Health & Wellbeing

Diabetes UK is looking for healthcare professionals from the Midlands to lead improvements in diabetes care. The charity is searching for consultants, nurses, GPs, dieticians, podiatrists, pharmacists and psychologists to take part in its Clinical Champions programme.

The award-winning initiative launched in 2014, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, to address the significant variation in patient care and treatment for people living with diabetes in the UK.

Since the programme began, 85 clinicians have been recruited to develop their leadership skills and become champions for improving diabetes care. Between them they have trained thousands of other healthcare professionals, developed innovative new clinics, reduced medication errors and increased the number of people getting the appropriate treatment for their diabetes.

The new champions will be selected based on their leadership potential, clinical expertise and a demonstrable passion for transforming care for people with diabetes. They will be supported with two years of training alongside their clinical work, to help them become strong leaders, identify improvements and drive vital change in diabetes services in their local areas.

Peter Shorrick, Midlands and East of England Regional Head for Diabetes UK, said: “Diabetes is the most devastating and fastest growing health crisis of our time, affecting 4.6 million people. That’s more than any other serious health condition in the UK. When diabetes is not well managed, it is associated with serious complications including amputation, sight loss, stroke and kidney failure.

“Clinical Champions help transform diabetes care and support and provide clinical leadership, which in turn reduces the risk of devastating complications and makes a meaningful difference to the lives of people with diabetes.”

A researcher at Birmingham City University is aiming to boost staff physical activity levels, health and wellbeing by implementing interventions to encourage staff to exercise at work.

As part of his PhD research in the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, Ayazullah Safi has developed five interventions following from his earlier research to encourage colleagues to get active.

These include placing exercise bikes and rowing machines in staff offices, challenging colleagues to complete the 10,000 step challenge and encouraging walking meetings, as well as placing signs promoting health messages by stairs and providing height-adjustable work stations for employees.

Current guidelines state that adults should complete 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling, per week as well as strength exercises twice per week to benefit from a reduced risk of a number of health conditions and boosts to mental wellbeing.

However, it is estimated that one third of UK adults are not getting enough exercise.

Ayazullah explained: “Often people say that they don’t have enough time to exercise when they already have busy schedules involving work, family or personal life commitments.

But we know how important exercising is: it can reduce your chance of major illness such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer by up to 50 per cent as well as being beneficial for mental wellbeing and daily productivity.

If people don’t have time to exercise outside of work, then we need to bring exercise into the workplace. Providing opportunities for staff to step away from their desks for 15 to 30 minutes and get active in the workplace will leave them refreshed and more productive.

There are relatively simple ways businesses can encourage their staff to be more active. Using the stairs instead of the lift or having walking meetings, for example, are easy to implement and cost effective methods.

Employers are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact that lack of exercise and poor fitness levels can have on their physical and mental health both within and outside of the workplace. I hope to provide evidence through my research that these interventions are effective in increasing staff’s physical activity levels, in turn improving their health and wellbeing, and that encouraging exercising at work could be rolled out more widely.”

Ayazullah will monitor and assess the physical activity levels of staff with using a mixture of research methods including questionnaires, focus groups, and ActiGraph - a physical activity monitor.

Ayazullah is one of 50 STEAM Scholars  at Birmingham City University whose research is funded as part of the University’s £3 million initiative to create new subject knowledge and to power cultural, societal and economic improvements in the West Midlands.

Responding to NHS England’s latest winter situation reports, Nick Ville, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation said: “These figures show how vital NHS frontline services are being stretched as hospitals struggle more than ever to see patients within four hours of going into A&E. All parts of the NHS are under intense pressure and this is set to continue.

There is, however, some good news. Fewer patients than last year occupy beds long-term – and this number continues to drop.

Frontline staff can be proud of battling the odds to care for growing numbers of patients across the country, every minute, hour and day.

But we know this isn’t sustainable and we need to find better ways of delivering care to an aging population with ever-more complex needs.

Patients should see some of this intense pressure ease if the new NHS Long Term Plan, with its emphasis on joined-up community care, is implemented well.”

More than 12,000 people have given researchers a greater insight into dementia by playing brain games on their smartphone. Participants, including nearly 1,000 from the West Midlands, complete memory and thinking-based tasks using a smartphone app for just five minutes a day over a month.

Data from their interactions with the app is captured by researchers, helping them understand more about how healthy brains work.

