visit to HMP Oakwood in Featherstone. Oakwood is one of the largest prisons in the UK, and because of the difficulties in getting prisoners to hospital, logistically it makes sense to take the clinic to prison.

A grateful runner raised £1,000 by completing her first marathon to thank The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for the potentially life-changing care for her baby niece who ‘died’ at birth. Sarah Smeilus, 34, from Telford, ran the full Chester Marathon to raise funds for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity. Her niece Poppy was born unconscious and not breathing but revived after treatment in the Neonatal Unit at New Cross Hospital.

A free community celebration to showcase the creative work of local artists set against the backdrop of Windrush is being held in Wolverhampton next week. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) Charity supports the Arts and Heritage Group which secured a grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) to stage “Came to Care: Windrush and the NHS.”

Nurses recruited from abroad are being supported with their banking, travel and accommodation needs thanks to three partnerships established by two Black Country NHS Trusts. The Clinical Fellowship Programme International Recruitment Team, which supports internationally recruited (IR) Nurses at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, has arranged for HSBC UK bank, National Express West Midlands buses and FW Property Development to provide specialist assistance.

Entertainment on New Cross Hospital’s Blood Disorder Unit has been taken to the next level thanks to an interactive mobile gaming kit bought through The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) Charity. Children and young adults living with complex blood disorders, such as sickle cell and acute myeloid leukaemia, often need to visit hospital for treatment or pain management. And some procedures, such as routine chemotherapy, may last over a period of days, leaving patients in need of a welcome distraction.

A physically fit and decorated RAF veteran is highlighting the mental health difficulties that can follow a heart attack, to help other patients. Craig Jones, 47, from Albrighton, Shropshire, who served 22 years in the Air Force as an aircraft engineer, thought a sore throat he had was leading to a cold before being told he’d had a heart attack. The father of two won the Gulf War Medal for his service in Iraq and was decorated by the United Nations and NATO for operating no-fly zones in Libya and Iraq.

Volunteer Thomas Walsh has found a role that is just the right fit for him at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, after working with the Volunteering Team to identify a department where his autism and learning disabilities could be supported and his skills developed. The 21-year-old and his mother Michelle joined the Volunteer Services Team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) following a recent recruitment drive.

Two Black Country Trusts are celebrating Volunteers’ Week as they recognise the efforts and invaluable contributions of hundreds who support their local communities. This year marks the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust are among thousands of charities and organisations acknowledging those who make a difference.