The NHS has worked with the local community in Wolverhampton to host a health event to help people stay well this winter.
The event, which was open to everyone, took place on Sunday 10 December at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Wolverhampton from 2pm-4pm.
Organised by the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) in partnership with Gulshan Radio, the event aimed to highlight the importance of health and help the local community understand their own health needs, as well as raise awareness of the support that is available locally.
More than 60 local people attended and were able to meet and talk with health and care professionals to get advice on a range of topics including cancer screening, winter wellness, COVID-19 and flu vaccinations and immunisations in pregnancy.
Attendees were given the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked, with more than 20 people signposted to their GP for further investigation. Those eligible for a COVID-19 and/or flu vaccination were also invited to come forward, with more than 48 winter vaccines administered by the vaccination team during the day.
Dr Mona Sidhu, Medical Director of Primary Care for the NHS Black Country ICB attended the event and said: “We know that not everyone accesses health services in the same way so it’s important that we work with local communities to host these important sessions to help us reach people who might not normally engage in these types of services.
“Our aim was to overcome any language barriers, and cultural differences or concerns, to highlight the importance of health and help the local community understand their own health needs. The engagement on the day was fantastic and attendees came away with tangible, practical advice on what they could do to stay well this winter.”
Gulshan Dhingra, Chairman of Gulshan Radio, said: “The winter wellbeing workshop held in Wolverhampton marked a significant milestone as attendees, for the first time, had the opportunity to access vaccinations through the dedicated NHS vaccination van, resulting in an overwhelming response.
“The enthusiastic participation in receiving flu and COVID-19 booster vaccines underscores the importance of our grassroots health initiatives.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all attendees and express our commitment to working with the NHS Black Country ICB to continue providing valuable health workshops to meet the needs of our community."