And it is hoped this will eventually enable health professionals to spot the early warning signs of dementia, resulting in improved diagnosis rates.

GameChanger, which was launched last September, is a research project led by the University of Oxford and supported by Alzheimer’s Society.

The app, designed for people who do not have dementia, features a series of games that test specific aspects of memory and thinking that are affected in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Chris Hinds, from University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, said: “People using the app are just playing games but their phones are doing much more – collecting data that we can use to learn about the brain, and to help us understand what is a natural part of ageing and what is a warning sign.”

Among those who have taken part in the study is Lewis and Inspector Morse star Kevin Whately, who appears in an Alzheimer’s Society video to promote the research project.

In it, he says: “Thank you to all those who have united with Alzheimer’s Society and supported GameChanger.

We’ve taken a big step forward already but we still need thousands more people across the UK to be GameChangers for dementia research.

There’s still plenty of time to take part and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get involved.”

Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, Dr James Pickett, said: ‘Dementia begins with tiny changes to memory and thinking that can be difficult to detect with current tests.

Our brains also change naturally with age so determining which are healthy changes and which are the very early signs of dementia can make an early and accurate diagnosis difficult.

That’s why Alzheimer’s Society alongside the University of Oxford launched GameChanger to help us detect dementia earlier. We’re asking people across the UK to download an app and play for just five minutes a day to help us understand these changes to memory and thinking.

Thousands of people aged 18 to 90, from cities and countryside, with and without a personal connection to dementia, have already become GameChangers, but we’re calling for more people to join us today.

Using smartphone technology means now, for a fraction of the time and cost, thousands of people can take part in dementia research by donating just five minutes of their day.

In response to NHS England’s monthly performance statistics, Nick Ville, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation said: “The NHS is seeing ever-increasing numbers of patients in A&E and is buckling under the strain.

Despite the best efforts of frontline staff, the number of patients in England treated within target times at A&E reached significant lows.

Yet we should recognise that this is still an achievement for staff, despite us not meeting the target.

We need to find a more sustainable way of providing care to an increasingly aging population with ever-more complex needs.

The new NHS Long Term Plan, with its emphasis on joined-up community care, is good news for patients, who should see some of this intense pressure ease if the plan is implemented well.”

Consultation proposing to restrict prescribing costs of glucose test strips for people with Type 2 diabetes and insulin pen needles for all people with diabetes open

NHS England is consulting on whether to advise Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to restrict the prescription of glucose testing strips for people with Type 2 diabetes and insulin pen needles for all people with diabetes over a certain price as a cost saving exercise. The consultation period will close on February 28^th.

Diabetes UK has expressed concern at the proposals, and will work to ensure that the views and needs of people with diabetes are represented in any final outcome of the consultation. Diabetes UK will submit an official response to the consultation, and is encouraging people with diabetes to submit their views to NHS England.

NHS England has stated in the consultation document that the intention is not to de-prescribe these items, but for CCGs to consider cheaper alternatives. Glucose test strips (for people with Type 2 diabetes) and needles for insulin pens (for all people with diabetes) are the two items relevant for people with diabetes on the list being consulted on.

These items aren’t optional extras or luxuries, they are essential tools for diabetes management, helping people with diabetes stay on top of their condition and avoid complications in the long run.

 Nikki Joule, Policy Manager at Diabetes UK, said: “We believe it’s vital that people with diabetes who are largely self-managing their condition have all the support they need to do so. We worry that these proposals will undermine people’s ability and confidence to do this, and are also concerned that the cheaper needles proposed by NHS England might not be as effective as the more expensive options.

Everyone’s diabetes and diabetes management is different, and it’s vital that the outcome of NHS England’s consultation takes into account people’s preferences and ease of use, not just cost. We are working to ensure that the views and needs of people with diabetes are represented in any final decision.”

NHS England is encouraging people who will be affected by the proposed changes to have their say in the consultation. Diabetes UK will be submitting an official response, and will work to ensure that the views and needs of people with diabetes are represented in any final decision resulting from the consultation.

Items which would be affected if the consultation’s proposals become reality would be blood glucose testing strips costing more than £10 for 50 strips (for people with Type 2 diabetes) and reusable insulin pen needles costing more than £5 for 100 needles (for all people with diabetes) [1].

