The input of local people, partners and local organisations is invaluable to us in shaping healthcare services.
We often have involvement exercises running, and the details of any that are currently active will be available below - simply click the title to read more.
Current ICB involvement opportunities
The NOWT Women’s Health Bus Tour will be visiting Dudley Town Centre on Friday 6 March 2026, bringing free, friendly women’s health support directly into the community.
Running from 10am to 4pm, the bus will be located near the fountains and markets and is open to everyone. No booking is needed.
NOWT (Navigating Our Womanhood Together) is a collective of local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations working in partnership with the NHS to support women’s health across the Black Country.
Visitors can drop in to:
- Talk informally with friendly health professionals
- Learn more about menstrual, menopause and reproductive health
- Get information on breast and ovarian cancer
- Access mini health checks
- Pick up free wellbeing goodies
- Find out about local support services
The event is part of International Women’s Day celebrations and aims to break down barriers, reduce stigma and make women’s health support visible and accessible.
Date: Friday 6 March 2026
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Dudley Town Centre (near the fountains and markets)
Free to attend. Everyone welcome.
We are recruiting a Fertility Reference Group to help shape the future of fertility services in the Black Country. This group will play a vital role in ensuring the new service specification reflects the needs, experiences, and priorities of people accessing fertility care.
We are seeking applications from individuals and organisations with lived and learned experience, to review and shape a new specification as part of a re-procurement of the service.
Re-procurement of a service refers to the process an organisation follows when an existing contract for a service is ending and the service needs to be purchased again. It is essentially “buying the service again,” but often with updated requirements and improved value expectations.
Your insights, experiences, and ideas will help us design a contract that delivers an integrated, patient-centred approach to fertility care.
Applicants may include local organisations, community groups, or leaders who are trusted voices in the community, as well as people with direct experience of fertility treatment. We particularly welcome applications from:
- People with lived experience of fertility treatment, including diverse backgrounds such as LGBTQIA+ and black, asian and minority ethnicity communities
- Local fertility support groups and Healthwatch representatives
- Voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise partners working closely with people navigating fertility pathways
- Clinical experts, including fertility specialists, nurses, and other professionals
Commitment required
Members of the Fertility Reference Group will be asked to attend four half-day workshops to review existing insights from our desktop research, critique the draft fertility service specification, considering your expertise, and identify gaps in understanding or areas requiring further engagement.
Four workshops are planned for 2026 (10am - 1pm), these are in person in the Black Country, venues to be confirmed.
- Monday 23 February
- Monday 2 March
- Monday 16 March
- Monday 23 March
There may also be an opportunity to nominate one member of the group as an impartial lay representative to sit on the procurement panel.
Remuneration
Successful applicants will be compensated for their involvement at the rate of £75 per meeting. If further conversations with people and communities are identified, these will be agreed and appropriately remunerated.
More information and how to apply
To apply, please complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) form and submit your completed form to involve.blackcountry@nhs.net by 5pm on Friday 30 January 2026.
If you would like more information or support during the application period, please contact Anna or register to attend our online briefing session on Tuesday 6 January at 12.00pm
Important: Please note that if you are selected for the Fertility Reference Group, your organisation (if applicable) will not be eligible to engage in the procurement exercise as a potential bidder. There will, however, be a separate opportunity to feedback on the service specification at a later stage during market engagement.
Current partner consultation/engagement activities
Every day, NHS staff across Dudley, Sandwell and West Birmingham work hard to provide the best possible care, often under real pressure. Alongside these challenges, there are also opportunities to improve how services work for patients, families and communities.
We are developing a group clinical strategy that will help guide how local health services grow and change over the coming years. This is about making thoughtful, positive improvements that matter to people like you – whether that’s care closer to home, smoother journeys through services, or better experiences overall.
If you would like to share your thoughts in shaping future plans, we'd love you to join us at one of our friendly, informal workshops. Your views and experiences are important, and they will help influence the direction we take together.
Workshop 1
Thursday 19 February, 10:30am until 11:30am on Microsoft teams
Workshop 2
Wednesday 25 February, 10:00am until 11:30am at Oldbury Council House, Freeth St, Oldbury, B69 3DB
See the poster for more details.
Baroness Amos is asking women and families across England to share their experiences of maternity and neonatal care through a public Call for Evidence. Responses to the Call for Evidence will be used to inform the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation’s findings and recommendations.
The Call for Evidence is open for eight weeks from 20 January until 17 March 2026.
The aim of this survey is to gain an understanding of the patient experience of those who have used cancer services in Sandwell.
Healthwatch Sandwell is trying to find out whether people in Sandwell were happy with the treatment and care they received.
This survey is anonymous. Please fill it out online and share with Sandwell residents.
