Community Services – Community Health Champions

Help us to share the importance of vaccine research

vast — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:54:44 +0000

Help us to share the importance of vaccine research

Come and join us for a discussion on how we can encourage people in our local communities to take part in research on vaccines.

The Community Health Champions project is working with the Research and Innovation department at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) to understand how best to get people involved.

The discussion will take place at the Dudson Centre, Hanley on Thursday 16th October from 9.30am – 11.30am.

Research on vaccines is essential for developing safe, effective immunisations against existing and emerging infectious diseases. Vaccinations save lives, reduce long-term health complications and prevent the spread of illness within communities.

Research and Innovation Project Manager at the MPFT Nicki Evans said: “For research to have an impact, it needs to be communicated well. When people understand and connect with the message, they’re more likely to feel empowered to get involved. That’s why we’re focusing on communication methods that really work for our local communities, to help boost participation.”

Community Health Champions who wish to take part should book their place by clicking on the link or email CHC@vast.ac.uk Everyone taking part will receive a £50 shopping voucher as a thank you for their time and input.

Older LGBT+ group shines spotlight on health inequalities

vast — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:04:59 +0000

Older LGBT+ group shines spotlight on health inequalities

LGBT+ people experience health inequalities in many aspects of their lives including their experience of accessing health services.

Being older can add to the difficulties experienced as many LGBT+ people have a long personal history of lived experiences that includes discrimination, rejection and social isolation.

Additionally, some people have lived large parts of their lives without feeling able to tell anyone that they are LGBT+ and this can increase their anxieties about accessing public services. Compared to the general population LGBT+ people have significantly poorer mental health, higher rates of alcohol and substance misuse, and a higher probability of suffering complex long-term conditions

The Health Inequalities grant funding has enabled Stoke-based LGBT+ Older People’s Group to support their social meetings with speakers on health-related issues including breast cancer and bowel cancer screening, mental health, social subscribers and dementia – monthly meetings regularly attracting between 20 – 28 people.

The group also conducted three online surveys to gather feedback from members to better understand their experiences of local services and how they could be improved and the findings are now published in full on the group’s website.

The three surveys covered Adult Social Care, Mental Health and Hospital and Primary Care respectively.

Andrew Colclough, Vice Chair of North Midlands LGBT+ Older People’s Group said: “We’ve shared the findings through our monthly newsletter which is regularly distributed to over 380 people and have received feedback from Staffordshire Adult Social Care Services who were very interested. The findings have also been shared with the national LGBT+ consortium and the national Patient Engagement Network.”

“As a broad theme, we really do want to raise awareness of what LGBT+ health inequalities are and for organisations to think ‘what can we do to make things better’. The most important thing is to have the conversation.”

“Anyone, anywhere accessing any services could be LGBT+ and while there is a not a one size fits all solution, we need services to be visibly supportive of LGBT+ and a wider range of health-related materials with language and imagery so that people feel better represented and welcome.”

“For local Primary Care, we’d like GP services to sign up to the Pride in Practice scheme to show they are LGBT+ friendly.”

North Midlands LGBT+ Older People’s Group would like all local health services to familiarise themselves with the findings and take action to address the themes.

The Three Surveys can be downloaded from the website:

Let’s Make It Better – Adult Social Care

Conducted March 2025, 23 respondents.

Main themes

Need for services to be visibly supportive of diverse LGBT+ identities
Availability of appropriate services and support

Download summary report – Let’s Make It Better – Adult Social Care

Let’s Make It Better – Mental Health

Conducted May 2025, 30 respondents.

Main themes

A need to boost awareness in local mental health services of the disproportionately high number of LGBT+ people with mental health issues
Local mental health services to consider LGBT+ issues and their competence to deal with them. Do staff and/or volunteers require further training to understand and respond appropriately?
A need to boost confidence that local mental health services can meet the needs of LGBT+ people. What can services do to reach out to LGBT+ people and boost their confidence in the services available?

Download summary report – Let’s Make It Better – Mental Health

Let’s Make It Better – Hospitals and Primary Care

Conducted June 2025, 18 respondents.

Main themes

GP practices to consider joining the national “Pride in Practice” scheme? (See here for details – LGBT Foundation Pride in Practice)
The need to improve visibility of LGBT+ friendly materials in GP practices and other health services.
Consideration of staff training and the actual sensitivity of staff to diverse LGBT+ people in practice. As one respondent said “It’s not all about flags and pronouns”.

Download summary report – Let’s Make It Better – Hospitals and Primary Care

Public consultation on future of maternity services in Stafford and Lichfield now closed

vast — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:08:17 +0000

Public consultation on a proposal to permanently close freestanding midwife-led birthing units in Stafford and Lichfield has now ended.

More than 1,400 people took part in a survey designed to gauge public opinion on the proposal which will mean that patients will have to travel to units at Royal Stoke University Hospital, Royal Derby Hospital or Queens Hospital in Burton-on-Trent to have their baby.

Under the plans, antenatal and postnatal appointments will continue at County Hospital, Stafford and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital in Lichfield. Home births will remain an option for patients considered to be low risk.

The plans have also been shared in public meetings and visits to antenatal clinics, postnatal support groups and well-baby clinics.

All feedback is being reviewed over the next few months and the report will help the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) to make their decision.

Both midwife-led birthing units stopped their birthing services during the pandemic and have not reopened because of a national shortage of midwives and falling number of babies born in these units.

Draft Stoke-on-Trent Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

vast — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:55:01 +0000

Information from: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Draft Stoke-on-Trent Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

This Stoke-on-Trent Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment aims to help make sure all residents have good access to local pharmacy services.

It looks at the current pharmacy services across Stoke-on-Trent, whether this meets the needs of local people and identifies any potential gaps in services.

The final version will be published later this year.

The document covers:

what the city’s population looks like,
the health of local people,
lifestyle risk factors,
long term conditions,
what pharmacy services look like at the moment,
how easy they are to access, and more.

If you’d like to read the document, you can do so here.

If you would like to share your thoughts, feedback, and comments, please email phintel@stoke.gov.uk .

Share your feedback on NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Wheelchair Service

vast — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 08:04:43 +0000

Information from: Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Share your feedback on NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Wheelchair Service

The NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (SSoT) Wheelchair Service Is for children, young people and adults, with urgent short-term mobility needs, long-term/Palliative End of Life mobility needs requiring a wheelchair for daily life and includes the assessment, provision and maintenance of wheelchairs and associated equipment.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is currently seeking feedback from SSOT Wheelchair service users, families, carers and stakeholders about the service, and has launched a survey which is open until 11:59 pm on Tuesday 31 March 2026.