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“Phenomenal and inspirational” Wolverhampton nurse Usha Sharma has won a regional diversity award for helping a colleague and her wider team. Usha, who has worked for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) for 28 years, won the Making the Difference award at the Midlands Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Conference, which marked Black History Month. Tissue Viability Specialist Nurse Usha was nominated by her line manager Lorraine Jones, Tissue Viability (TV) Lead Nurse for being an inspirational nurse and for supporting a team member, who has neurodiversity.

Prosthetists and orthotists celebrated their second annual Prosthetists and Orthotists Day on 7 September, 2022. The aim of the day was to recognise and celebrate the tremendous work they do. This year was also the 25th anniversary of state registration for the prosthetist and orthotist profession. Prosthetics and Orthotics at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). There are currently seven orthotists employed by RWT, providing both an outpatient and inpatient service across New Cross and Cannock Chase Hospitals and several external clinics.

A loving family has donated more than £1,000 to help Wolverhampton’s vulnerable babies after their “miracle” daughter who weighed just half a bag of sugar at birth reached her 14th birthday. Talitha Caris Sond weighed just 1lb 2oz when she was born at 23 weeks and six days at New Cross Hospital on 27 October, 2008. Fourteen years later, her parents were reunited with the consultant who helped save her life.

Black History Month has been brought to a close at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital with a special showcase event today to celebrate the contribution that has been made to the NHS by its diverse workforce. More than 40 people gathered in the marquee outside the Emergency Department at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, with special guest councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, Mayor of Wolverhampton, to hear and see some of the fantastic work from colleagues across the Trust.

Young fundraiser Logan Munday climbed Snowdon, raising £1,800 for poorly children spending Christmas in hospital and wants to scale Mount Everest next! Logan, from Goldthorn Park, tackled Wales’s highest point not realising he had his trousers on back to front. Nevertheless, his sterling efforts with dad Carl generated funds for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Charity to buy presents for young patients at New Cross Hospital.

New Cross Hospital’s “incredible” Midwifery-Led Unit is celebrating its own birthday today – after turning ten years old. Midwives on the unit have delivered more than 7,700 babies over that decade and staff and former service users marked the occasion by getting together and telling their stories. Lyndsey Durkin, MLU Manager, has worked there since it was born, on 27 October 2012. She said: “I knew amazing things were going to happen and they do happen every day."

She’s delivered more than 4,000 babies throughout her Wolverhampton career and Midwife Barbara Kapoor, is planning a new career move after retiring today. She is leaving the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) after spending 42 years there, 35 of those as a midwife and seven as a nurse. The 60-year-old started her training as a nurse in 1980 at the Royal Hospital and found a passion for midwifery after spending time in different clinical areas across the Trust.

A recruitment event to attract Midwives and Neonatal Nurses to come and make a difference to families in the Black Country is being held next month. The event has been arranged through the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) and is set for Wednesday 23 November at the Copthorne Hotel in Brierley Hill, near to the Merry Hill Centre. Potential candidates – who must hold a current NMC registration or be on a pre-registration course, will be able to be interviewed on the day.

New practitioners from two Black Country health organisations showcased their work at a regional event – with one achieving a top-two placing. Members of Infection Prevention teams from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) presented at the West Midlands Infection Prevention (IP) Society’s Marion Reed programme. This is a development programme for new IP practitioners to showcase their work.

A bright future beckons for the next generation of Wolverhampton healthcare staff after they successfully completed a four-week programme, with many being offered permanent jobs. Twenty eight were honoured at a special graduation event at GTG West Midlands training centre after completing The Prince’s Trust programme at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). Thanks to their hard work and dedication, 14 of the 28 graduates have now been offered a permanent post.

A conference organised by the Black Country and West Birmingham Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) last week has been voted a success with four NHS Trusts and community organisations coming together to share improvements and ideas. Attendees, made up of maternity and neonatal staff, people who have used these services and interested professionals, were able to hear from a range of speakers, join workshops covering a host of topics and share feedback from service users.

Shoppers can snap up Christmas bargains at hugely discounted prices as The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity hosts its second fashion show next month. Following the huge success of a similar event held in the spring, models will again be strutting the catwalk as The RWT Charity raises funds for its 2022 Christmas Appeal. Held on Monday 14 November 2022, at Fordhouses Cricket Club from 7pm-9.30pm, the catwalk starts at 7.30pm.

Quality is about providing the best care and experience for our patients. It’s paramount in nursing and I have recently welcomed a returning senior member of staff who will be supporting me greatly in this area of work. Martina Morris is our new Deputy Director of Nursing working across both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (WHT), with responsibility for the quality and safety portfolios within nursing and midwifery.

A rise in hospital equipment being sent to landfill, or being sold in car boot sales has prompted a new Black Country healthcare initiative this Recycle Week. Unwanted walking frames and crutches issued by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust can now be dropped off at specially designated areas at New Cross and Cannock Chase Hospitals at any time. The new collection points are outside the main entrance to the Emergency Department, and in the fracture clinic, at New Cross Hospital and outside the lower ground floor at Cannock Chase Hospital.

An intrepid six-year-old is to climb Snowdon this weekend to raise a mountain of cash – £1,500 for poorly children spending Christmas in hospital. Logan Munday, from Goldthorn Park, is setting out with dad Carl on Sunday to tackle Wales’s highest point to generate funds for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Charity to buy presents for young patients at New Cross Hospital. Carl, 43, and Logan expect to spend eight hours walking up and down Snowdon.

A Wolverhampton baby with breathing difficulties has become the first in the West Midlands to benefit from an innovative care package that meant he could stay with his mum rather than be admitted to the neonatal unit. Called Think FIRST – Family Integrated Respiratory Support Together – the project run by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust involves a treatment called Vapotherm, given at the bedside, skin to skin, which provides the baby with high velocity nasal ventilation to relieve mild breathing problems.

