Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of people living with life-threatening illness and people close to them. It prevents and relieves suffering and focuses on helping people to live well until the end (Hospice UK 2020). Worldwide approximately only 14% of people who need palliative care currently receive it. In the UK, 90% of people who die would benefit from palliative care, meaning over 600,000 people each year need it; a figure only going to increase as the population ages and the complexity of conditions from what people are dying from increases. If the current trend continues, the demand for…

University of Nottingham spin-out company Cerca Magnetics has been awarded £2m as part of £45 million government investment in the UK’s quantum sector for wearable brain imaging research to help detect early signs of dementia. The investment announcement was made during a visit to Cerca Magnetics Nottingham headquarters this week by Science Minister Andrew Griffith MP who outlined how this funding supports the government’s vision to transform into a quantum-enabled economy by 2033. Professor Matt Brookes from the School go Physics and Astronomy explaining the wearable brain scanning technology to the Science Minister. The wearable OPM-MEG system was originally prototyped…

The World Car Awards jury panel representing 100+ journalists from 29 countries have voted Adrian Newey, OBE, Red Bull Racing as the 2024 World Car PERSON of the Year. As Chief Technical Officer of Red Bull Racing, aerodynamicist Adrian Newey is the designer and driving force behind the RB19, the most dominant race car in the history of Formula One. In 2023, it won 21 of 22 races enabling Red Bull’s sixth and Max Verstappen’s third World Championships and establishing the design concept to be pursued by most of its competitors. After 35 years in Formula 1 and more than 200 victories for cars of his…

Birmingham City Council’s youth services will be retained under an enhanced new model following feedback and engagement during the consultation process. The consultation period concluded Friday 17 January 2025, after being extended due to the high level of feedback received from youth service colleagues, partner organisations and young people. Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families Councillor Mick Brown said that input has been instrumental in shaping a robust, sustainable, and enhanced operational model that will effectively deliver the service’s priorities and support young people across Birmingham. During the consultation period, more than 1,500 responses were received from young…

The government has published a call for evidence to seek views on a new pay scale for nurses. It will collate feedback from across the health sector on the merits of a separate pay structure for nursing staff in the NHS, considering both the risk and benefits of this approach. The government has heard the concerns of nursing staff and their representatives about the challenges they face in terms of career progression and professional development. The call for evidence will seek to understand whether the Agenda for Change contract – covering more than 1 million NHS workers such as nurses,…

THE HUNDRED RETURNS TO BIRMINGHAM FOR 2024 AFTER A RECORD YEAR After a record year in 2023, The Hundred will return to Birmingham in 2024, delivering a month of world-class cricket and blockbuster entertainment for all the family.  Birmingham will… by Asian World2024-01-28 After a record year in 2023, The Hundred will return to Birmingham in 2024, delivering a month of world-class cricket and blockbuster entertainment for all the family. Birmingham will host its first game on Saturday 3 August, with both the Phoenix men’s and women’s teams kicking off their competition against Southern Brave. The Phoenix will then be back…

Research shows exercising more was the UK’s most common New Year’s resolution for 2024*, and the Government is helping hundreds of thousands more people across the UK keep their resolution and get active by delivering high-quality grassroots sport facilities. From Belfast to Bracknell, over 1,100 projects are receiving funding that will go towards facilities such as changing rooms, pavilions, state of the art 3G artificial grass pitches, goalposts and floodlights, improving access to sport and physical activity for local communities. Sports Minister Stuart Andrew announced the funding during a visit to Oaklands Park in Chichester, where over £700,000 from the…

Fake reviews, shop labelling and hidden fees that make shopping more difficult and expensive for consumers will all be targeted head on to clamp down on unfair trading practices. Following a consultation into consumer transparency and as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCC), the Department for Business and Trade will officially add fake reviews to a list of banned business practices, outlaw dripped fees that are unavoidable for consumers and ensure that businesses provide clearer labelling for prices on supermarket shelves. These measures will be legislated for as part of the DMCC Bill as it progresses…

Businesses are set to benefit from reduced costs and burdens as import labels are made digital for the first time. Digital labelling will allow businesses to put important regulatory or manufacturing information online rather than requiring them to physically print it on their products – saving time and money which can be pushed towards scaling up and growing their company. This measure has been made possible by leaving the EU and provides greater flexibility than the EU’s regulatory requirements while better reflecting the modern and digital world of business and international trade. This follows the Product Safety Review consultation and…

The Walsall Food Summit organised by Food for Life Walsall (a Soil Association programme) with Public Health Walsall took place on 17 January 2024 at Walsall Football Club. It began with an introduction from Nadia Inglis, Interim Director of Public Health at Walsall Council, who talked about the need for easy access to good food that is not only healthy, but affordable and sustainable too. The Walsall Food Summit was a catalyst for action, with a focus on building on the great work that is taking place in Walsall and identifying priority actions for a borough-wide food plan, which has…