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More than 1,100 international nurses will have been recruited across the Black Country and West Birmingham by the end of 2022, making it the largest ever such recruitment drive in the Midlands. Organised through The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), the campaign recruited more than 600 nurses from abroad in 2021, to work in locations across the Black Country and West Birmingham Integrated Care System (ICS).

People attending New Cross, Cannock or West Park Hospitals or any community health settings will still be asked to wear face coverings, continue to socially distance and ensure good hand hygiene despite the Government’s relaxation of COVID-19 Plan B restrictions from today (Thursday 27 January 2022). These measures are important to help minimise the risk of infection and keep healthcare staff, patients and Wolverhampton’s wider communities as safe as possible while cases remain high in the borough.

A new partnership between neighbouring health providers is making it easier for patients to be treated closer to home. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has recently taken on the neurology service on behalf of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), meaning that patients can now be seen at locations more convenient for them. David Middleton, from Newport, Shropshire, used to have to travel to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton – a round trip of 44 miles which took between 30 to 40 minutes.

Local GPs and healthcare professionals are urging people in Wolverhampton to come forward and take part in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of new antiviral treatments for COVID-19 - which can be safely taken at home. Sonia, a nurse from the West Midlands, is already taking part. The PANORAMIC trial is assessing a range of purpose-designed antiviral treatments which could help people who are at risk from COVID-19 in the community recover sooner, prevent the need for hospital admission and ease the burden on the NHS.

A keen runner who had two heart scares now says he’s had a new lease of life thanks to treatment at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. Andrew Davies, 70, is back hiking the fells and pounding the streets after having a life-changing operation. The father of two’s health scare started in July 2017 when he was left uncharacteristically struggling for breath in a parkrun in the Lake District – taking half an hour instead of his usual 22-23 minutes for five km – then again in a training run soon afterwards.

Teenager and Youth Volunteer Ambassador Eve Adams has really made an impact as she approaches her first anniversary volunteering at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. The full-time student works closely with the Youth Volunteering Programme Co-ordinator Abby Townsend to help promote and deliver the Trust’s youth volunteering programme. She is also Helpforce’s ‘Young Volunteer of the Year.’

A world renowned Wolverhampton consultant who has helped transform the lives of hundreds of patients has become the first Associate Professor in her field in the UK. Dr Nicky Eddison, Consultant Orthotist, has become the first Associate Professor in orthotics, which was awarded by Staffordshire University. An orthotist is a healthcare professional who makes and fits braces and splints (orthoses) for people who need added support for body parts.

More than 500 people have been able to avoid hospital altogether or reduce their stay thanks to a virtual ward launched a year ago in Wolverhampton. The virtual ward/hospital at home service, provided by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, was set up to prevent hospital admission and/or an earlier discharge from hospital. The service launched in January 2021 to support COVID-19 patients to receive nursing intervention, monitoring and support at home.

After losing a friend and having her own health scare, University of Wolverhampton Adult Nursing lecturer Kelly Maritza is urging people to get their routine smear done. Kelly, who formerly worked for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, knows all too well the importance of attending regular routine smear checks. Even more so after her own personal experience of losing a good friend a couple of years ago to cervical cancer who had put down their lower back pain to wear and tear only to then realise they had advanced stages of cancer when attending the emergency department.

s this is my first blog of 2022, I wish all staff across both Trusts a happy new year. I hope you all managed to have some down time and relaxation over the festive period. I start the year with some good news for you on the recruitment front. I am delighted to announce we have appointed 10 Practice Education Facilitators (PEFs) at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, following the introduction of these at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) in 2019-20.

A COVID-19 survivor who tragically lost her unborn baby to the virus has urged others to have the vaccine – particularly reluctant Black and Minority Ethnic people. Rachel, from Bilston, was in a coma and in hospital for three and a half months after contracting COVID-19, but sadly lost her baby son Jaxon at 24 weeks. The 38-year-old mother of one, who was admitted to New Cross Hospital after suffering COVID symptoms when she was 19 weeks pregnant, became so ill she didn’t even know she had given birth.

Volunteers provided almost 400 hours of support in December, working tirelessly to enhance the experience of hospital patients in Wolverhampton. More than 90 active volunteers work at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and carry out a host of roles including setting up Facetime calls for patients to contact their families on Christmas Day. The Trust is currently unable to re-introduce visiting due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community so volunteers are more important than ever to help lift patients’ spirits.

A “dedicated and committed” nurse has been honoured with a national award for the support she has given to bereaved parents. Nikki Farrington, Specialist Nurse, Bereavement Family and Support at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, has won The Kym Marsh Archie Award from bereavement care charity The Mariposa Trust. Kym Marsh, the former Hear’Say pop star and ex-Coronation Street actress, launched the series of awards in 2018 through The Mariposa Trust.

A kind-hearted fundraiser who has persuaded stars including I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! winner Danny Miller to promote her cause has donated £6,000 to support sick babies and their families at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. Mckala Harrold, 46, from Bilston – a premature twin herself, born at 28 weeks at New Cross – used the power of social media through her 3,000-strong Facebook group called Celebrity Random Raffle to raise the money.

Testing rules for people without Covid-19 symptoms are changing temporarily this week. From tomorrow (Tuesday 11 January), those recording a positive result from a rapid (LFD) test will no longer need to take a confirmatory PCR test. The UK Health Security Agency says the changes are a temporary measure while Covid-19 rates remain high, and will help manage demand for PCR tests.

Wolves players are the topping the Premier League when it comes to having the COVID-19 vaccine – and they want YOU to follow suit! Head coach Bruno Lage last week masterminded the well-deserved 1-0 win away to Manchester United, the club’s first victory at Old Trafford in nearly 42 years. The club then went onto to secure their place in the FA Cup fourth round with an impressive win against Championship side Sheffield United, which took place yesterday at Molineux.

With Covid-19 case numbers in Wolverhampton now at their highest level of the entire pandemic, residents are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible to give themselves high levels of protection against hospitalisation and serious illness. Latest figures show 5,200 people in Wolverhampton tested positive for the virus over the last seven days, though the true number of cases will likely be higher.

A “fiercely determined” sepsis nurse at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital has been recognised for her work in digital healthcare with a national award. Sony Thattil, Sepsis Lead Nurse at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, has been made the Trust’s first Digital Nurse Fellow by NHSX (the Health Service’s digital arm), NHS England and the Faculty of Clinical Informatics after being selected based on her experience as Sepsis Lead as part of the Sepsis Team.

A staff champion based at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital has been honoured with a prestigious national award recognising equality and diversity. Neelam Mehay, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian, has won the British Medical Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Equality and Diversity award from the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).