Latest News

Carly Craddock, MSc, MBA (pictured) has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the NIHR Clinical Research Network West Midlands. Professor Matthew Brookes, Clinical Director of the Network said: “We are delighted to announce that, following a competitive process, Carly Craddock - who has been outstanding in the role of joint Deputy Chief Operating Officer - has been appointed COO with immediate effect.”

Excited staff at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust have been gearing up for the largest sporting and cultural event ever held in the West Midlands.In their spare time, several staff have volunteered to help at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games which gets underway this evening from 7pm with a glittering opening ceremony.

A new Head of Spiritual and Religious Care (SPARC) has taken up his role within two Black Country Trusts to further enhance patient experience and staff wellbeing. Reverend Linford Davis is taking up the brand-new role, overseeing the multi-faith chaplaincy teams at both Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

With Covid-19 cases remaining high in Wolverhampton, people are being asked to wear a face covering if they need to attend a healthcare setting. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has been asking that patients and visitors to wear a face covering, if they can, at New Cross Hospital, West Park Hospital and Cannock Hospital since 11 July, to help keep patients and staff safe.

Sunita Banga has certainly been delivering in her new role as EDI Specialist Lead Midwife for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Sunita, who is Wolverhampton born and bred, began her new role last month but has worked for the Trust for seven years. Her current role focuses on the diversity of mums-to-be across Wolverhampton, identifying where health inequalities lie and trying to meet their needs.

After almost 34 years’ service “valued and trusted” Portering Supervisor Tony Aston has retired and is looking forward to a well-deserved rest. Tony, from Wolverhampton, started his career as a part time porter at New Cross Hospital in 1988 as he needed a job to provide for his family after being made redundant from a steel factory.

Colleagues will be aware that South Asian Heritage Month is now underway. The NHS has been built by people of many backgrounds coming together and those of South Asian heritage have played a fundamental role in our nation’s history and development.

A team which aims to prevent Wolverhampton hospital admissions will be extending its service so that it runs around the clock - from today. The Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) was first set up in 2015 and previously ran from 8am to 10pm seven days a week - this will now be extended to 24/7 including bank holidays.

A team from Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital is leading the way across Europe after delivering a presentation on the impact of a miracle drug transforming the lives of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients. The CF team at New Cross Hospital submitted a research abstract paper to the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) conference summarising its work on the impact of Kaftrio on patients locally.

A total of 150 patients have been recruited to a clinical trial at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help evaluate the benefit of colonoscopies, leading to earlier detection of bowel cancer. Thirty nine were recruited in May, making RWT the highest recruiter in the UK for that month. A further seven patients were recruited in June. The Trust was also top recruiter in January and February of this year.

More than 16,000 electricity generating solar panels are being installed at a new city solar farm to help power the whole of New Cross Hospital and save 1,450 tonnes of carbon a year. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, and project partners, had to overcome a number of challenges to prepare the brownfield site, which is more than 40 acres – the size of 22 football pitches.

Staff working in hospitals and community services across Walsall and Wolverhampton have been given a helping hand in the current heatwave, thanks to the efforts of their charities. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Well Wishers charity have been able to offer staff fruit, drinks and ice creams over the last few days.

The smile on his face says it all. After 86 days, legendary Bhangra artist Balwinder Singh Safri has been discharged from New Cross Hospital to continue his recovery in a specialist rehabilitation centre. The 63-year-old was admitted to hospital on 20 April 2022 following concerns about his heart and two days later he underwent a planned triple bypass. Following the operation, Mr Safri suffered complications and was taken back to theatre for further surgery.

A children’s book about dinosaurs has been going down with a roar with young patients at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. ‘When I Grow Up: Dinosaurs’, is aimed at children aged four to eight and author and mother of two Jacqui Theodosi donated several copies of her book to the Paediatrics ward so young patients can enjoy the book when they visit hospital.

Dietitians and orthoptists both celebrated their professions last month. From June 20-24 saw us celebrate ‘Dietitians’ Week’, with the focus on the impact and value of our dietitians. Likewise, orthoptists celebrated ‘World Orthoptists’ Day’ on June 6. This was a day orthoptists globally promote the profession and its work. The theme this year was ‘orthoptists in the wild’, representing the emergence from isolation during the pandemic and meeting in-person once again.

Today I would like to continue my focus on the staff without whom the hospital couldn’t function. This time I’m turning my attention from portering to catering. I’m going to introduce you to a gentleman who loves his job so much that he has retired and come back to it! Ray Gyabaah, 67, has worked for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust as a Support Service Assistant for 17 years. Originally from Ghana, the father of two arrived in England from Holland in 2005.

A new drug described by many as a “miracle” is transforming the lives of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that causes sticky mucus to build up in the lung and digestive system. This causes lung infections and problems with digesting food. But Kaftrio – which was introduced to the first Wolverhampton patients in October 2020 – works by correcting the problem which causes the sticky mucus to build up.

A new way of working has allowed patients requiring nose surgery to be seen quicker with reduced waiting times, in what is understood to be a first in the Midlands for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients facing routine rhinology (nose) surgery under general anaesthetic (GA) or local anaesthetic (LA) are facing long waiting times as theatre capacity is prioritised for more urgent and complex cases.

They sang up a storm in the final of the Midlands Choir of the Year competition and while The RWT Singers didn’t win they all had a “fantastic” time. Members of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s choir gave it their best shot in the sell-out event at Lichfield Cathedral, giving arguably their best performance before a crowd of hundreds of people.

