News and reports

This Deaf Awareness Week (5-11 May), people in the Black Country are being encouraged to engage in conversations about improving accessibility and inclusivity for the Deaf community.

Deaf Awareness Week is an annual campaign that aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Deaf individuals while challenging common misconceptions about deafness.

This year’s theme, “Beyond Silence”, calls on individuals, organisations, and communities to go beyond simply acknowledging deafness and actively work towards meaningful change.

In recognition of Deaf Awareness Week, the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) is using this opportunity to raise awareness of a current co-design opportunity aimed at improving interpretation and translation services.

The ICB is recruiting an expert advisory group to help enhance these services, ensuring they better meet the language and communication needs of individuals accessing NHS primary care in the Black Country.
Applications are invited from local organisations, community groups, and leaders with experience supporting individuals facing language barriers or communication challenges.

Stephen Terry, Head of Involvement at NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “Deaf Awareness Week is an important opportunity to raise visibility, promote understanding, and break down barriers for the Deaf community.

“It reminds us of the need for inclusive healthcare and accessible services, ensuring everyone, regardless of communication challenges, can access the care they deserve.

“We are pleased to offer local organisations and community leaders with lived and learned experience the opportunity to contribute to the development of these services through our codesign expert advisory group.

“By sharing valuable insights, experiences and ideas, the group will help ensure healthcare services are more accessible and inclusive for everyone in the Black Country.”

We have made available a download (see below) of the feedback you gave us from the listening exercise we held at our Annual Public Meeting.

Our Annual Public Meeting was well attended and well received.

We wanted to say a big thank you to all the members of the public, volunteers, and especially all the support organisations that offered free advice and information to people.

A special thank you to our two guest speakers, Dr. Anand Rischie and Angela Poulton, who spoke about 'Primary Care Transformation', what it is and what it means to patients.

We appreciate the experiences and views you shared with us and continue to look forward to meeting members of the public in all the Walsall communities, visiting local groups, and working with existing support organisations and new ones.

We will present our work projects from 20234/2024. And update the public on our 2024/2025 work projects. This will include our 'Health and Social Care Information and Advice Roadshow'. With many support organisations, offering information and advice around condition and situation-based factors. Light refreshments are available. BOOKING REQUIRED.

This Ask Your Pharmacist Week (4-11 November), people in the Black Country are being reminded to speak to their local pharmacist for any health advice this winter.

Ask Your Pharmacist Week is an annual initiative organised by the National Pharmacy Association, which aims to raise awareness of the full range of services on offer in pharmacies.

This year’s theme is ‘professional and convenient healthcare, from your local pharmacy team’, highlighting the skills and knowledge of community pharmacists and the wider pharmacy team, and their track record of safely delivering clinical services.

At a time when the NHS is preparing for what is expected to be a challenging winter, people are being reminded of this vital line of support that is available in their local pharmacy.

Patients can also get treatment for seven common conditions directly from their local pharmacy, without the need to visit a GP. The Pharmacy First service enables pharmacists to offer advice to patients and supply NHS medicines (including antibiotics), where clinically appropriate, for:
• Sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• Sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• Earache (aged 1 year to 17 years)
• Infected insect bite (aged 1 year and over)
• Impetigo - a bacterial skin infection (aged 1 year and over)
• Shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women (women aged 16 years to 64 years).

If you have symptoms that suggest you may have one of these conditions, you can walk into a pharmacy and be offered a consultation with the pharmacist. Should the pharmacy team be unable to help, you will be directed to your GP surgery or A&E as appropriate.

The NHS has created a video with local pharmacist, Salman Ahmad, talking about the Pharmacy First scheme.

Salman said: “Ask Your Pharmacist Week is a great opportunity for us to highlight the important
role pharmacists play in helping people to stay well, especially as we head into the winter
months.
“As experts in medicine, pharmacists can help you with almost any health concerns you may have, whether that's providing treatment on the spot or signposting you to the right alternative NHS service.

“And, with the new Pharmacy First scheme, community pharmacists can now supply prescription-only medicines where clinically appropriate to help with seven common health conditions which would previously have required a GP appointment.

