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The UK Health Security Agency and leading meningitis charities are urging students to make sure they have been vaccinated against meningitis and other diseases before the start of the academic year.
The NHS MenACWY immunisation programme for schools is offered to all pupils in year 9 and 10. UKHSA vaccine coverage data shows around 1 in 8 new students going to college and university this year remain unprotected against these 4 strains of meningococcal bacteria, each of which can cause long-term disability, serious health complications and can be life threatening.
Students are urged to make sure they are up-to-date with all free routine NHS vaccines, and to know the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia as it could help save a life.
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Eligible people living in the Black Country will soon be invited to come forward for a flu and COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccination programmes are set to start from 11 September, with care home residents and those most at risk first in line to receive a dose. The offer will then be opened up to the remaining eligible groups from 18 September, including:
- all adults aged 65 years and over
- people aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
- frontline health and social care workers
- people aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- people aged 16 to 64 years who are carers and staff working in care homes for older adults and pregnant women.
The NHS has been asked to bring the programme forward and will be working quickly to ensure as many eligible people as possible are vaccinated by the end of October due to the increased risks presented by the COVID-19 variant BA.2.86.
The annual flu jab will be made available to these groups at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine, where possible, to ensure they are protected ahead of winter. Eligible people will be able to book an appointment via the National Booking System from week starting 18 September. Appointments will also be available on the NHS App 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.
For more information on the COVID-19 autumn vaccine visit the NHS website.
For more information on the flu vaccine, visit the NHS website.
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Older people in Dudley borough will be able to enjoy a series of fun and helpful events dedicated to celebrating later life this month.
Dudley Council’s public health team has organised the inaugural Ageing Well Festival, which will begin on Monday 25 September and conclude on International Older People’s Day on Sunday 1 October.
More than 80 events hosted by community groups and organisations will be taking place in venues across the borough.
The activities include a mix of informative and interactive sessions on crafts, cycling, walking, drumming, digital skills, wellness and more.
People aged 40 and over are invited to come along to the events and get useful advice on how to live a healthier and happier later life.
The events will be fun and welcoming and focus on all areas of life, not only physical health but also emotional, financial and mental wellbeing.
The full programme of events during the Ageing Well Festival is available on the Let’s Get Healthy Dudley website.
More information about the festival is also available from all 13 borough libraries.
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Dudley Council has launched a new Age Friendly Dudley initiative for businesses in the borough.
The pilot project is taking place in Brierley Hill and Halesowen and will then hopefully be rolled out across the borough.
Businesses are urged to work towards becoming an Age Friendly business to help make Dudley a great place to grow older. They are being asked to work through a checklist, undertake training and stay connected with their customers and community, ensuring they are welcoming and inclusive, which will help to reduce loneliness and social isolation.
Businesses that have pledged to be Age Friendly so far include from Brierley Hill, Moor Tattoos, Round Oak Interiors, Dreamland and Smart Simple Repairs and from Halesowen, Holland & Barratt.
Businesses which become Age Friendly, pledge to:
- Be welcoming and friendly to all
- Have safe and accessible space / facilities
- Support our local community
- Support our staff of all ages
Age Friendly businesses receive a pledge and window sticker to display and are listed on the public health 'Let's Get' website as well as additional ongoing promotion of the scheme.
To find out more about the scheme contact age.friendly@dudley.gov.uk or call 01384 816437.
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12 – 4pm, Saturday 30 September
Have you ever wanted to take charge of your health and wellbeing, but don’t quite know where to start? Join the Black African Caribbean Community Celebration event and welcome the start of Black History Month.
The celebratory day will include:
- Black African Caribbean healthy food
- Entertainment for all ages
- Activities for all ages including an exercise class, dominoes, arts and crafts
- The chance to talk to professionals on a number of issues, including cancer screening, kidney disease, health coaching, cost of living and much more
- Health checks to see how healthy your blood pressure, heart and cholesterol levels are
- Hearing from your local Diabetes Ambassador, Tony Kelly, on his inspiring story of living with diabetes and taking control of his health
It takes place at the Dudley African Caribbean Community Centre, Abberley Street, Dudley DY2 8QY.
Book your place, or call 07471 711006.
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In the Black Country, care leavers who are not entitled to free prescriptions, can apply for a pre-payment certificate so they do not have to pay for prescribed medication.
To be able to apply for this, care leavers must be:
- Registered with a GP
- A care leaver and eligible to receive a leaving care service from either Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall or Wolverhampton Children’s Services
- Be under 25 years old
- Not already be exempt from prescription charges.
Find out more.
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If you are pregnant or a parent/carer to a child under two, there are a range of services which can provide help and support for you and your family, including:
- Midwifery
- Health visiting
- Emotional wellbeing support
- Infant feeding support
- Early education and support
- Safeguarding
- Services for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- Healthy lifestyles
You can find out more on all of these topics by visiting the Dudley Council website.
You can also drop into your local library or Dudley Council Plus to access free Wi-Fi or request a paper copy of the Start for Life information.
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Eligible adults in the Black Country can now receive the shingles vaccine.
Shingles is a painful condition which can develop after a chicken pox infection. It can occur at any age, but the risk and severity of shingles and its complications increase with age and is higher in individuals who have a severely weakened immune system.
Some cases can result in serious symptoms such as blindness, hearing loss, nerve pain and potentially death, however the shingles vaccine can significantly reduce the risk of people developing shingles and experiencing nasty symptoms.
The shingles vaccine was previously offered to adults aged over 70. However, following recommendation from the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the vaccine will now be offered to those anyone who is severely immunosuppressed and over 50 from 1 September. Those turning 65 and 70 will also be eligible for the vaccine after their birthday.
It means thousands more people in the Black Country will be able to get protected against shingles each year. Your GP practice should invite you for the shingles vaccination as you turn 65 or 70, or if you are aged over 50 and have a weakened immune system. If they don’t you can make an appointment yourself by contacting your GP.
For more information on the shingles vaccination, visit the NHS website.
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Extended healthcare teams are now supporting patients in GP practices across the Black Country. With demand on primary care increasing, GP practices are working differently to offer more appointments for their patients.
In the Black Country, 609,044 appointments took place in June 2023, which is 43,000 more appointments than in May 2023 and 73,000 more appointments compared to June 2022. To help manage this demand on services, local GP practice teams now include a range of healthcare professionals who are highly skilled and knowledgeable in the areas they specialise in and can diagnose and treat a variety of health conditions.
The different healthcare professionals that make up extended healthcare team includes:
- General practice nurses and nurse practitioners
- Healthcare assistants
- Physician associates
- GP registrars
- Practice based pharmacists
- Paramedics
- Physiotherapists
- Health and wellbeing coaches
- Social prescribing link workers
- Mental health practitioners.
All appointments are triaged to ensure patients are directed to the right professional. This means when patients contact the practice, a care navigator will ask for a brief outline of the problem. You may be asked questions when you contact the GP, this is so the teams can ensure you see the right professional.
Where appropriate, care navigators will direct patients to another service such as a pharmacy or optician. A video of a local GP in the Black Country, Dr Mandiratta, talking about extended healthcare teams at GP practices can be found on YouTube here.
You can read more about the different healthcare professionals that make up the extended healthcare teams on the Black Country ICB website here.
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