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Stroke and neurology patients at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust are benefitting from a helping hand thanks to a charity’s generous donation of over £5,000. Willenhall Area Relief Rehabilitation And Nursing Trust (WARRANT) has provided £5,775.90 to pay for the E-LINK Upper Limb Exerciser rehabilitation equipment at West Park Hospital.

Around 100 nurses from Sri Lanka are being supported and coached by Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) to join its multi award-winning Clinical Fellowship Programme (CFP). Amrak Institute of Medical Sciences, a private healthcare group in the South Asian country, is planning to send 80-100 nurses to join the three-year CFP, which includes a work-study opportunity with the option to return to their healthcare system.

Executives are more likely to be seen in suits than shorts, but one sports-mad NHS director has ‘slam-dunked’ that trend by achieving success on the international stage. Junior Hemans, Non-Executive Director (NED) at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (WHT), was part of the Wolverhampton Seniors basketball team that finished third out of eight in the Marmaris Turkey Masters Tournament.

Health experts from across the Black Country have teamed up to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast, bowel, and cervical cancer, as one in two people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. The free information event, which took place at the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, was hosted by The City of Wolverhampton Council and the Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group.

An “extremely proud” member of the Armed Forces community, who works at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, has been honoured with a commemorative medal to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Robin McMahon, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at RWT, was one of the lucky recipients of the Platinum Jubilee Medal which has been awarded to serving frontline members of the police, fire, emergency services, prison services and the Armed Forces.

Infant Feeding teams and midwives across the Black Country and West Birmingham will be supporting and encouraging mums this National Breastfeeding Week which runs from Monday 27 June until Friday 1 July. This year’s theme is “Everyone has a part to play in helping mums to breastfeed” with a focus on the difference that can be made if everyone supports breastfeeding.

A new service at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital has been shortlisted for a national award – making it a double tonic after another recent success. The Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Team has been shortlisted in the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) Awards in the category for ‘Deteriorating Patients and Rapid Response Initiative of the year’. The HSJ nomination comes hot on the heels of the AKI Team winning best poster at the UK Kidney Week Conference, the largest multidisciplinary conference of its kind.

The theme to this year’s National Pathology Week is past, present and future – and rising star Toyin Adedewe has a part to play in all three at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. The mother of two was born at New Cross and raised in Nigeria before returning to the UK in 2016 and had her son. Now she is about to start work as a biomedical scientist (BMS) at Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) after a rapid rise through the ranks.

“People with a learning disability are more likely to die young from avoidable causes. Therefore, we are raising awareness in Learning Disability Week to ensure that our colleagues and the public know what support is available to them.” Say hi to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s (RWT) Learning Disability team, Lucy Palmer (left) and Trisha Guy (right) who are both Learning Disability Specialist Nurses and, in the middle, we have Lead Learning disability and Autism Nurse, Elaine Wharton.

This week (20-26 June) marks Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) Week 2022 – a local campaign aimed at highlighting the importance of exercise and healthy lifestyles for patients with chronic lung disease. For people living with a long-term respiratory condition (such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Asthma and Bronchiectasis) the treatment offered through a PR course can help them to manage their breathlessness.

More than 1,000 knitted keepsake hearts have been sent to Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital to help support families and their loved ones through bereavement. The hearts have been donated to New Cross Hospital after an appeal went out on social media from Stacey Picken, Specialist Nurse – Bereavement at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). They were first introduced at the Trust during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A patient being supported by West Park Hospital’s dietetic service has been receiving “life-saving” treatment, her grateful family say. Patricia Hadley suffers from cerebellar ataxia. It is a disorder that affects co-ordination, balance and speech and occurs when the brain is progressively damaged over time for reasons that are unclear. The 67-year-old, who was a former Wolverhampton City Council employee, received help from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s dietetic service after her health started deteriorating fast and she lost the ability to swallow and speak.

I want to highlight Dietitians Week in my latest blog because good nutrition and hydration are vital for the health, wellbeing and recovery of our patients. Research demonstrates how patients who are well nourished have better clinical outcomes and often a reduced length of stay. All members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) at both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust have a role in optimising good nutrition and hydration.

The next generation of healthcare workers have successfully graduated from a four-week programme designed to teach them new skills and self-confidence. The 13 individuals were honoured at a special graduation event after completing a Prince’s Trust programme at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). The Prince’s Trust ‘Get Into Hospitals’ programme is a four-week free course giving young people between the ages of 18 and 30 the opportunity to learn new skills and complete qualifications as they work under supervision as volunteers in healthcare settings.