“It’s vital that people seek medical advice in order to stay safe and well so please don’t wait for minor illnesses to get worse – think pharmacy first and visit your local pharmacy today.”

The AGM is being held on Thursday 19 September, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, and will be hosted online using Microsoft Teams.

The meeting is open to all members of the public and provides an opportunity to learn more about the organisation and the work that has been carried out in the last 12 months.

Mark Axcell, Chief Executive Officer for the NHS Black Country ICB, said: “Our AGM is an opportunity for us to look back on the ICBs work over the last 12 months and review our achievements and challenges, whilst also reflecting on the ever-changing challenges facing the NHS as we look to the future.

“We want the Black Country community to be as involved as possible in these conversations and we extend a warm welcome to local people to join us and take part in this year’s meeting.

“Public questions are an important part of our meetings and provide an opportunity for people to share what matters most to them about the local NHS. So, if you have a question, please do submit it in advance and we can respond."

For those interested in attending, please reserve your spot online here. A virtual meeting link will be sent to you via the email you registered your attendance with on Wednesday 18 September. If you haven’t received a meeting link by 5pm on this date, please email comms.blackcountry@nhs.net.

Members of the public who would like to send in a question should email bcicb.gb@nhs.net by 5pm on Monday 16 September.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to contact us by telephone to confirm your attendance or ask any questions, please contact our Time2Talk team on 0300 0120 281 and select option 1.

Download and read what we have been doing and achieved over the last year.

Under proposals from the Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC) – made up of The Royal olverhampton NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust – Urology cancer patients will have their surgery at one designated centre, depending on their illness. An overview of the proposals is below:

Surgery for renal/kidney cancer patients would take place at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, which would become a specialised renal/kidney surgical centre, including robotic surgery. This would create the capacity for an additional approximately 170 robotic surgical procedures per year, taking the total to up to 300 annually.

Prostate and/or bladder cancer patients’ surgery will continue to be at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, where it is currently undertaken. New Cross would become the urological pelvic surgical centre. With the proposed renal/kidney surgical centre at Russells Hall, additional capacity would be created at New Cross to carry out between 280-421 urological procedures – cystectomies (removal of the bladder) and prostatectomies (partial or complete removal of the prostate) per year.

Patients requiring complex kidney stone surgery would have that undertaken at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust Hospitals Trust, which would become the complex kidney stone surgical centre. It is anticipated that based on available capacity this will impact 85-132 patients annually.

Patients’ pre and post operative care appointments would still take place at their local hospital.

Dr Jonathan Odum, Chief Medical Officer for the BCPC, said: “We want to ensure all patients across the Black Country are able to receive high quality care in the area. The aim is to improve urological surgical cancer and renal stone service provision, with many positive benefits.”

The benefits include:
Improved outcomes for patients
Improved quality of life through faster access to cancer surgery
Improved satisfaction with level of care and the positive patient experience
Reduction in waiting times, to meet the national cancer targets
Better use of theatre capacity across all four Trusts
Creating more opportunities for patients to access care from Black County Providers, rather than travelling to other areas
Developing a more skilled and experienced workforce, with greater staff retention and recruitment

This May Measure Month (MMM), eligible people in the Black Country are being reminded to visit their local pharmacy for a blood pressure check.

Led by the International Society of Hypertension, MMM is an annual global screening campaign which aims to educate people on the importance of having their blood pressure checked regularly, as raised blood pressure is the number one cause of preventable death worldwide.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a serious condition where your heart is made to consistently work harder to pump blood around your body.

It often has no symptoms and can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially lifethreatening conditions such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and dementia.

People who might be more at risk of having high blood pressure include those who:
• are overweight
• do not do enough exercise
• drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• smoke
• have a lot of stress
• eat too much salt and not enough fruit or vegetables
• are over 65 years old
• are of Black African or Black Caribbean descent.

All adults over 40 years old are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every five years.
In the Black Country it is estimated there are around 75,000 people with undiagnosed hypertension and so the NHS is reminding people aged 40 and over who haven’t had a blood pressure check in the last six months to come forward.

