A pioneering service that is helping hundreds of people in Coventry get back to independence after being in hospital is celebrating its first birthday.

Since going live in June 2024, the One Coventry Integrated Team (OCIT) has cared for more than 6,000 patients and helped 840 to avoid unnecessary hospital admission.

The service comprises three Local Integrated Teams (LITS), incorporating health and care professionals care听from University Hospitals Coventry and 江南体育 NHS Trust (UHCW) and Coventry City Council in a single integrated team to support the whole urgent and emergency care pathway.听The teams are based in Newfield House, Opal Centre and Tile Hill Primary Care Centre.

One patient helped by the OCIT service is 88-year-old Joan Foster from Holbrooks who spent eight weeks in hospital听after having a fall in her home and lying on the floor for 10 hours. After she was discharged, an occupational therapist and and a physiotherapist from the North LIT provided support for Joan, including sourcing equipment for her at home. Within two months, Joan鈥檚 care needs were reduced to a single carer once a day.

鈥淲ithout the support, I don鈥檛 where I鈥檇 be,鈥� said Joan. 鈥淭hey gave me the confidence to realise I can do things. I can now get into bed on my own and get to the kitchen to make a cup of tea鈥�.

Over the year, 840 people have avoided an unnecessary hospital admission through the support of the LITs. Fewer people with an urgent care need required a long stay in a care home and more than 2,000 patients were supported for a short while in their home, or close to where they live.

Other achievements of the service include:

• 86 per cent fewer patients requiring a long-term bed in a care home with successful reablement, promoting greater independence;
• More than 1,420 patients supported with therapy in their home or close to their homes.

Jodie Storrow, Lead for One Coventry Integrated Team (OCIT), said: 鈥淟ITs were trialled under the Improving Lives programme in 2024 after a diagnostic showed that older patients with an urgent health and care need were getting the wrong support. One year in, we are demonstrating that we鈥檙e receiving the right patients who are right for our service.鈥�

鈥淲hat we鈥檝e achieved in a year is truly astonishing. I would like to thank each and every member of the LITs for their compassion and dedication to working differently to deliver improved outcomes for the people of Coventry. Day in, day out, they are working as a single integrated team which is fundamentally changing the way we support people with an urgent need鈥�.

As part of the Trust鈥檚 ongoing efforts to reduce waiting lists, patients at University Hospital, Coventry and the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby are being contacted via SMS text message.

By completing this important survey, you will help us to ensure that our waiting lists are up to date so we can effectively prioritise your care and our resources.

Patients who have been waiting for 18 weeks or longer are being contacted via SMS and will receive a unique four-digit pin and a link to a secure portal. After clicking the link, you will be prompted to enter your pin and date of birth to log in before being asked to complete a short survey.

Texts have begun being sent out today to Gynaecology patients. Patients in the following specialities should be contacted between Monday 2^nd June and Monday 9^th June:

• Bariatric Surgery Service
• Breast Surgery Service
• Cardiac Rehabilitation Service
• Cardiac Surgery Service
• Cardiology Service
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Service
• Chemical Pathology Service
• Clinical Neurophysiology Service
• Clinical Pharmacology Service
• Colorectal Surgery Service
• Diabetes Service
• Ear Nose and Throat Service
• Endocrinology Service
• Gastroenterology Service
• General Surgery Service
• Gynaecology Service
• Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Service
• Hepatology Service
• Infectious Diseases Service
• Interventional Radiology Service
• Maxillofacial Surgery Service
• Medical Oncology Service
• Neurology Service
• Neurosurgical Service
• Nuclear Medicine Service
• Ophthalmology Service
• Optometry Service
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service
• Oral Surgery Service
• Paediatric Ophthalmology Service
• Pain Management Service
• Plastic Surgery Service
• Renal Medicine Service
• Respiratory Medicine Service
• Respiratory Physiology Service
• Rheumatology Service
• Spinal Surgery Service
• Thoracic Surgery Service
• Trauma and Orthopaedics Service
• Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Service
• Urology Service
• Vascular Physiology Service
• Vascular Surgery Service

If you hear from the Trust, please respond as soon as you are able within 30 days.

Answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs) can be found here.

Paracyclist Lissie Simpson is hoping her 鈥楢merican Dream鈥� comes true in 2028.

鈥淩epresenting Team GB and winning a gold medal has been my goal from a young age,鈥� said Lissie. 鈥淚 am determined to achieve this and prove anything is possible.鈥�

If she can achieve her aim at the Los Angeles Paralympics, Lissie, a physiotherapist at University Hospitals Coventry and 江南体育 (UHCW) NHS Trust, will have overcome the odds to do so.

A member of the Great Britain Under-19 Handball team as well as a regional hockey and football player, Elisabeth was a sporting-mad teenager.

But in 2015, while undergoing surgery on a brain tumour, she suffered a stroke that left her paralysed down the left side.

鈥淚 had to learn to walk again and to do things one handed with my non-dominant right hand,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I am a very determined individual and returned to university to complete my degree in physiotherapy.鈥�

Lissie鈥檚 first exposure to paracycling came in 2022 at a British Cycling talent ID day where she was spotted as having the attributes required to develop as an elite athlete.

鈥淎s a child I was often on my bike; cycling to school, to the park, to see friends gave me so much freedom,鈥� she recalls.

鈥淲hen I went on a borrowed road bike at the Talent ID day I felt free. For the first time I could do something that felt somewhat similar to before my stroke - I could pedal on two wheels.鈥�

Since then, Lissie has gone from strength to strength and in February was crowned champion in the Women鈥檚 1Km Time Trial for C1-5 para cyclists at the National Track Championships with a world record time. She has just returned from Para-Cycling Road World Cup events in Belgium and Italy.

鈥淚 am a driven individual working towards being the best women鈥檚 C2 rider there is,鈥� added Lissie, who rides with Royal Leamington Spa Cycling Club and self-funds her coaching equipment and travel costs.

鈥淎s part of the Community Stroke Team, I鈥檓 also passionate about helping patients achieve their goals when they are recovering from a stroke.

鈥淚 had community rehab myself and having that empathy of knowing what they are going through helps me to build great relationships with patients.鈥�

Stroke Awareness Month takes place every May to highlight the realities of stroke, the importance of recovery support, stroke prevention and causes.

For more information about care at UHCW, please click here.

* Cycling pictures courtesy of SWpix.com

A state-of-the-art centre has been opened that could help clinicians advance personalised medicine by understanding complex biological systems.

The Multi-Omics Research Laboratory at University Hospitals Coventry and 江南体育 (UHCW) NHS Trust could also support the development of new diagnostic tests.

Based at University Hospital, Coventry, and hosted by the Research and Development Institute of Precision Diagnostics and Translational Medicine, a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure grant of more than 拢1million helped to fund the facility. This was awarded to Professor Dimitris Grammatopoulos, a Professor of Molecular Medicine and Consultant Clinical Scientist at UHCW.

Researchers will be able to gain a greater understanding of conditions such as diabetes, pre-eclampsia or cancer and, from this, work towards identifying new treatments.

Lead Scientist Emma Braybrook said: 鈥淭his is a fantastic new facility and emphasises that research is a leading priority for the Trust.

鈥淚t will allow researchers from across the UK access to some of the most advanced technology in the field and the information that we generate for them could help generate significant findings.鈥�

Multi-omics research combines data from different "omics" fields, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of biological systems.

By integrating this diverse data, researchers can identify complex relationships and pathways that wouldn't be apparent from studying individual omics data alone.

About 75 guests from around the country attended a launch event sponsored by Olink Proteomics and Bruker Spatial Biology and were welcomed to the Trust by Chief Executive Officer, Professor Andy Hardy.

They were able to hear from experts in the field on how they have used the technologies within their research and how these latest advancements can shape the future of healthcare.

The facility is working in collaboration with the Trust鈥檚 Arden Tissue Bank (ATB) which provides access to a diverse range of high-quality human tissue, whilst complying with legislation and regulation, for ethically approved projects.