A proud community team from The Royal Wolverhampton Trust has been shortlisted in this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Awards. The awards help drive improvements in culture and quality across the NHS. These awards recognise and reward the hard-working teams and individuals who, in these times of austerity, pay restraints and workforce shortages, are striving to deliver improved patient care.

Patients at West Park Hospital can now benefit from new rehabilitation equipment thanks to a generous donation of more than £13,000. The 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Scheme (ex-Goodyear workers) bought three pieces of equipment costing a total of £13,398.95 to help patients in rehabilitation. Two Metomed movement therapy bicycles in the gym will help wheelchair users and patients recovering from strokes, while a SaeboMAS Mini machine assists in strengthening upper arm muscles.

A consultant at Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) is urging people to be more aware of sickle cell disease (SCD) after claiming sufferers often face an ‘inequity of care’. BCPS, which is made up of all four acute Black Country and West Birmingham NHS Trusts and based at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, treats many of the approximate 800 adult and 600 paediatric patients with SCD in the West Midlands.

Diagnosed with sickle cell disease as a baby, Rebecca Soloman Henry spends a lot of her time in hospital while undergoing treatment. Today, as part of Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2022 (June 19), she is speaking about the effect it has on her day-to-day life. A blood test on the day she was born confirmed Rebecca had the most common and most severe variant of the disease – sickle cell anaemia, haemoglobin SS.

“Sickle cell disease is a serious and life-long health condition. It is one of a group of inherited disorders which affect the shape of red blood cells which carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has sickle cell disease, the haemoglobin is abnormal which causes their red blood cells to become sickle shaped and can slow and block blood flow.”

Younger children will be able to get their Covid-19 vaccination at the Mander Centre clinic from tomorrow (Saturday 18 June, 2022). The clinic, on the Upper Mall, is offering free vaccinations to youngsters aged five to 11 on weekdays between 3pm and 5.30pm, Saturdays from 9am to 5.30pm and Sundays from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Children aged five to 11 are eligible for a first and second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

A member of the cardiac rehabilitation team at New Cross Hospital proved it’s good to talk after winning a national award for raising awareness of a rare heart condition. Chris Scordis, who works for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, was voted winner for best oral abstract at the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) Exercise Professionals Group (EPG) Conference.

As June is pride month, I wanted to share with you my experiences of being part of the LGBTQ+ community and working in the NHS. It hasn’t been easy to write this, partly because of the deeply personal subject and partly because, well, I’m no different to anyone else. Other people think differently - my wife and I tend not to hold hands in public. We’ve been shouted at, called names, we’ve been threatened with sexual abuse (that will put them right).

Grants totalling almost £43m are enabling The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to take steps towards reducing its carbon footprint and create a more sustainable future for healthcare services, the staff who work in them and local patients. The Trust has been awarded £32,948,518 for several projects to further upgrade New Cross Hospital through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.

Following an update in national guidance, from today (Thursday 16 June), patients and visitors who are attending appointments or visiting our Emergency Department (ED) are no longer required to wear a face mask. If it is your own personal preference to wear a mask, we will continue to make them available for you. If attending ED with symptoms of a respiratory tract infection, such as coughing and sneezing, we would request that you wear a mask if you are able to do so.

I’m delighted to promote the first ever national ‘Estates and Facilities (E&F) Day’ (Wednesday, June 15 2022) – declared formally by the Health Estates and Facilities Management Association (HEFMA). A prestigious organisation, HEFMA supports the professional development of facilities staff and works to ensure the provision of quality healthcare facilities across the NHS. To coincide with this, the association has gone on to create this fantastic opportunity where we can celebrate the work of E&F staff – often taking place behind the scenes, at all hours of the day.

More than 30 energetic walkers from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) put their best feet forward to climb Mount Snowdon to raise more than £3,000 for its charity. Each year, colleagues Claire Flatt, Lead for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Leadership Development, Laura Roberts, Executive Assistant, and Claire Young, Deputy Director of Education and Training, invite colleagues, staff, friends and family to join them on a new #RWTchallenge.

Nurses are using technology at an ever-increasing rate to enhance the care we provide to patients. To make the most of the latest innovations in technology, we have introduced a new role, appointing Christian Ward as Associate Director of Nursing covering both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. The role was created to ensure we enhance patient care with our digital systems and nurses have a clear voice in digital discussions.