Dr Sunil Nadar, Clinical Lead Cardiologist at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and MMM National Lead for England, said: “High blood pressure rarely has any symptoms which is why it is called the ‘silent killer’. It can significantly raise your risk of a life-threatening heart attack, heart failure, or stroke, and the only way to know you have the condition is to get your blood pressure measured.

“High blood pressure can often be prevented or reduced by eating healthily (especially reducing salt in the diet), maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation and not smoking. Some people with high blood pressure will also need to take one or more medicines to stop their blood pressure getting too high – what works best is different for each person.

“Checking your blood pressure is quick, simple and painless, and it could save your life. So, if you don’t know what your blood pressure is, May is the time to find out.” Selected community pharmacies across the Black Country offer a free blood pressure check service for people aged 40 and over with no previous history of high blood pressure. You can find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks near you on the NHS website.
Stephen Noble, local pharmacist and Chief Officer of the Community Pharmacy Dudley, said: “May Measure Month is a great opportunity for raise awareness of high blood pressure and the importance of having a blood pressure check.

“If you’re aged 40 and over and you’re not already being monitored by a doctor, you can quickly and easily get your blood pressure checked by going into your local pharmacy. It’s a free, simple and non-invasive test, conducted in privacy, and you don’t need to book in advance.

“Depending on the result, the pharmacist might give you advice to support healthy living, give you a blood pressure monitor to take home with you and return later, or advise you to see a GP. Your blood pressure readings are also sent to your GP so your health records can be updated.”

This Ask Your Pharmacist Week (30 October – 6 November), people in the Black Country are being reminded to speak to their local pharmacist for any health advice this winter. Ask Your Pharmacist Week is an annual initiative organised by the National Pharmacy Association, which aims to raise awareness of the full range of services on offer in pharmacies.

This year’s theme is ‘meet your local pharmacist team’, highlighting the skills and knowledge of community pharmacists and the wider pharmacy team and their track record of safely delivering clinical services.

At a time when the NHS is preparing for what is expected to be a challenging winter, people are being reminded of this vital line of support that is available in their local pharmacy. Pharmacies can help with a wide range of minor conditions, including coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains. They can also help with dispensing medicines, repeat prescriptions, and help people choose the correct over-the-counter-medicine. Some also offer vaccination services.

Stephen Noble, local pharmacist and Chief Officer of the Community Pharmacy Dudley, said: “Ask Your Pharmacist Week is a great opportunity for us to highlight the important role pharmacists play in helping people to stay well, especially as we head into the
winter months.

“As experts in medicine, pharmacists can help you with almost any health concerns you may have, whether that's providing treatment on the spot or signposting you to the right alternative NHS service. You don’t need to book an appointment to speak to your pharmacist, just ask for a private chat. It’s free and confidential.

“It’s vital that people seek medical advice in order to stay safe and well so please don’t wait for minor illnesses to get worse – think pharmacy first and visit your local pharmacy today.”

Patients registered with a GP practice in the Black Country can also make use of the Pharmacy First service. This service provides people who are exempt from prescription charges with overthe-counter medicines rather than you needing to see a GP to receive the medication on a free prescription.

Thank you to those who attended our Annual Public Meeting.

But now we need your assistance. Start the conversation...

A team from the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been leading on a unique project to help improve healthcare for Black African and Caribbean communities in the Black Country.

Using funding from the West Midlands Cancer Alliance, the Involvement Team has worked with partners from across the Black Country to understand the barriers Black African and Caribbean women face when attending breast screening appointments and raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. As part of the project, eight local voluntary and community sector organisations were
commissioned to host conversations with local women in the community to help identify firsthand the barriers and stigmas in attending screening appointments or presenting at GPs with early symptoms.

The insight gathered from these groups was used to co-design solutions and interventions over a course of three workshops, led by Dr Martin Bollard, Head of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton.
This includes an infographic which tells their stories, which can be found on the Black Country ICB website here, and a video of a local mother and daughter having a myth busting conversation, which can be viewed on YouTube here.
Marie-Claire Kofi is Chief Executive Officer of Plasma of Hope, a charity that provides supports for people living with sickle cell disease across the West Midlands and is one of the organisations that took part in the project.

