Unfortunately, our colleagues in general practice are once again seeing a rise in hostility and abuse, particularly towards reception staff and care navigators. We know that patients are frustrated and feel that they cannot always get an appointment with their GP. However, we also know that the GP is not always the best person for patients to see, when they could instead be seen by a specialist, such as a first contact physiotherapist, and so on. On top of this, there is never an excuse to be abusive or violent towards staff. 

The Together Against Abuse campaign, highlights the abuse that GP staff face. You can view the hard-hitting video here. We have also been promoting the latest phase of the primary care access campaign. This phase focuses on educating patients about the new specialist roles within GP practices, to help explain why people are sometimes given an appointment with a different member of the GP support team. You can view the information for this phase of the campaign here. Please keep a look out on our social media channels and share this messaging with your friends and family.  

Extra appointments are being made available across primary care to support patient access this winter. The enhanced offer means that around 5,000 additional appointments are available every week through GP practices across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. All appointments can be booked by contacting your own GP practice and people will be navigated to the most appropriate appointment for their needs.

Patients are also reminded that many minor ailments, which are typical at this time of year, can be easily treated at home with over-the-counter medicines or dealt with by community pharmacies.

Following a thorough and extensive recruitment process, Buki Adeyemo was successful in securing the position with immediate effect. Buki became the trust's Interim Chief Executive two years ago, having previously served as the Medical Director from 2012.

During her time as Interim Chief Executive, Buki has led the trust through the challenges of the pandemic, the delivery of innovative transformation projects to improve patient care, and welcomed the accolade of the prestigious HSJ (Health Service Journal) NHS Trust of the Year. 

MPFT is working with partners to pilot new falls prevention methods. The Trust has identified opportunities to pilot innovative support and technology to enhance its offer to patients and help minimise the impact falls have on quality of life and health along with the financial impact to the NHS. Read more.

The NHS is rolling out an expanded mental health support service for Armed Forces veterans. The NHS Op COURAGE service is genuinely unique – those who deliver it are not only highly trained professionals, but they are also either ex-military or know the military culture first-hand, helping them to build trust with those seeking help and to deliver more personalised and effective care.

More than 30,000 referrals have been made to the veterans’ mental health and wellbeing ‘lifeline’ service since it was first launched by the NHS. But while it has continued to develop to support more veterans with a wider range of mental health problems there are still many service-leavers who find it difficult to come forward, or don’t know where to turn. The new campaign will help boost awareness of the NHS Op COURAGE offer to those who have served – complementing the extensive efforts many colleagues working in areas with large Armed Forces communities already make all year-round to deliver and promote local offers, including the growing network of veteran-friendly GP practices.

There’s now a new and easy way for people in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to get help with hearing issues through the NHS. If eligible, they can even refer themselves to NHS audiology (hearing) services without needing to see a doctor first.

Patients can check if they are eligible by answering a few questions about their hearing. This helps to make sure people get the right care at the right time. A short online form is available online. A paper copy is also available to download and print here. You can find more information on the local eligibility checker by following this link. Read more.

The Integrated Care Board’s (ICB) People’s Panel is our specially selected panel of local people who are at the heart of helping us to achieve our vision to make Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent the healthiest places to live and work in England. We are inviting you to join the more than 1,400 people who are already a part of the panel and help inform health and care services in your local area.

Everyone has experience of using health and care services and we want to hear your opinions and feedback. We are inviting members of the public to play an active role in helping to improve these services, for the benefit of everyone.

The panel is digital only and members will be asked to complete short surveys to help us understand views about health services and people’s experiences when accessing health care. The panel is representative of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent population and you can read more about the People's Panel and how to get involved here.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service are urging residents across Staffordshire to Be Warm, Be Safe as low temperatures and high heating costs continue across the county.

As the cost of living increases, so too does the need to heat your home cheaply. However, this can bring with it some serious dangers. With more people looking to low-cost, unsafe ways to heat their homes this winter comes an increased likelihood of accidental house fires.

During the winter period last year, the rescue service attended 105 accidental house fires. Whilst this is a reduction on the previous year, we need to make sure that that number continues to go down and that people understand the risks involved with alternative heating methods. You can find a list of some of the most common causes of house fires and what you can do to avoid them here.

UHDB has launched new fasting guidance for adult patients which will allow them to sip a small cup of water every hour up until the time of their procedure. Feedback from patients showed that having to go for prolonged periods of time without being able to drink is uncomfortable and causes dehydration. The new guidance, known as Sip Til Send, aims to make patients more comfortable before their procedures, but also provides benefits afterwards, too. Read more.

East Staffordshire Primary Care Network (PCN) are celebrating after picking up the ‘Embedding Research Award’, at this years’ Clinical Research Network Awards. Taking place at Grand Central in Wolverhampton, the awards recognise and celebrate the work and achievements of those involved delivering research from across the region.

East Staffordshire Primary Care Network is made up of all 18 GP practices in East Staffordshire and covers 150,000 patients, with a focus on local patient care. Read more.

Staffordshire County Council is planning to build two new nursing homes in Lichfield and Tamworth, in response to increasing demand from an ageing population. If these proceed they will use the latest in technology and innovation to provide high quality care. The plans are still in the early stages and are subject to planning permission and final costs. If everything goes ahead, the two homes should open in 2027.  Read more.