Recent expansion means that samples and data can now be provided from patients supported by UHCW NHS Trust, in addition to George Elliot NHS Trust and South 江南体育 University NHS Foundation Trust.

鈥淭his relationship means that researchers can not only access the technology within the facility, but also ethical approval and samples in one seamless process,鈥� added Emma. 鈥淭his is a unique offering and one that we hope will really support researchers.

The Arden Health Partnership has officially been launched between local NHS organisations and universities to improve health outcomes and tackle health inequalities across the region and beyond.

UK health systems are facing rising health inequalities, a huge increase in demand for mental health services and the challenge of integrating digital health solutions and personalised medicine with stretched resources. Through the collaborative action of private-public-academic partnerships, such as the newly announced Arden Health Partnership, public health improvements can be realised.

The members of the Arden Health Partnership have a shared mission, to measurably improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce health inequalities across Coventry and 江南体育. It will bring together:

• The University of Warwick and Coventry University
• The NHS Coventry and 江南体育 Integrated Care Board (CW ICB)
• Three local NHS Trusts: University Hospitals Coventry and 江南体育 NHS Trust (UHCW); South 江南体育 University NHS Foundation Trust and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust - The Foundation Group
• Coventry and 江南体育 Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT)
• Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM)

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor of the host institution, The University of Warwick said: 鈥淭he Arden Health Partnership will create a positive change for the health and wellbeing of people in our local area.

鈥淎s we mark our 60th anniversary this year, we are reaffirming our commitment to making a better world through our world-leading research and education.

鈥淭his new partnership enables us to leverage our expertise, research capabilities and skills, alongside our NHS and academic partners to deliver real impact for our communities.鈥�

Efficient working practices between the academic, NHS, local government, third sector and industry partners will also allow the Arden Health Partnership to pool their expertise and work on locally impactful projects as well as secure funding for the region to meet the wider needs of patients and service users.

Professor John Latham CBE, Vice-Chancellor of Coventry University and Group CEO said: 鈥淲e know that one organisation cannot solve challenges like tackling health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing outcomes in our area on their own, so this collaboration is a commitment to working together to address regional health challenges.

鈥淎t Coventry University we are innovators and don鈥檛 just want to create better futures for our students and colleagues, but also for the people of Coventry and our whole region. That is why this collaboration is important as we hope our academics, and students, many of whom are on track to become the next generation of healthcare professionals, will get the opportunity to make a real-world impact by working with other academics, entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals on projects that will positively impact our city and beyond.鈥�

Key priorities for the Arden Health Partnership include:

• Tackling entrenched health inequalities through shared data and innovative outreach
• Building new partnerships across sectors to improve care and drive economic resilience
• Empowering the healthcare workforce through training, innovation, and multidisciplinary collaboration
• Developing integrated, preventative care models that work for patients and communities
• Advancing precision population health through the strategic use of health and care data
• Enabling cutting-edge innovation through utilising the advantages of Arden Cross, which will house a new HealthTech Campus

Phil Johns, Chief Executive of NHS Coventry and 江南体育 Integrated Care Board, said: "The Arden Health Partnership marks a new and ambitious step for Coventry and 江南体育.

鈥淏y bringing together health, care, and academic partners in a way that connects research, education, and innovation directly with frontline practice, we are building stronger foundations to tackle the challenges facing our health systems including health inequalities and prevention and harnessing the opportunities of using digital technologies to support people to live healthier lives.

鈥淭his new partnership complements our existing Integrated Care System by creating stronger links between academic discovery and the delivery of high-quality health and care services."

This partnership marks a new era for the system鈥檚 health and care ecosystem 鈥� one defined by collaboration, co-production with communities, and a relentless focus on delivering high-quality, integrated, and preventative care that meets the evolving needs of our population.

Tim Jones, Chief Officer, Health Innovation West Midlands said: "The Arden Health Partnership represents the kind of bold, joined-up thinking we need to tackle the complex health challenges facing our communities.

