A brand-new, purpose-built mental health unit has officially opened at the Dorothy Pattison Hospital in Walsall. “ I’m delighted that the new state-of-the-art mental health unit for older adults at the Dorothy Pattison Hospital in Walsall is now open. This unit will make a real difference and enhance the quality of care provided to patients, their carers and families. Many of these patients will have dementia and this new facility will ensure they receive the dignity, care and support they need. We are committed to working with our partners to provide the best possible care for our residents and…

Birmingham City Council has appointed a new Director of Public Health. Sally Burns is currently Director of Public Health and Regulatory Services at West Northamptonshire Council. She previously served as Corporate Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods at City of York Council before moving into public health. She developed her career in public health in authorities in East London. Sally is an experienced local authority director with a strong background in community and regulatory services. Throughout her career, Sally has overseen a wide range of services, including housing and housing maintenance, homelessness, environmental services, community safety, leisure, culture, community development, emergency…

Maintaining good posture is a daily struggle for many of us. Whether you’re working on your feet or at a desk, it’s all too easy to slump into bad habits. You probably know that sitting and standing poorly is bad for your back, but do you know about the trouble it could be causing for the rest of your body?  Below, we look at some of the most common side-effects of bad posture – some of which might even surprise you.  Pain This may be the most obvious consequence of bad posture, but sometimes it can be difficult to…

The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) will host its first arena event of the year at bp pulse LIVE (NEC Campus) in Solihull from 29 to 30 March 2025. RLCS 2025 Major Birmingham is expected to draw thousands of fans from across the world. Tickets are selling fast so people are urged to book their tickets now!  Esports (or electronic sports) are organised video game competitions (player-vs-player) with an engaging spectator element to it, like traditional sports. Rocket League is a fast-paced, action-packed esport that combines the thrill of football with rocket-powered cars!  RLCS 2025 Major Birmingham will have national…

Could you reduce your meat consumption? Many red and processed meats are high in saturated fat. Too much saturated fat in the diet can raise the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood. The NHS recommends a daily meat intake of no more than 70g. Reducing your intake of red and processed meats will not only benefit your health, but it is also good for the environment. We have some tips to help you reduce your red and processed meat consumption. What are red, white and processed meats? Red meat includes beef, lamb and pork and it tends to be…

As winter turns to spring and the days grow longer, it’s the perfect time to consider how you can lead a healthier lifestyle.  As winter turns to spring and the days grow longer, it’s the perfect time to consider how you can lead a healthier lifestyle. But we don’t all have the time, energy or desire to commit to running a marathon or climbing mountains. Here are 10 simple health tips from legal healthcare   1. Rise early – as sunrise gets earlier, hauling yourself out of bed early and getting outside can help boost your level of vitamin D, most of which…

The directors of a city business where cockroaches contaminated surfaces and equipment have been successfully prosecuted by City of Wolverhampton Council. Acting on a complaint, the council’s environmental health officers visited The Millions Kitchen, in Showell Road, and discovered the infestation. Food preparation surfaces, equipment and food packaging were all found to be contaminated by contact with cockroaches when officers made their inspection during August 2023. Chris Onohwano Igomuaye and Sikiru Owolewa, directors of The Millions Kitchen, each pleaded guilty to a breach of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 during a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court on…

The Foundation is offering around 20 grants of up to £7,500 each to help with the project costs of running dementia clubs and memory cafes in areas of high deprivation affecting older people over the age of 65 years in Great Britain. Although applications will be accepted from all areas of England, Scotland and Wales, priority will be given to those applications working in more deprived areas. Please see the specified areas in the guidance notes on the Foundation’s website. Locations have been selected based on data from the ONS, Age UK, and the Centre for Ageing Better, with a…

Analysis of data from over 16,700 patients has revealed that ethnic minority patients with heart failure are at much higher risk of death than White patients. According to the study, supported by the British Heart Foundation and presented this week at the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester, there are sizable inequalities in heart failure treatment and outcomes. The risk of death in ethnic minority heart failure patients was calculated to be 36 per cent higher than that of White patients after an average of 17 months. The research also showed that the disparity was greater if patients also had…

Older adults may be slower to learn actions and behaviours that benefit themselves, but new research shows they are just as capable as younger people of learning behaviours that benefit others. Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford found that youngsters, in contrast, tend to learn much faster when they are making choices that benefit themselves. The study, published in Nature Communications, focused on reinforcement learning – a fundamental type of learning in which we make decisions based on the positive outcomes from earlier choices. It allows us to adapt our choices to our environment by learning the associations…