Face coverings have been reintroduced in hospital settings following a continued rise in Covid-19 cases in Wolverhampton. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is asking that patients and visitors wear a mask, if they can, in all areas of New Cross Hospital, West Park Hospital and Cannock Hospital from today (Monday 11 July). Data released on Friday from the Office for National Statistics showed that a total of 2.7 million people in private households in the UK were estimated to have had coronavirus in the last week of June.

A former Black Country Mayor who underwent radical cancer treatment at New Cross Hospital has donated £2,000 to charities – half of which will benefit cancer patients in the future. Steve Waltho climbed 20 peaks in the Lake District in March, just four months after his cancer removal surgery in November 2021 to raise money for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity.

As we are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases within the community, our hospitals and amongst our staff, from Monday 11 July we are reintroducing face masks in all areas of the hospital. We would request that patients and visitors wear a mask if they are able to. This measure has been put in place to keep everyone as safe as possible and to reduce the risk of transmission.

NHS singers are hoping to hit all the right notes this weekend in the final of a singing competition as they chase £1,000 in prize money. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Staff Choir, The RWT Singers, has qualified for the final of the Midlands Choir of the Year competition, joining five other choirs bidding for glory on Sunday at Lichfield Cathedral from 7.30pm-9.45pm.

Scott Hawkins believes International Paramedics Day should be celebrated close to home – because without The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), he might not still be in the profession after 19 years. The 39-year-old, who is a Cardiothoracic Advanced Clinical Care Practitioner (ACCP), has spent a decade at RWT and said: “The Trust was one of the first in the country to recruit paramedics in an Emergency Department (A&E) setting and more recently into Critical Care.

More than 30 families enjoyed a National Breastfeeding Week celebration hosted by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Public Health. The free event showcased the support available to parents and mums-to-be and this year’s theme was ‘We all have a part to play in helping mums to breastfeed.’ England has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, with studies showing that eight out of 10 women stop breastfeeding before they want to.

People are being encouraged to share their thoughts on Wolverhampton’s School Nurse service. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and the City of Wolverhampton Council are asking for people's views about the service, which forms part of RWT’s Healthy Child Programme, focused on supporting the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families. There are two surveys, one for parents and carers, and one for secondary school pupils.

A proud practitioner at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust says she is “honoured” after becoming Chair of a national group of therapists with a special interest in rehabilitating amputees. Lou Tisdale, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Amputee Rehabilitation, has been voted in as Chair of British Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Limb Absence Rehabilitation (BACPAR).

As regular readers of my blog will know, I’m always keen to champion our unsung heroes at both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. And in a new series of features, I’m aiming to shine the spotlight on some of those colleagues without whom the hospitals would not be able to function. First up is Neil Williams, a Porter at New Cross Hospital who has done the job for five years.

A “courageous and conscientious” nurse who returned to a previous role to help a challenged department has won a historic award. Michelle Bonney-Wheate has won the Nell Phoenix Fund Award for outstanding contribution to nursing care and patient experience at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Michelle, who has been an infection prevention (IP) nurse for nearly four years, accepted an approach to return to work in the Snowdrop Chemotherapy Unit at New Cross Hospital to help staff challenges and address delays in patients receiving chemotherapy.

Changes are happening to our outpatient pharmacy services at both New Cross Hospital and Cannock Hospital. Over the weekend of 30/31 July, the service will be changing from Boots Pharmacy to Lloyds Pharmacy. Whilst you should not notice any issues, there are some important things to be aware of, particularly if you have any outstanding prescriptions.

With Covid-19 infection rates rising rapidly, residents are being urged to remain vigilant to the virus and reminded that first, second and booster vaccinations are still widely available in Wolverhampton. Latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), released on Friday, suggest that 1,829,100 people in England had Covid in the week up to 24 June – equivalent to 3.35% of the population or around 1 in 30 people.

A budding journalist and long-serving patient at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital has seen his burgeoning career blossom from his bedside with his own exclusive. Jude Aston, 17, who has cerebral palsy, has spent nearly a year in hospital after suffering a severe reaction to an operation on his right leg. But it hasn’t stopped him from adding to his growing portfolio of work after interviewing Ian Skidmore, Director of Communications at West Bromwich Albion.

A retired ambulance driver has said his quality of life has improved thanks to an exercise programme run by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). Patrick Balfour has just finished an eight-week exercise programme at The Bilston People’s Centre, which has been designed to help those suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). COPD is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.

A leading practitioner at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, whose work has focused on helping young patients with cerebral palsy, has become Vice Chair of a national body. Dr Nicky Eddison, who is based at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, has been appointed Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO), the only UK body that represents the interests of prosthetic and orthotic professionals, and will replace Peter Iliff as Chair in 2024.

From today (Friday 1 July), health and care services are changing across the Black Country to meet local needs. Each part of the country now has what is known as an Integrated Care System (ICS) - partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services to improve the lives of people in their area. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is part of the Black Country ICS, known as Healthier Futures.

Staff from Dudley Cellular Pathology Services will be boosting the Black Country talent pool after moving to their new ‘home.’ A total of 18 staff have moved from Russells Hall Hospital to be based at Black Country Pathology Services’ (BCPS) headquarters at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital as the service looks to share good practice under one roof.