People with diabetes can get involved by submitting their views via NHS England’s online survey or by attending one of NHS England’s consultation events. People with diabetes can also submit their views to Diabetes UK to help shape Diabetes UK’s response to the consultation.

Did you know that you can still get your flu jab? Uptake of the vaccine has been lower than the national average in Birmingham and Solihull, so residents are being urged to get theirs before they become unwell.

Flu vaccines are still available, so anyone who hasn’t had one is urged to visit their GP or local pharmacy. This is especially important for at-risk groups, including children aged 2-3, over-65s, pregnant women and those with a long-term health condition. Flu is dangerous for people in these groups, and they are entitled to receive their jab for free.

This year’s vaccine has also been described as a ‘good’ match for the common strains of flu that are circulating this year.

Dr Richard Mendelsohn, a local GP and Chief Medical Officer of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “It’s great news that this season’s flu jab is a strong match for the strains of flu that we are seeing.

It is not too late for local people to have a flu jab, and make sure that they avoid the flu this winter. It’s a nasty illness, and dangerous for those who are in at-risk groups, so we want to do all we can to help local people avoid becoming unwell.”

Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Councillor Karen Grinsell, commented: “Even though flu season is upon us, it’s not too late to have your vaccine. It’s free for those most at risk and can prevent you from getting seriously ill. Don’t delay, ask your GP or local pharmacy and get protected as soon as possible.”

Birmingham Council’s Public Health Service Lead, Chris Baggott, added: “Flu is still circulating, and people are still getting ill, so it’s important that everyone who can get the free NHS flu jab knows it’s not too late to speak to their GP or local pharmacist and book an appointment. It’s important that people protect themselves and those they look after, if they are a carer or work in social care.”

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have received a grant worth over £275,000 from leading men’s health charity, Prostate Cancer UK to help develop a new test to accurately show how aggressive someone’s prostate cancer is, in order to help identify the best treatment for each individual man.

The grants was awarded as part of the charity’s £3 million Research Innovation Awards scheme following a competitive process and detailed assessment from international experts. The scheme encourages researchers across the UK to develop forward thinking, ambitious research proposals which challenge the status quo to help fight prostate cancer.

Current tests for prostate cancer can’t tell the difference between an aggressive prostate cancer which will spread quickly and needs immediate treatment, and one which may never grow enough to cause any harm. The study, led by Professor Paula Mendes, will use nanoparticles to test for specific proteins which indicate that the cancer is aggressive.

Professor Mendes said: “Prostate specific antigen, or PSA, is produced naturally by the prostate. A raised level in the blood can indicate a problem, but this doesn’t always mean cancer. This research uses coloured nanoparticles which bind to sugars attached to PSA proteins to see if they can help us tell whether there is actually cancer, and if so, how aggressive it’s likely to be.

We’re so grateful to Prostate Cancer UK for funding this research to help us show how this would work in practice. If we’re successful, we could start clinical trials in the near future, and hope to eventually see this test rolled out for men across the country.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and the disease kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK, amounting to more than 11,500 men every year.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK said: “Prostate cancer is on target to become the UK’s most common cancer by 2030, and every year over 9,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer too late and told that it can’t be cured.

That’s why Prostate Cancer UK is committed to funding innovative research like this to help find a reliable test which could be used as part of a national screening programme to help diagnose men before it’s too late. We’re using our expertise to identify and fund the most innovative research that will help us tame this disease.

To help us fund even more vital research, we’re encouraging everyone to sign up to March for Men, our series of mass participation walking events taking place across the UK this summer. Now in its third year, the event has raised an incredible £825,000 so far. But the march isn't over - we're still on the road to better tests, better treatment and better care. So, we'd like to ask you to pull your boots on again for an even bigger, even better March for Men in 2019.”

Professor Mendes continued: “Without a more accurate test to show how aggressive the cancer will be, it can be hard for doctors to know what will be the best treatment for a particular man. If successful, our long-term aim is for this technology to replace the PSA test, giving doctors more information to help them decide the best treatments to offer.

This is an incredibly exciting time for prostate cancer research and we’re proud to be part of a movement which could bring about real change for men within our lifetimes.”

In a bid to ramp up its fundraising Prostate Cancer UK launched three March for Men walks, in 2017, to help raise the vital funds needed for research.

Two years on, Prostate Cancer UK’s March for Men series includes walks in Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and London – with more to be announced soon. So far, 6,300 walkers have raised over £825,000 in funds to stop prostate cancer being a killer.

