If something in your body doesn’t feel right, don’t carry the worry of cancer with you.
Tests could put your mind at rest.
Until you find out, you can’t rule it out.
Contact your GP practice. nhs.uk/cancersymptoms
Bowel Cancer Screening
Bowel cancer screening guide (EXTERNAL PDF LINK)
Cervical Cancer Screening & Prevention
The Eve Appeal is the UK's leading gynae cancer charity.
They offer information, advice and support. Please visit their website at https://eveappeal.org.uk/
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
- Burning or stinging sensation
- Needing to wee all the time
- Not much coming out
You might have a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). You can now get immediate advice and treatment at your local pharmacy.
View more information and find your local participating pharmacy
UKHSA Group A streptococcus Communications
Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria. Lots of us carry it in our throats and on our skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious.
- The most serious infections linked to GAS come from invasive group A strep, known as iGAS.
- These infections are caused by the bacteria getting into parts of the body where it is not normally found, such as the lungs or bloodstream. In rare cases an iGAS infection can be fatal.
- Whilst iGAS infections are still uncommon, there has been an increase in cases this year, particularly in children under 10 and sadly, a small number of deaths.
Investigations are underway following reports of an increase in lower respiratory tract Group A Strep infections in children over the past few weeks, which have caused severe illness.
- Currently, there is no evidence that a new strain is circulating. The increase is most likely related to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing
- There are lots of viruses that cause sore throats, colds and coughs circulating. These should resolve without medical intervention. However, children can on occasion develop a bacterial infection on top of a virus and that can make them more unwell. Background 5
- Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness, but it is highly infectious.
- Scarlet fever is caused by bacteria called group A streptococci. These bacteria also cause other respiratory and skin infections such as Strep throat and impetigo.
- In very rare occasions, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive Group A strep. Whilst still uncommon, there has been an increase in invasive Group A strep cases this year, particularly in children under 10.
- There were 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged 1-4 compared to an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic seasons (2017 to 2019) and 1.1 cases per 100,000 children aged 5-9 compared to the pre-pandemic average of 0.3 (2017 to 2019) at the same time of the year. UKHSA iGAS Communications Support Pack Spread and prevention 6 UKHSA iGAS Communications Support Pack
- GAS is spread by close contact with an infected person and can be passed on through coughs and sneezes or from a wound.
- Some people can have the bacteria present in their body without feeling unwell or showing any symptoms of infections and while they can pass it on, the risk of spread is much greater when a person is unwell.
- Good hand and respiratory hygiene are important for stopping the spread of many bugs.
- By teaching your child how to wash their hands properly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds, using a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes, and keeping away from others when feeling unwell, they will be able to reduce the risk of picking up, or spreading, infections. Key messages: Symptoms Look out for symptoms in your child, which include: o Sore throat o Headache o Fever o A fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel.
- On darker skin the rash can be more difficult to detect visually but will have a sandpapery feel.
- Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect your child has scarlet fever, because early treatment with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications, such as pneumonia or a bloodstream infection.
- If your child has scarlet fever, keep them at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.
As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact NHS 111 if or your GP if:
- your child is getting worse o your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
- your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration o your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39C or higher
- your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
- your child is very tired or irritable
Action Call 999 or go to A&E if:
- your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- there are pauses when your child breathes o your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
Please go to www.nhs.uk/conditions/strep-a for the most up to date guidance
Pain Management – online resources for patients
Live Well With Pain is an on-line toolkit to help support patients towards a better understanding and self-management of their long term pain. The website offers a range of knowledge, skills, tools and resources to be utilised within brief patient contact times. The resources have been tried and tested in pain and self-management services for the past two decades and offer: - A choice of written and audio-visual content, some developed with the input of patients. - Short videos demonstrating how clinicians can approach pain management to progress conversations towards a focus on the changeable aspects of pain. Please visit livewellwithpain.co.uk
Silvercloud Online support for people with Diabetes and Mental Health Conditions
SilverCloud is an online therapy tool available to people with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. It offers online support to people struggling with mild anxiety or depression and can also be supported by and NHS therapist who will follow your progress and provide regular support and guidance through messaging in the programme or by telephone calls along the way.
If you are experiencing symptoms of stress, anxiety or low mood and would like to try online support you can self refer to SilverCloud online therapy programmed by visiting Walsall Talking Therapies :: Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Smoking Cessation
The Walsall Public Health commissioned smoking cessation services are under current review and we hope to be in a position to imminently confirm when a Smoking Cessation service will be re-instated.
Once this has been finalised, we will provide further communication to General Practices across Walsall. In the interim, practices are encouraged to utilise national and widely available resources, such as Smoke Free National Helpline.
Please follow this link for more information.
Weather Health Alerts
See if there is a currently a weather health alert in place
Self Care Week
Self Care Week (15 to 21 November) is the annual UK-wide national awareness week that focuses on embedding support for self-care across communities, families and generations. The theme this year is ‘Practise Self Care for Life’ and its organiser, the Self Care Forum, has produced free resources to help with planning activities, including an 8 Point Plan.
Self Care Week provides the perfect opportunity to support people in their physical health and mental wellbeing - be part of the self-care movement. A series of fact sheets are also available to download, including one on Long COVID/Post COVID Syndrome. Take a look at the website or get in touch with the charity for more details at selfcare@selfcareforum.org. You can also subscribe to the newsletter.
Stress Awareness - The Stress Management Society
Stress is a much used (and abused) term these days. You frequently hear people say “I’m stressed” or “I’m depressed”, yet there is still much confusion about what these terms actually mean and how best to tackle them. But we know. We are the UK’s leading authority on stress management issues, which is why you will regularly hear us talking about this topic in the media.
For years, we’ve been empowering individuals to take charge of their wellbeing through our workshops, guides and regular updates. We also act as a trusted advisor for many companies such as British Airways, Standard Life and Shell, guiding them through the mental wellbeing solution maze.
For more information (including resources to help identify and manage stress) please visit www.stress.org.uk
Self-care management programme
What does the Self-Management Service offer you?
- Self Care Management Programme for people living with long term health conditions
- Caring for me and you course for carers
Please visit https://www.walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/self-care-management-team/ for details.
3 ways to get moving when you have diabetes
If you’re living with diabetes and looking for new ways to move more in your day-to-day life, you can:
- Call Diabetes UK’s Physical Activity Helpline for practical and supportive advice that’s specific to you.
- Join 10 weeks of free online physical activity classes Our Get Moving courses, run by Diabetes UK’s Coordinators, are for people doing less than 30 minutes of exercise a week.
- Visit diabetes.org.uk/get-moving to get inspired and download your free guide to help you plan your physical activity.
Every movement matters and we’re here to help you every step of the way.
To get in touch with the Physical Activity Helpline Advisor or to book onto an online Get Moving course:
Call: 0345 123 2399
Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 6.00pm
Email: helpline@diabetes.org.uk