A study focused on detecting COVID-19 antibodies and re-infection rates in staff at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has won an award for its team’s imaginative approach to recruiting participants. The SIREN (Sarscov2 Immunity & REinfection EvaluatioN) Team achieved the accolade at the NIHR Clinical Research Network West Midlands’ seventh Annual Awards. The team was handed the award for Creative Recruitment for its innovative ways of recruiting to the study, including its use of digital technology to design and deliver research.

A new translation service is being offered to women using Maternity Services at New Cross Hospital. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has purchased Wordskii for use within the maternity department for women and their families whose first language may not be English. Wordskii is a cloud-based management system which helps organisations communicate in more than 350 languages using professional experienced interpreters through remote video and telephone technologies as and when needed. It is available via an app or web portal.

We recently celebrated Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) Day, with this year’s theme focused on inspiring the next generation. ODPs demonstrate a wide range of skills across the entire patient journey incorporating three main areas: anaesthetics, surgery, and post-anaesthetic care. They are primarily employed in surgical operating departments but may also work directly within a variety of acute clinical settings, including intensive care units (ICUs).

Time away has proved time well spent after a determined dietitian retraced her steps – and discovered her passion. Della-Marie Heck has returned to practice in Dietetics 12 years after leaving the profession and has recently been promoted to a development role in diabetes at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. She is one of many healthcare professionals who pause their career, whether that be for parental leave, travel, caring responsibilities, illness or personal reasons before seeking a return.

Today is #BiomedicalScienceDay2022 and we’re shining a spotlight on colleagues within Black Country Pathology Services – made up of all four acute Black Country and West Birmingham NHS Trusts. Here, 23-year-old Steven Schnabel tells us about his career so far. “I have had a variety of laboratory experience both with private labs and internationally in Prague."

Many departments and services wouldn’t be able to function without them – and today, the role of Biomedical Scientists is being celebrated across the Black Country. International Biomedical Scientist (IBMS) Day creates an opportunity to raise awareness of the work colleagues do in carrying out a range of laboratory and scientific tests to support the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Wolverhampton’s Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) service is being extended to seven days a week so treatment can be delivered 365 days per year at New Cross Hospital. The seven-day service, which starts next weekend (June 18), is being introduced so there is no drop in service provision at the weekends after national and local audit data found the full seven days a week service is essential.

Uniforms will be swapped for the latest fashion trends when staff from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust stage a bid to raise money for children’s services. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity has teamed up with Fashion SOS to throw a fundraising fashion show this week. As well as featuring a number of NHS workers strutting their stuff on the catwalk, the event will have rails of ladies’ high street clothing, in sizes six to 30, available to purchase at up to 75 per cent off normal retail price.

This Carers Week, we are sharing the experiences of carers here at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. We want to shine a light on some of the challenges faced by those who have caring responsibilities outside of work and to celebrate the amazing dedication they have each and every day. Here, a colleague shares her experience of caring for a family member.

A new procedure which can reduce the risk of stroke in patients who cannot take blood thinning medication has been successfully completed at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. Consultant cardiologists Dr Sanjiv Petkar and Dr Saib Khogali performed the operation, known as Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO), on patients Patricia Collins and Christine Alldritt at the Heart and Lung Centre. 

Two state-of-the-art robots are now operating regularly at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital. One new Da Vinci Xi robot and one Xi model that has been on lease since September 2020 are working every week on cases in urology, colorectal, thoracic and gynaecology surgery. The following procedures are now routinely undertaken robotically at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital: Surgery for prostate, bladder and kidney cancers as well as non-cancer urological procedure.

After volunteer breastfeeding support was halted due to the pandemic, we are delighted to have finally welcomed back our amazing peer supporters back into the Maternity department. In preparation for this, we have been welcoming our latest cohort of volunteers, who started training a year ago, for their local inductions. Tia Manomano, who completed training last year, is very much excited to begin her support journey on the wards.

While face-to-face volunteer support was suspended on the maternity wards due to the pandemic, our amazing team of Breastfeeding Peer Supporters have continued to be there for mothers by providing telephone support, attending virtual support groups and also by taking part in our new feeding study ABA-Feed as Infant Feeding Helpers (IFHs). This exciting new study allows mothers to be supported in a different way, from antenatal contact through to eight weeks after birth.

Working full-time in the NHS as a mum of two would keep anyone busy, but Jacqui Theodosi has somehow found time to write a book! Jacqui, 29, a Clinical Photographer at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, fulfilled a lifelong ambition when she penned ‘When I Grow Up: Dinosaurs’, which is aimed at children aged four to eight. A non-fiction book on facts about dinosaurs, it is written in a way that makes the book fun to read for children.