A mental health nurse who leads an award-winning University of Wolverhampton project to support a new way of approaching suicide prevention has been shortlisted for a top award.

Clare Dickens is a finalist in the Thrive Mental Health Star Awards, run by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to celebrate the innovative work people are doing to improve mental health across the West Midlands.

Clare pioneered an award-winning approach to suicide and self-harm prevention, Three Minutes to Save a Life, developed in collaboration with Connecting with People. The approach has been delivered to now more than 1200 University of Wolverhampton staff members, students, police officers, healthcare workers and is also included in allied health care professional curriculum at the university; to include student nurses, post graduate nurse studies, paramedic, physio therapy and pharmacy students.

She has been shortlisted for a 2019 Mental Health Star Award in recognition of her work.

Clare, who is a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, said: “I am humbled to have been shortlisted and more so that someone has taken time out of their day to write and submit a nomination for these fantastic awards that celebrate local commitment to mental health. Whoever you are, THANK YOU.

“I am incredibly proud of Three Minutes and our collaboration with Connecting with People, and to work for an organisation whose leadership and colleagues have supported and embraced a commitment to set out a paradigm shift in suicide prevention and mental health.”

The ceremony will take place on Thursday, 31 January 2019 at the Hawthorns Football Ground, West Bromwich.

Clare Dickens and University of Wolverhampton students provided insights for a new online safety planning resource designed by 4 Mental Health for those who may be struggling and are finding it difficult to reach out for support. StayingSafe.net www.stayingsafe.net/

Public Health England (PHE) is helping parents in the West Midlands to “Make a swap when you next shop” to halve their children’s sugar intake from some everyday food and drinks.

Children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18 year old by the time they reach their tenth birthday, according to Public Health England (PHE). This is based on their total sugar consumption from the age of two.

This figure comes as a new Change4Life campaign launches today, supporting families in the West Midlands to cut back on sugar and to help tackle growing rates of childhood obesity.

While children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in recent years, they are still consuming around 8 excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to around 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year.

Recent data show childhood obesity has reached alarming rates. 23.4% of 4- to 5-year-olds are overweight or obese in the West Midlands increasing to 37.1% in 10- to 11-year-olds.²

Overweight or obese children are more likely to be overweight or obese as adults, increasing their risk of heart disease and some cancers, while more young people than ever are developing Type 2 diabetes. Excess sugar can also lead to painful tooth decay, with 25.7% of 5 year olds in the West Midlands having tooth decay.

To help parents manage this, Change4Life is encouraging them to “Make a swap when you next shop”. Making simple everyday swaps can reduce children’s sugar intake from some products (yoghurts, drinks and breakfast cereals) by half – while giving them healthier versions of the foods and drinks they enjoy.

Parents can try swapping:

• a higher-sugar yoghurt (e.g. split-pot) for a lower sugar one, to halve their sugar intake from 6 cubes of sugar to 3;
• a sugary juice drink for a no-added sugar juice drink, to cut back from 2 cubes to half a cube;

While some foods and drinks remain high in sugar, many companies have reformulated products such as yoghurts, breakfast cereals and juice drinks, meaning these swaps are a good place for families to start.

Making these swaps every day could remove around 2,500 sugar cubes per year from a child’s diet, but swapping chocolate, puddings, sweets, cakes and pastries for healthier options such as malt loaf, sugar-free jellies, lower-sugar custards and rice puddings would reduce their intake even more.

Dr Lola Abudu, Deputy Director for Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, West Midlands said:

“Reducing the amount of sugar children consume can often be a challenge for parents.

“By asking them to ‘Make a swap when you next shop’, we’re making it easier for families to find healthier options of the foods they love.”

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said:

“Children are consuming too much sugar, but parents can take action now to prevent this building up over the years.

“To make this easier for busy families, Change4Life is offering a straightforward solution – by making simple swaps each day, children can have healthier versions of everyday foods and drinks, while significantly reducing their sugar intake.”

Families are encouraged to look for the Change4Life ‘Good Choice’ badge in shops, download the free Food Scanner app or search Change4Life to help them find lower sugar options.

Popular brands – including Nestlé Shredded Wheat, Nestlé Low Sugar Oat Cheerios, Petits Filous and Soreen (malt loaf) – will display the ‘Good Choice’ badge online, in-store and throughout their advertising, to help parents find healthier options.

