News and reports

The NHS is urging anyone eligible for an autumn COVID-19 vaccination to book an appointment now.

The autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme started in September, with eligible people invited to come forward and book an appointment via the National Booking System or by calling 119.

Following advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), those eligible for an autumn COVID-19 vaccine have until Friday 15 December to book an appointment. After this date, vaccinations will only be available at selected locations on a walk-in basis.

People eligible for an autumn COVID-19 vaccine include:
• those aged 65 and over
• those that are pregnant
• adults and children (aged six months and above) with certain health conditions
• care home residents
• frontline health and social care staff
• unpaid carers
• household contacts of people with a weakened immune system

If you’re unsure if your eligible for a vaccine, you can check the NHS website here.
Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “Our winter vaccination programme has seen almost 150,000 eligible people receive their autumn COVID-19 booster vaccine, which is fantastic.

“Vaccination remains our best defence against COVID-19 and is the best way to protect yourself, your friends and family, which is particularly important as we approach the winter months.

Be Well Walsall is a new wellbeing service for Walsall provided by Maximus. Our expert team will focus on helping your patients with long-lasting behaviour changes.

This service will be taking over from One You Walsall delivered by My Time Active from Wednesday 1 November.

A new state-of-the-art £12.3 million medical centre in Walsall has now opened its doors to patients.

Located on Hatherton Street, the new medical centre brings together four existing GP practices into one modern, purpose-built facility.

The Limes Medical Centre, Lichfield Street Surgery and Sycamore House Medical Centre have now merged as one practice, Umbrella Medical, and will be located in the centre alongside Saddlers surgery.

By coming together, the two surgeries will offer a greater variety of services to its 27,000 patients, reduce waiting times for patients and provide access to medical specialists. Designed by Gould Singleton Architects, the centre will provide treatment rooms, consulting rooms and meeting rooms. In addition, there will be an on-site pharmacy, as well as 110 on-site parking spaces.

Dr Martin Stevens, Senior GP Partner at Umbrella Medical, said: “We are delighted to finally open our long awaited medical centre. Over 90% of our patient consultations are face to face and our existing surgeries are full to capacity. Our new surgery gives us more consulting and treatment rooms allowing us to see more patients. We will also be able to provide an improved range of services with access to a bigger choice of clinicians.

“The centre is bright and airy, and provides a pleasant and comfortable environment for patients, visitors and staff. There are significantly improved facilities for patients with disabilities or limited mobility, and for children.

“I would like to thank our Patient Representation Group for all the help and support they have
offered along the way.”

Sarb Basi, Director of Primary Care for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting this long-awaited project at a time when demand for GP appointments is greater than ever.

“The opening of this state-of-the art medical centre is an important development for the local community, providing much-needed extra space and additional modern facilities for both patients and staff.

“It will also allow the practices to meet the growth in patient demand as well as offer additional care to the benefit of patients and help us to integrate with wider health services in the area.”

Midlands-based construction company Speller Metcalfe was responsible for building the state-of-the-art facility to meet the sustainable BREEAM Excellent standards. This means that the medical centre meets a number of sustainable standards including energy, waste, pollution, materials and management.

Rob Lashford, Divisional Director for Speller Metcalfe said: “We are delighted to see the completion of this new medical centre for the residents of Walsall. “As a local contractor, we know the difference these improved facilities will make to the provision of healthcare in the area.”

Walsall is in the middle of a £1.5billion transformation with numerous projects currently underway to improve connectivity, increase jobs and housing and provide new business opportunities. The completion of Hatherton Medical Centre is one of many exciting developments that will improve services and quality of life for Walsall people.

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public Spaces, said: “The new state of the art Hatherton Medical Centre will be an asset to the borough, serving the community from a central and well-connected location.

“It’s especially exciting to hear that the facility meets the sustainable BREEAM Excellent standards and helps us to move towards our target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The facilities available at the centre will make a huge difference to healthcare services for Walsall people and I am delighted to see the completion of the project.

Have you visited the NEW Emergency Care (A&E) & Urgent Treatment Centre at Walsall Manor Hospital? We would like to hear about your experiences.