She said: “When I heard about the project, I knew immediately that I wanted to be involved as it’s an important topic that has a huge impact on our community and we simply don’t talk about it enough. We hosted a number of sessions with the women and families that our organisation supports to discuss breast cancer, and we got a lot of different perspectives. Some assumed that only people over a certain age get breast cancer, and many didn’t know how to properly check their breasts.
“A key theme we spotted was that families didn’t want to talk about cancer, as they believed talking about it meant you were more likely to get it as you are welcoming it in. As a black woman, I can resonate with this, as I was also brought up not to talk about certain things. Because of the culture we come from, where topics like health issues aren’t discussed, there’s a real lack of awareness within the black community.
“Not talking about breast cancer doesn’t make the problem go away, so it was great to have these important conversations and help people understand and recognise the changes and
what to look out for and dispel some of the myths around breast cancer.”
Althea Wint is the founder and director of THIA, a not-for-profit organisation supporting the wellbeing of children and their families in the Black Country and Birmingham that also took part in the project. She said: “We held a number of interactive workshops in the community which took place over a week. The turnout was fantastic – we had more than 50 women attend, as well as men too who wanted to find out how they could support their partners, family members and friends when it comes to breast cancer.

“The biggest barriers that we found from the women we spoke to were around feeling ashamed of their bodies, not knowing how to examine themselves, the fear of not knowing where to go or what was next and a fear of not being taken seriously by their doctor. This project is something that is also very personal to me. I had a breast cancer scare and I have had close friends and family affected by breast cancer.
“I think representation is really important as well when it comes to making people feel comfortable and engaged. Something that worked really well at our sessions was having an example of a black breast to demonstrate how to check your breasts for lumps. It might seem small and unimportant, but being able to show women a breast they could relate to and identify with, rather than a white one, made such a difference. I have been working with the screening team to identify a diverse black breast cancer model for future sessions.”

A number of the organisations who hosted the sessions have since taken part in Cancer Champion training. Hosted by the NHS Black Country ICB, the training program is designed in partnership with Cancer Research UK and gives participants the knowledge and confidence to have conversations in their community about cancer prevention, the importance of screeningand early diagnosis.

Dr Martin Bollard, Head of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton, has been leading the project and said: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work alongside the Black Country ICB and the wonderful, female, black African and Caribbean community leaders, representing hundreds of women across the Black Country.

In a short space of time, we have captured the narrative on breast cancer screening from hundreds of women and shaped that ‘lived experience’ into products to share with others.

“This is helping to demystify some of the cultural taboos on breast cancer and raise awareness of the importance of early breast cancer diagnosis for this group of women. It’s been an absolute privilege being part of this project and I look forward to mobilising more knowledge on this important topic over the months ahead.”
Three of the organisations who have been involved in the project will be also attending the Black Women and Breast Cancer 5th Annual Conference, which takes place in London on Saturday 21 October, to raise awareness of the Black Breasts Matter project and the insights that have been gathered in the Black Country.
Diane Wake, Cancer Lead for the Black Country Integrated Care System, said: “This is an important piece of work which has helped identify some of the barriers that Black African and Caribbean women face when attending breast screening and GP appointments in the Black Country.
“We know lives are saved when cancers are caught early, and I would urge anyone who has received a breast screening invitation – even if you received the invite weeks or months ago – to make an appointment – it could save your life.

“This month is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I’d like to take this opportunity to remind women of all ages of the importance of being breast aware. This means getting to know how your breasts look and feel at different times, so you know what’s normal for you and telling your doctor straight away if you notice any unusual changes.”

Under the NHS Breast Screening Programme eligible women will receive their invite for breast cancer screening every three years between the ages of 50 and 71. Women should look out for their invite letter and follow the instructions to book an appointment. If you think you’ve missed your breast screening appointment, or you have not been invited by the time you are 53, you should contact your local breast screening service. You can find your local breast screening service on the NHS website here.

For more information on breast screening, please visit the NHS Black Country ICB website.

You can also find more information on the Black Breasts Matter project on the NHS Black Country ICB website.