Health & Wellbeing

An intrepid grandmother is calling on adventure seekers to make a difference in 2022 by joining a St Giles Hospice fundraising trek or challenge. Hospice supporter Haley Stone, aged 56, is already thinking about which adventure she wants to try next after tackling a two-day Cornish Coastal Challenge last September (2021).

The latest Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports 2021-22 for week ending 2 January 2022 show:

·         There was a total of 562,062 instances of staff absences

·         249,173 instances of staff absences were covid related, an increase of 41% on the previous week

A contribution from local company, Triton Showers, has helped the George Eliot Hospital build a brand-new outdoor space for its inpatients.

The shower manufacturer donated £5,000 towards the hospital’s Serenity Garden Project, with the first phase of the build now complete. The garden will provide a much-needed outside area for patients to enjoy.

Many overindulge during the festive period, but now, across the UK people have started their Dry January cleanse to kick off the new year; a record breaking 6.5 million Brits participated last year and this number is expected to continue growing. Whilst a dry month may be a post-holiday goal, popular dating app Bumble predicts that the trend of ‘dry dating’ (dating sans alcohol) is going to last well past the 31st of January. 

A new health and wellbeing project for ex-servicemen and women at Birmingham Museums has helped four local veterans get back on the road to recovery by conserving vintage motorbikes from the city’s collection.

Volunteering for Veterans was set up by Birmingham Museums in 2021 to support former members of the local Armed Forces community by providing skills development opportunities alongside social and wellbeing activities.

Boris Johnson says he hopes England can "ride out" the current wave of Covid-19 without further restrictions. But he acknowledged parts of the NHS would feel "temporarily overwhelmed" amid a surge of Omicron cases.

The prime minister said there was a good chance he would not impose fresh measures and would recommend continuing the government's ‘Plan B’ strategy in England to ministers. He also announced plans for 100,000 critical workers to take daily tests.

A new Better Health marketing campaign has been launched today to help people prevent risks of developing serious illness and help reduce the risk of being hospitalised with COVID-19.  

Better Health is working in partnership with 15 weight management and physical activity partners who are providing both free and discounted offers and the website will also signpost to local weight management support. 

A care home in Tettenhall has been renamed by residents and team members following completion of its new management earlier this year. Foxland Grange, on Wergs Road, formerly known as Sunrise of Tettenhall, is now managed by Care UK, after the provider announced they will be taking over the management of seven Sunrise Senior Living UK and 19 Gracewell Healthcare’s homes in the UK.

A University of Birmingham-led study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses including mental ill-health and heart conditions if they have a GP-inputted medical history of periodontal (gum) disease

Experts carried out a first of its kind study of the GP records of 64,379 patients who had a GP-inputted recorded history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis (the condition that occurs if gum disease is left untreated and can lead to tooth loss). 

Effective Monday, January 3, 2022, all domestic air travellers to the U.S. Virgin Islands are required to present a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within three (3) days prior to travel to the Territory. The updated protocols recently announced by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. reduces the testing window, from five days to three days, to ensure that visitors and residents are protected as much as possible, given the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

A proof-of-concept trial led by the Universities of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has identified a drug that may offer benefit some patients hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia.

The CATALYST trial tested UK-based bio-pharmaceutical company Izana Bioscience’s namilumab (IZN-101) as a potential therapeutic to treat patients who are hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia, and receiving ‘usual’ care, as well as having high levels in their blood of a marker of inflammation known as C reactive protein (CRP). 

Top medical experts have warned that teens whose parents or caregivers smoked are four times as likely to have taken up smoking.

Analysis has also shown that early teens whose main caregiver smoked were more than twice as likely to have tried cigarettes (26 percent vs 11 percent) and four times as likely to be a regular smoker (4.9% vs 1.2%).

The search is on for unsung heroes across the region, as nominations open for the West Midlands Mental Health Star 2022 awards.

Organised by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the awards aim to celebrate people who are making a real difference in the mental health of others as well as recognising those that have made a significant contribution to improving mental health and wellbeing across their community.

With the holiday season upon us, Caribbean visitors and residents are reminded to continue to protect themselves and the health and lives of those around them by practicing sound health safety measures, while celebrating the spirit of the season.

The Caribbean Tourism COVID-19 Task Force commended the overwhelming majority of Caribbean visitors and residents for their role in contributing to the region’s successful efforts to date to contain the spread of COVID-19 but cautioned that the coming weeks will be critical to the region’s ability to control the virus’ spread and its highly contagious variants which are spiking around the world.

People who have experiences of dementia still have time to take part in an engagement exercise to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on services for those living with the condition in Wolverhampton.

Dementia is a debilitating illness estimated to affect more than 3,000 people in the city, with that number expected to rise by over 50% by 2035.

People who have experiences of dementia still have time to take part in an engagement exercise to determine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on services for those living with the condition in Wolverhampton.

Dementia is a debilitating illness estimated to affect more than 3,000 people in the city, with that number expected to rise by over 50% by 2035.