News and reports

Phlebotomy is the process of taking blood samples from Patients, to aid doctors in their investigations and diagnosis. At Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, all blood tests are by appointment only and can be carried out at a number of locations including Victoria Health Centre.

The Department of Foot Health cares for a wide range of foot and lower limb problems amongst the population of Sandwell and West Birmingham community, with the primary focus on preventative care to minimise the risk of complications which are associated with, but are not exclusive to, diabetes.

Our Authorised Representatives facilitated the visit and spoke to 7 patients, both male and female of mixed ethnicities and observed the environment on 1st August 2023.

A pre-set of questions were asked that covered:

• Patient experience of the service including booking appointments, care by
staff, accessibility to the building and information and any suggestions to improve the service.
• How staff meet individual needs of patients including the communication needs
of patients who have impairments, handling anti-social behaviour from
patients / relatives, how to support patients who want to raise a complaint /
concern about the service and suggestions to improve the service.

Here are our October Insights. Find out what the team have been up to and listen to what local people in Sandwell are telling us!

The Department of Foot Health cares for a wide range of foot and lower limb problems amongst the population of Sandwell and West Birmingham community, with the primary focus on preventative care to minimise the risk of complications which are associated with, but are not exclusive to, diabetes. A number of specialist clinics tailored to each patients need are provided, including: nail surgery, neurological foot service, biomechanics, diabetic foot care and specialist wound care management, rheumatology, pod paediatric clinics and Peripheral Arterial Disease.

Urology is the medical term focusing on the urinary tracts of men and women, and on the reproductive system of men. The Urology Department at both City and Sandwell Hospital sites provide a general urological service as well as sub-specialist tertiary referral care. The team of consultant urologists is supported by junior medical staff and clinical nurse practitioners providing a wide range of services for benign and malignant urological
conditions.

The Young Adult Diabetes Transition Clinic is a service aimed at providing care, treatment and education for young people with diabetes aged from 19 to 24 years old depending on needs. The paediatric specialist diabetes doctor will refer young adults to the transition clinic when they are ready.

Diabetes UK information on ethnicity and diabetes references research that states people of African Caribbean (and Black African and South Asian) ethnicities are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than the white ethnic population and at a younger age, 25 years old compared to 40 years old. Age related diabetes can also develop much earlier at around 50 years old compared to 70 years old for the White population.

You might remember our Guided By You tour where we held six workshops in six Towns around Sandwell. We visited each Town and spoke to local people about their priorities. We have collated the comments and suggestions from people in each town, this information is now ready in our Guided By You report which is not live!

Want to see what people in your local area are saying? Use the download button below to see what people are saying in your area.

Join us for our Health Advisory Board Meeting 24th October 9:30 am. For information on joining, please contact us on;
0121 569 7211 or email us at info@healthwatchsandwell.co.uk

Healthwatch Sandwell Insight Report - September 2023

Take a look at what the team have been doing during September!

Healthwatch Sandwell are aware the challenges people facing regarding getting GP appointments, especially during the pandemic. We would like to capture the other side of GP surgeries, what are surgeries doing to improve the patient experience?

This will help:

• Inform patients about improvements the surgeries are making

• Build relationships with Practice Managers and Patient Participation Groups (PPG)

• Promote PPGs