Customers can also find healthier options in supporting supermarkets including Asda and Aldi, as well as in Londis and Budgens convenience stores.

With a third of children leaving primary school overweight or obese, tackling obesity requires wider action and is not just limited to individual efforts from parents. PHE is working with the food industry to remove 20% of sugar from the products contributing the most to children’s sugar intakes by 2020.

In May 2018, PHE published progress against the first-year sugar reduction ambition of 5%, which showed an average 2% reduction in sugar across categories for retailers and manufacturers.

While breakfast cereals and yoghurts and fromage frais were among the categories meeting or exceeding the 5% ambition, some products in these categories are still high in sugar – this is why Change4Life is making it easier for parents to find lower-sugar options.

Health chiefs in Wolverhampton are backing a hard-hitting campaign encouraging smokers to make a quit attempt in the new year.

Public Health England’s Smokefree Health Harms campaign, hopes to trigger quit attempts among smokers by making them aware of the immediate, personal and irrefutable harm to health from every single cigarette.

The campaign sees the release of a new film at https://www.14dd5266c70789bdc806364df4586335-gdprlock/watch?v=5EOLvHzE1x8 showing the devastating effects of smoking and how these can be avoided by switching to an e-cigarette or using another type of quit aid.

Over three million adults use e-cigarettes, and they have helped thousands of people successfully quit – but research says that nearly half of smokers still either wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or don’t know that vaping poses much lower risks to health.

The film features smoking expert Dr Lion Shahab and Dr Rosemary Leonard using an experiment to show the high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and tar inhaled by an average smoker over a month, demonstrating how this compares to not smoking or using an e-cigarette.

Latest figures show that the number of smokers in Wolverhampton is continuing to fall. The percentage of adults who smoke in the city dropped from 16.5% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2017, amounting to almost 5,000 fewer smokers. Smoking rates in Wolverhampton are now also lower than the national average – which now stands at 14.9%.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable illness and premature death in the country, and quitting is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you.

“Quitting can significantly improve people's health and well-being, on both a short-term and long-term basis. For instance, 48 hours after stopping smoking, carbon monoxide will be eliminated from your body; after 72 hours, breathing becomes easier; and from two weeks onwards, your circulation improves.

“Five years after quitting, your risk of heart attack falls by half compared with someone who is still smoking, while after 10 years it is the same as if you had never smoked. Also 10 years after quitting, your risk of lung cancer is about half that of a person who still smokes.

“While quitting is never easy, the new year is the perfect time to give it a try and I would encourage people to take advantage of the help and support which is available."

Public Health England says that around 60% of England's 6.1m smokers want to quit - but that many try using willpower alone, despite this being the least effective method.

Employers are being encouraged to follow the City of Wolverhampton Council's lead and make a pledge to promote good mental health.

The council has this week joined a growing movement of over 900 employers across England which have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge – a statement that organisations are committed to changing the way they think and act around mental health in the workplace.

The signing of the pledge by the council was a key recommendation of the Wolverhampton Poverty Truth Commission, a grassroots movement working with civic and business leaders to improve the lives of others.

Mental health is an issue which employers cannot afford to ignore. Time to Change estimates that a quarter of British workers are affected by conditions like anxiety, depression and stress every year, while mental ill-health is the leading cause of sickness absence, costing on average £1,035 per employee per year.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "By signing the Time to Change Employer Pledge we are making a commitment to raise awareness of – and challenge the stigma and discrimination around – mental health problems, and to ensure that people with mental health difficulties are supported at all stages of their career with us.

"There are lots of things that employers can do to help their employees enjoy good mental health, from promoting healthy working practices and policies to reduce work-related stress to creating an environment where people feel safe and supported if they need to talk about their mental health.

“It is also important that employers equip managers with the skills and confidence they need in order to speak openly and with understanding about mental health issues with their staff."

Time to Change says that 95% of employers which have signed the pledge have reported that it has had a positive impact on their organisation, and Councillor Malcolm added: "Looking after the mental health of employees makes business sense because tackling stigma can make a real difference to sickness absence rates and staff retention, wellbeing and productivity.

“It's a win-win for everyone, and I would encourage other employers in Wolverhampton, large and small, to join us in taking the pledge."