We will produce a public report so that you and the service providers can see how the service is being delivered from a patient's point of view. What is working and maybe what is not?

More than 39,000 GP appointments were missed in September, new data for the Black Country has revealed.

The latest figures for GP access shows that in September more than 630,000 appointments were delivered in the Black Country, however nearly 40,000 appointments were recorded as “did not attend” – commonly referred to as DNAs. This is where a patient fails to attend an appointment and does not cancel so it can’t be rebooked by the practice.

To understand the reasons why people might not cancel appointments that are no longer needed, the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) is encouraging patients to share their views and take part in a survey.

The survey asks about their previous experiences with cancelling GP appointments and what measures they think should be put in place to help with this. It also includes questions such as why they might have missed a GP appointment, for example for issues with travel, work commitments or having caring responsibilities.

To help focus our work projects for 2024/25. We need you, the Walsall public, to take part and answer a small number of questions. What you say could help reshape services to improve the service user experiences in the future. Make a difference today!

To read and download a copy.

Dental services across the West Midlands are commissioned by the Office of the West Midlands, on behalf of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Black Country ICB.

We want to know what’s important to you when accessing orthodontic treatment. Whether you’ve recently had orthodontic treatment, or simply want your voice heard, your input is vital for helping us shape how these services are provided in the future.

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.

Pop-up COVID-19 and flu vaccination clinics have been set up in the Black Country with British Sign Language (BSL) support available for those who need it. The community pop-up clinics are being hosted at a range of locations in Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell, with no appointment necessary.

A number of the clinics will be fully supported by a BSL interpreter, providing support for the deaf community who want to come forward for a winter vaccination.

Anyone aged 18 and over who is eligible for an autumn COVID-19 or flu vaccine is invited to come forward.

Those eligible for both winter vaccines include people aged 65 and over, those that are pregnant, adults and children (aged six months and above) with certain health conditions, care home residents, frontline health and social care staff, unpaid carers and household contacts of people with a weakened immune system.

BSL interpreters will be available at the following pop-up clinics over the next few weeks:
• Morrisons, Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, WS107BD, Thursday 2 November, 10am2pm
• Tesco, Brownhills, Walsall, WS8 6DZ, Monday 6 November, 9am-1pm
• The Square, New Invention, Willenhall, WV12 5EA, Wednesday 8 November, 10am2pm
• Park Village Education Centre, Cannock Road, WV10 0RA, Tuesday 14 November,
1pm-7pm
• Dudley Market Place, High Street, DY11PQ, Friday 17 November, 9am-1pm

Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “Having a flu and/or COVID-19 jab can help make sure you and those you care for are well protected during the winter months and beyond.

“Our pop-up clinics are a great way for those eligible for a flu or autumn COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated at a time and location that suits them, with no appointment necessary. “However, it’s important that they are accessible and inclusive as possible to ensure our communities feel supported to come forward for a vaccination, which is why we have also set up dedicated clinics which will have a BSL interpreter on site to support for BSL users.

“If anyone is hesitant about the vaccine or has any questions, the clinics are an opportunity to speak to experts from the NHS in a private and confidential environment, so please do pop along even if it’s just to have a conversation.” Christopher Beech, Project Development Manager at Zebra Access, a deaf-led charity in Wolverhampton, said: “It is well documented that Deaf, Deafblind, Hard of Hearing and Deafened people are more likely to suffer from ill health due to lack of communication access to Health services and provisions.

“Therefore, it is fantastic to see the planned pop-up vaccination clinic providing BSL access during November across different sites for this marginalised group as we approach the winter season.”

In addition to the pop-up clinics, eligible people can book their autumn COVID-19 vaccine online
via the National Booking System, or by calling 119.

Calls to 119 are free from mobiles and landlines and the booking service provides support in 200 different languages. Those who have difficulties communicating or hearing, or are a BSL user can use textphone 18001 or the NHS 119 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter service Flu vaccinations are also available at a range of community pharmacies. To find a pharmacy near you visit the NHS website.

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.