A donation to benefit youngsters on New Cross Hospital’s Children’s Ward has been made in memory of a three-year-old patient whose family worked hard with staff to take her mind off her treatment. A projector and a cinema screen have now been bought for the ward and donated to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity thanks to a fundraising Disney walk led by Tiffany Benjamin-Mcfarlane’s brother.

A clinical team described as a “strong department” from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is celebrating after gaining national accreditation from a world-leading organisation. The Trauma and Orthopaedic (T&O) Team based at New Cross Hospital has been named a National Joint Registry (NJR) Quality Data Provider after successfully completing a programme of local data audits.

A grateful couple have donated £1,000 from their ruby wedding celebrations to the breast care unit at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Karen and Barry Palmer, who both work for the Trust, decided to celebrate their ruby anniversary along with a surprise renewal of their wedding vows. Instead of presents, they asked for donations from the 95 guests attending the ceremony, at the Park Hall Hotel and Spa in Wolverhampton, to support care for breast cancer patients.

It was a case of ‘He’s behind you!’ as the pantomime came to New Cross Hospital and actors brought some cheer to poorly children. Members of the cast of the Intro to Panto Primary School Tour, which takes pantomime to schoolchildren nationwide, met youngsters being cared for by staff on Ward A21. Ian Adams, who plays Widow Twankey in this year’s panto Aladdin at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre, slapped on the greasepaint and donned his full dame’s costume.

An algorithm developed in Black Country Pathology Services (BCPS) laboratories that aims to detect people with a genetic condition causing high cholesterol has been showcased at a conference in Chicago. Lauren Hughes, Principal Clinical Scientist, Clinical Biochemistry, went out to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s annual conference this summer.

A Wolverhampton based team has proved the grass is greener on its side after winning a nomination at the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Awards 2022. The Orthotics team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has been awarded the Greener AHP award 2022 from Greener NHS at the CAHPO Awards which took place on Thursday evening (13 October).

A dedicated piece of wall art in celebration of the Allied Health Professionals (AHP) workforce has been installed in two Black Country hospitals. The colourful masterpiece, which was installed on Thursday 13 October, sits alongside the main hospital corridor at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital and towards the rear entrance at Walsall Manor Hospital.

Support for staff who experience baby loss is being led across the Black Country by NHS Trusts in Walsall and Wolverhampton. As Baby Loss Awareness week (which takes place from 9-15 October) draws to a close, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust have announced the introduction of a package of support, which includes periods of paid leave for both the person who was pregnant, and their partner.

“Blood clots can have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life and may require long term treatment. Therefore, it is important for healthcare professionals to do our part in reducing the risk of this happening in hospital. “For our patients and the wider public it is important that they are educated on the signs and symptoms of venous thromboembolism and what action to take if they think they may have a blood clot.”

A light display and the opening of a new reflection area are just some of the plans staff at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) have organised to observe Baby Loss Awareness Week. Taking place from 9-15 October every year, Baby Loss Awareness Week raises awareness of pregnancy and baby loss in the UK. Throughout the week, bereaved parents, and their families and friends, unite with others across the world to commemorate the lives of babies who died during pregnancy, at, or soon after, birth, and in infancy.

Two Black Country NHS Trusts marked World Mental Health Day by urging staff to take five minutes of their day to look after themselves. Promotional stalls were put up at both Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust inviting staff to join mental health teams for a chat over free cups of tea, sweet treats and snacks. Jodie Kirby, Lead Nurse for Mental Health at Walsall Healthcare, led a display in the atrium at Walsall Manor Hospital, where the Trust’s charity Well Wishers paid for the refreshments.

For my latest blog I’d like to focus on success with an extension to funding which will have a positive affect at both The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. Back in September 2021, the Trusts submitted collaborative Clinical Placement Expansion Programme (CPEP) bids for Health Education England funding to support additional nursing, midwifery, Allied Health Professionals and healthcare sciences student placements.

Charity was the big winner as staff from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust tackled each other on the football pitch for the first time, with nearly £700 raised. Spectators paid £5 to watch, while every player, including substitutes, paid £10 each to play and there was a raffle, which all contributed to an overall figure raised of £691.61, split between The RWT Charity and Well Wishers, Walsall Healthcare’s charity.

Two Black Country NHS Trusts are launching their joint vision for the future today – focusing on reducing waiting times, supporting staff and closing the gap on health inequalities in the communities they serve. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust have been working together on what their priorities will be over the next five years. These have now been agreed and will be embedded across both organisations.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as terminally ill Phil Gigon tied the knot with his sweetheart in an emotional ceremony at their Wolverhampton home. Phil, who has cancer of the lungs, kidney, liver and spine, married partner of 24 years Kay McKnight surrounded and supported by family and friends in the ceremony organised through The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

A retired bookmaker who says he owes his life to a Wolverhampton consultant has made a generous donation to the unit where he was treated. Graham Ellis, 78, from Bridgnorth, has donated £1,420 to the Cardiothoracic Trust Fund based at the Heart and Lung Centre at New Cross Hospital through The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity after having a defibrillator fitted to regulate his heartbeat.

The pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinic is back at Phoenix Park in Blakenhall this week and next. It is open from tomorrow (Wednesday 5 October) to Friday (7 October) from 10am-4pm, and then on Monday 10 October and Wednesday to Friday, 12-14 October, again from 10am-4pm each day. From Monday to Friday, 17-21 October, it will be at Whitmore Reans Library, at the Avion Centre, from 10am-4pm each day, except for Tuesday.