The council’s Managing Director Tim Johnson said: “The health and wellbeing of our employees is a key priority for myself and the rest of the council’s senior leadership team, and we are very pleased to sign this pledge and to promote good mental health in our workplace.”

As well as signing the pledge, the council has developed an action plan which will see it establish a dedicated wellbeing working group, provide mental health first aid training to staff, appoint mental health "champions", incorporate employee wellbeing into workforce development strategies, train line managers so they feel comfortable speaking about mental health with their staff, and promote and enable physical activity within the workplace.

To find out more about the Time to Change Employer Pledge, please visit www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/get-your-workplace-involved/employer-pledge.

Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way people think and act about mental health problems. It is led by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, Comic Relief and the National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund.

A community centre has celebrated its 80th anniversary by becoming Wolverhampton's first Healthy Living Hub.

Low Hill Community Centre marked its milestone with a tea party recently, during which the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Phil Page unveiled a plaque officially declaring it a Healthy Living Hub.

It means visitors to the community centre can now receive a wealth of health and wellbeing advice and services, with health champions on hand to show people how to access online support, for instance to help stop smoking or reduce their alcohol consumption, and refer them to appropriate health services such as their GP for an NHS Health Check or community pharmacy for advice on medication or minor ailments.

The Healthy Living Hub also has a dedicated health promotion zone, while the community centre itself offers a wide range of services which support health and wellbeing in some way, including a gym, health and fitness sessions, martial arts and activities for families and young people such as cooking sessions, art and crafts and dance and drama.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "The Healthy Living Hub model enables communities to get involved and help bring about better health outcomes for local residents.

"The initiative at Low Hill is building on the fantastic work already undertaken by the community centre which, for the last 80 years, has provided a focal point for the people of Low Hill, The Scotlands and Bushbury."

Lina Martino, Consultant in Public Health with the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “The volunteers at Low Hill Community Centre should be extremely proud of their achievements in becoming the city’s first Healthy Living Hub.

"They have demonstrated fantastic leadership in bringing together a range of local organisations to look at ways to support people to improve their health and wellbeing. Their health champions are able to engage with people that may not have frequent contact with health professionals and let them know about what support is available to them in the community.

"It was very fitting to be able to mark their accomplishment at their 80th anniversary celebrations and we congratulate them for their outstanding efforts.”

Tony Blakeway, manager of Low Hill Community Association, said: "It is great that the community centre has come so far over the years and that is down to the dedication of our volunteers who strive to make our community stronger and better.

"We were delighted to host this event to celebrate our history and to recognise our contribution to improving health and wellbeing of local people in line with what people want and need."

The drive to become a Healthy Living Hub came about thanks to a collaboration between a range of partners, including the community association, pharmacies, local volunteers and the Public Health Team at the City of Wolverhampton Council.

It saw members of the community association teamed up with volunteers from Low Hill Nursery to undertake accredited training through Adult Education Wolverhampton to become qualified health champions.

Müller Corner, one of Britain's best loved yogurt ranges, is set to reduce sugar by up to 9% and gain a creamier texture, thanks to the discovery of a new yogurt culture.

Following a rigorous research and development process which involved access to more than 13,000 strains, Müller discovered that the combination of two specific yogurt strains[1], created a less sour tasting yogurt which means less sugar is required to be added to create a better taste.

Having already reduced total sugar by 13.5%, equalling 1759 tonnes, the new mild recipe could allow Müller to reduce sugar in its Müller Corner range by 9%. At the same time, the dairy company is also removing all added sugar from its core Müllerlight range, reducing the total sugar content by up to 28%

Müller, the Official Yogurt Of British Athletics, has worked for the last 18 months to develop the new culture and the new recipes, which will be available from May 2019. It's backed by consumer testing, with respondents preferring the thicker texture and creamier taste.

The discovery is part of Müller's £100m investment to innovate, develop, manufacture and market a new generation of yogurt and desserts products.

Having recently reformulated Müllerlight Greek Style and Müllerlight Fruitopolis so that they include 0% added sugar, Müller had also previously reformulated the iconic Müller Corner Strawberry flavour so that it has 19% less sugar and launched Müller Corner Plain, the dairy company's first ever Müller Corner made with unsweetened natural Greek style yogurt.

Michael Inpong, Chief Marketing Officer at Müller said:

“From industry leading sugar reformulation to helping children to become more active, we're extremely passionate about empowering people to live more healthy lifestyles.

