Black Country hospitals prepare for winter pressures - here's how local NHS plans are shaping up

Hospitals in Dudley, Sandwell, Stafford, Walsall and Wolverhampton have all been working on their plans to ensure they can cope with the seasonal spike in admissions during the colder months. 

And the NHS has been working to keep admissions to a minimum by offering free flu and coronavirus jabs to patients over the past few weeks.

Richard Beeken, urgent and emergency care lead for hospitals in the Black Country, says his staff are preparing for what they expect to be a 'challenging winter'.

"Supporting people to stay well is a key part of our winter plans and this includes making sure people who are most at risk from winter viruses, such as flu and Covid-19, are vaccinated to help protect them from severe illness," he says.

“Our aim is to ensure patients have access to high quality urgent and emergency care services in the right place at the right time, delivered by the right professional."  

 But Mr Beeken says the public also have a role to play by using NHS services wisely over the winter months.

"By simply thinking about which service to use before acting, we can help to make sure everyone in our local community gets the right help at the right time,” he says.

The Black Country Integrated Care System, which manages hospitals in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley, set up a central control centre in December 2022, to bring different NHS services together. The control centre will play an important role in monitoring the flow of patients across the region who are in need of urgent and emergency care.

Last winter saw the introduction of specialist hubs to deal with respiratory infections, and these will be available once more this year.

"They were seen as contributing a positive impact for those requiring services particularly out of hours that would normally have been seen by their GP, emergency department or urgent treatment centre," says a spokesman.

The organisation says the Black Country has led the way in the expansion of virtual wards - which allow patients to be treated at home.

"We were the first system in England to introduce virtual wards for children," the spokesman says. 

"Virtual wards will continue to operate across all four of our acute trusts, and Dudley Group Foundation NHS Trust will increase their capacity by 20 beds this winter."

Sandwell urgent treatment centre will see its hours expanded to 18 hours a day,  while seven additional cubicles will be made available at Walsall Manor Hospital's A & E department.

Walsall Manor will also get an extra 27 beds, while  10 paediatric beds will be created at New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton.  

"The interventions we are putting in place are chiefly aimed at helping people stay healthy at home and avoiding admission to hospital," says Mr Beeken. 

" Where possible we know it is best for people to be looked after in their own homes and this is what we are prioritising this winter." 

This are the plans for the main hospital trusts across the region:  

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust