1. News -

    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
  2. Advice and Information -

    The Accessible Information Standard is mandatory for all organisations that provide National Health Service (NHS) or adult social care.
  3. Advice and Information -

    Do you struggle to speak to your doctor about your medical concerns? You’re not alone. Take a look at our top tips to make the most out of your GP appointment.
  4. Advice and Information -

    Five things you should expect from home care, domiciliary care or help in the home.
  5. Advice and Information -

    How can I get the most out of my next visit to the dentist? Take a look at our tips to help you prepare for your appointment and make sure you understand your treatment and how much it will cost.
  6. Event -

  7. Event -

  8. Event -

  9. Event -

  10. Event -

  11. Event -

  12. Event -

  13. Event -

  14. Event -

  15. Event -

  16. Event -

  17. Event -

  18. Event -

  19. Event -

  20. Event -

  21. Event -

  22. Event -

  23. Event -

  24. Event -

  25. Event -

  26. Event -

  27. Event -

  28. Event -

  29. Event -

  30. Event -

  31. Event -

  32. Event -

  33. Event -

  34. Event -

  35. Event -

  36. Event -

  37. Event -

  38. Event -

  39. Event -

  40. Event -

  41. Event -

  42. Event -

  43. Event -

  44. Event -

  45. Event -

  46. Event -

  47. Event -

  48. Event -