“So as the UK's favourite yogurt brand, the challenge we faced was how to reduce sugar, without ever compromising on taste.

“By changing the culture we use to make our yogurt we've created something completely unique. Not only does the new Corner yogurt recipe have a thicker and creamier texture, but it has less sugar. It's backed by our consumer sampling, and we're very excited to bring this new recipe to market.”

PHE and NHS England have launched a national exercise to identify and treat patients who have been previously diagnosed with hepatitis C. In recent years new, potentially curative treatments have been developed for hepatitis C, but tens of thousands of people who were diagnosed in the past may not have accessed them.

A new report, the first of its kind, by PHE shows more than 24,500 people in England have accessed new hepatitis C treatments in the last three years. The new report also established that 95% of people who received and completed hepatitis C treatment have been cured of the serious and potentially life-threatening infection in the last three years. This is primarily due to effective new direct acting antiviral medication which became available on the NHS in 2015.

A large majority of those treated (70%) report injecting drugs as their likely risk for acquiring hepatitis C. It is reassuring that treatment is reaching other groups at increased risk of infection, as 11% of those receiving treatment were of Asian ethnicity and almost a third were born outside the UK.

PHE is urging those who may have been at risk of contracting hepatitis C, especially if they have injected drugs, even if only once or in the past, to get tested, as often people with the infection do not have any specific symptoms until their liver has been significantly damaged. Many people do not know they have the infection, and when symptoms do occur they are often mistaken for other conditions, resulting in many people remaining undiagnosed.

Dr Mamoona Tahir, PHE West Midlands Health Protection Consultant leading on blood borne viruses, said: “In the West Midlands region we have almost 4,900 people who were previously diagnosed with hepatitis C but who we believe are not receiving treatment. A significant number of these people are in vulnerable groups such as those who have been in the prison system, people experiencing homelessness, injecting drug users, and people from the migrant population. These people are our primary focus, as they may not be aware that there are now effective treatments available on the NHS which act quickly and do not have severe side effects, also they are less likely to engage with treatment on their own. NHS England and PHE are working towards the goal of hepatitis C elimination by 2025. The West Midlands NHS Operational Delivery Network (ODN) is one of 22 such networks across England, with public health partners working together to coordinate patient treatment pathways between providers to ensure access to specialist resources and expertise. Through this coordinated approach we hope to contact people with hepatitis C and get them the treatment that they need.”

Dr Helen Harris, Clinical Scientist at PHE, said: “Hepatitis C is a serious infection and therefore we are delighted to see that at least 9 in 10 people who have completed treatment in England have now been cured. This is fantastic news, and a step towards eliminating hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030, as knowing the numbers accessing treatment is vital to tackling this infection. We will however continue in our endeavours to find and treat everyone who is living with hepatitis C. If you have been at risk of contracting hepatitis C, particularly through injecting drugs, even if you injected only once or in the past, then I urge you to get tested to see if you would benefit from these new, effective treatments.”

Dr Graham Foster, NHS England’s Hepatitis C clinical chair, said: “This dramatic NHS progress in treating hepatitis C over the past few years is one of the biggest but least acknowledged NHS success stories. By investing several hundred million pounds, NHS England has helped transform the lives of thousands of people, and with fair pricing from the drug companies the NHS has a real prospect of eliminating hepatitis C altogether.”

Rachel Halford, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: “We have an extraordinary opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C in the near future if we can ensure all those living with the virus are treated with simple, curative treatments. We know that many people who were previously diagnosed were never treated, and might be unaware that new treatments are now available. This re-engagement exercise will help ensure everything possible is being done to find, treat, and cure those infected and move towards elimination by 2030."

Two years ago, the UK government committed to a joint ambition with 193 other countries to eliminate the disease as a major public health threat by 2030. As well as testing and treatment, prevention through needle and syringe exchange services and opiate substitution therapies need to be sustained to achieve and maintain elimination.

If untreated, infection with hepatitis C can lead to liver damage, cancer and even death. Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact, most commonly in England by sharing needles contaminated with the virus, but even sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infected person could pass on the virus.

If someone thinks they have been at-risk of catching hepatitis C, PHE recommend they get tested at their local GP practice, sexual health or community drug services. If people aren’t sure about whether they are at risk, they can take a short quiz on the Hepatitis C Trust website to find out if they should get tested.