There has been plenty of activity over the past few months as Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s proposed replacement of the existing outpatients building at Haywood Community Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent gathers pace.

The current Haywood outpatients building contains Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) within its roof. This is a form of prefabricated concrete plank which has become outdated and a national programme is underway to remove RAAC from all NHS buildings. The Trust is seeking to replace the existing building with a modern, fit for the future facility that will support the best delivery of care for patients. Full details can be found here.

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust's (MPFT) Children and Families Mental Health Service in South Staffordshire has won the ‘Reducing Health Inequalities through Digital’ HSJ Digital Award at a ceremony held on 22 June.

The award recognises the successful collaboration between MPFT teams and Sandbox digital mental health platform to provide mental health support through a digital platform with the intention of improving experience and reducing inequalities for some of the most vulnerable in society.

You can find out which other awards the ICB and ICS were shortlisted for here.

The nominations are:

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board’s Learning Disability and Autism Team in the Together category.

The Homeless Healthcare Service for the Community Group category.

Find out more about the nominations here.

Patients from the UHNM are now able to access digital letters from the Trust’s online personal health record system.

Patients Know Best or PKB brings together patient information from the Trust and the patient's own recorded data into one secure health record, helping to deliver high-quality, integrated care while also giving patients the opportunity to better manage their health at home or wherever they may be.

From 5 June, those already registered (or registering) for PKB will receive some of their letters digitally within the portal. This is the next phase in the programme which will see patients eventually being able to access their entire medical history, view test results and book appointments – all in one place.

More information about the benefits of PKB and how to sign up is available on UHNM website.

The QI network is supported by organisations within the ICS across Staffordshire and Shropshire and is a real success story on how we can have more impact when we work together. The next meeting is being held on Thursday 20 July where we aim to Connect, Learn, Share and Improve together on the topic of ‘Involving the people who matter in Quality Improvement’. Poster attached.

This is an online event and there will be a number of networking opportunities, interactive activities, breakout sessions and an opportunity to share real experiences and examples. Anyone interested in improving health and care is invited to join. No previous QI experience required and the session content is aimed to be accessible for all.  Email systemCQI@mpft.nhs.uk for a link to join.

NSCHT have announced that, as a result of the biggest single capital investment at Combined Healthcare since the creation of Harplands Hospital, the first of their new facilities being delivered through Project Chrysalis have now gone live.

Project Chrysalis sets out to further improve the inpatient facilities and patient experiences at Harplands Hospital, including a new 16-bed ward, with individual en-suite bedrooms, assisted bathrooms, a gym facility and more.

Further information and a link to a virtual reality walk through of the new facilities is available here.

MyType1 Diabetes is a free digital resource that offers tailored advice and information created by NHS experts and people living with type 1 diabetes. Adults with type 1 diabetes, their families and carers, and healthcare professionals can use this web-based platform to access information about type 1 diabetes through videos, articles, and accredited online education courses.

The programme is available now via self-referral. You can start using the programme today by visiting www.mytype1diabetes.nhs.uk

A landmark study that aims to deliver a step change in the care of chronic wounds and reduce healthcare costs for wound management has begun patient trials in people with diabetes-related foot ulcers.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) is trialling a smart wound dressing embedded with optical fibre sensors to assess whether affected tissue is healing or infected, developed by researchers at the University of Nottingham following receipt of a grant from the Medical Research Council. Follow this link to find out more.

A useful advice guide has been produced to help people switch to a healthier lifestyle. The Low Carbohydrate guide explains how our bodies deal with sugar and starch and the benefits of switching to a low carb/healthy fat diet.

Developed by the East Staffordshire Primary Care Network, the guide also includes useful links to more information.

If you're living with sight loss in east and south Staffordshire and are looking for help, follow the links below to find out information on Visual Impairment care in the work place and in your home life. Beacon provides free training to all employers and employees. 

Annually, an estimated 5.8 million tonnes of carbon are produced in Staffordshire, stemming from transportation (40%), industry (24%), residential homes (23%), commercial activities, agriculture and others (11%). Local authorities are responsible for the remaining 2% of carbon emissions.

In 2022, the councils throughout Staffordshire joined forces and established the Staffordshire Sustainability Board. The Sustainability Board plans to create closer ties with the public to foster a deeper understanding of individual actions that can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint.

The consultation is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on Climate Change in Staffordshire and directly contribute to the board's endeavours. You can take part in this consultation here.

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust (NSCHT) has launched an online self-referral system for adults and people with learning disabilities within North Staffordshire through its All Age Wellbeing Portal platform. More details can be found here.

Proposals to improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities are open to consultation.

Developed after 12 months of talks with parents and carers, as well as representatives from Staffordshire’s schools, health and social care experts, the proposals look to provide proactive early intervention and increasing capacity to educate children with SEND in mainstream schools. If accepted the new way of providing support is scheduled to be in place across the county by September 2024.

The consultation will be open until July 5th, 2023. People can participate in the consultation by giving feedback online or in face-to-face sessions.

Details can be found here. 

Healthy Ageing is a priority for both the Staffordshire Health and Wellbeing Board, and the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System, and we want to create a plan together. The Staffordshire Healthy Ageing Partnership Group recently hosted two workshop events to help develop a plan for Staffordshire with input from a range of individuals and organisations across the community, public and private sector.

Over 160 people in total attended the events and were invited to participate in a variety of thematic discussions, answering the question ‘How can we work together in partnership to create environments for healthy ageing?’.

Feedback from the events highlighted that a great deal of wonderful work is already happening, which we need to continue to celebrate and share with others, but there are also opportunities to do more. You can view the feedback and 'What happens next' here.

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust's (MPFT) Midlands Metabolic Bone Centre has been granted Centre of Excellence status by the Paget’s Association.

The Paget's Association is a national UK charity providing information and support to all those affected by Paget’s Disease of Bone. The Association funds quality research, raises awareness and supports professionals to achieve excellence in care and research.

Full details can be found here.

Staffordshire County Council have said a BIG THANK YOU to the many Staffordshire Community Learning volunteers. Without the support of volunteers, it would be challenging to provide the excellent experience learners receive. Volunteers provide the opportunity for teaching staff to plan exciting and engaging activities supported by their knowledge and skills.

Volunteers act as inspirational role models for learners and give them something to aim for, building self-confidence.

So, have a look at some of their stories, and what they have to say about volunteering. And perhaps find out how you can join them too.

Cannock Chase District Council is celebrating being awarded Compassionate Community status.

The community was given the honour by Compassionate Communities UK (CCUK) at a ceremony which took place on May 23^rd.

Full details can be found here.

This month saw the inaugural Primary Care Physician Associates Annual Conference take place with over 120 Primary Care Physician Associates (PAs) from across the country in attendance. The conference was held over two days with the first day solely focussed on Primary Care PAs providing those PAs in attendance with primary care focused presentations from a range of expert speakers, a regulation update from the GMC and provided an opportunity to network with peers.

The second day of the conference saw a workforce focus supporting PCNs, PAs and GP leaderswith recruitment, retention and development of this rapidly expanding medical workforce in primary care. You can read more about the conference here.