鈥淏y bringing together world-class academic expertise, frontline NHS insight, and system-wide collaboration, this partnership has the potential to drive real, measurable improvements in health outcomes and reduce inequalities across Coventry and 江南体育. We鈥檙e proud to be part of this bold collaboration.鈥�

Published in , findings from The Big Baby Trial led by University Hospitals Coventry and 江南体育 (UHCW) NHS Trust, The University of Warwick and the Perinatal Institute, provides crucial new information to help women choose how to safely deliver babies suspected to be large for their age.

At birth, large babies are at risk of shoulder dystocia, a complication where the baby becomes stuck as a shoulder is caught under the mother鈥檚 pelvic bone. Contrary to previous evidence, this trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and sponsored by UHCW, showed that delivery by a week to 10 days earlier reduced this risk. It also reduced the need for emergency caesarean section and does not increase the risk of tearing for the mother.

Led by Professor of Obstetrics Siobhan Quenby MBE of the Directorate of Biomedical Sciences (Warwick Medical School), The University of Warwick and Honorary Consultant at UHCW and Professor Jason Gardosi MBE from the Perinatal Institute, Birmingham, the Big Baby Trial is the largest trial to date, including twice as many pregnancies as all previous studies taken together. Between June 2018 and October 2022, 2,893 women in 106 hospitals across Great Britain consented to be randomly allocated to induction of labour or standard care.

Professor Quenby said: 鈥樷�橧 am delighted that this trial has provided data that empowers women to choose how and when they want to deliver their baby.鈥�

Standard screening for big babies in the UK is an important part of antenatal care, alongside surveillance for small babies to check for restricted growth. Large babies are defined as those who weigh more than 90 per cent of other babies the same age, which increases their risk of complications including fractures, nerve damage or brain injury. However, this research found that these complications were rare and attributed this to an overall high level of training in managing deliveries of big babies.

Eve Morgan, a participant in the Big Baby Trial, said: 鈥淓veryone was surprised when I was diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy. Because diabetes and big babies are linked, I thought it was a good idea to join the study and get extra monitoring throughout my pregnancy, although I wanted a natural birth.

鈥淎s I got closer to my due date, the monitoring predicted that Magnus would reach 9lbs at full term. I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 want to be induced with hormones, but I was happy to try the 鈥榮tretch and sweep鈥� method as this can trigger labour and you can stick to your birth plan. The second attempt seemed to get the baby moving and I ended up giving birth to Magnus in a water bath!鈥澨� 听

The study provides evidence for clinical management options that increases choices for women with large babies, to choose a birth plan that can include:听

• Waiting for labour to start naturally without worrying about increasing risk to babies if delivery occurs on a labour ward with highly trained staff;
• Choosing a planned Caesarean section, or
• Induction at 38 weeks to reduce the risk of the baby鈥檚 shoulder being caught, without having to worry that this increases the risk of emergency Caesarean section or mother鈥檚 tearing during delivery.

Nadine Montgomery, whose birth was complicated with shoulder dystocia 25 years ago and resulted in her son requiring ongoing care, said: 鈥淚 am ever so pleased that we now have, for the first time, pivotal evidence to allow women to make free and valid choices about how to give birth to bigger babies. This will undoubtedly lead to safer outcomes for mothers and babies. Incredible work - well done to everyone involved!鈥�

Professor Gardosi added: 鈥淭hanks to the many women who agreed to participate in the trial, we have been able to research the evidence that will help women with big babies to make informed choices.鈥�

Katie Morris, NIHR National Clinical Specialty Lead for Reproductive Health and Childbirth, explains: 鈥淟arge babies can present complications at birth which injure both mother and baby. The findings of this world-leading trial offer crucial evidence that will help improve the chances of a safe birth and help expectant mums and medical staff make the most informed choices.鈥�

The full paper is published in .

Since launching in December last year, University Hospital Coventry and 江南体育 (UHCW) NHS Trust鈥檚 patient portal has been helping users access their health information on their phones, computers and tablets and take advantage of a host of features.

This includes perks such as being able to view clinical letters, scheduled appointments and selected blood test results, all of which can save time calling into the Trust鈥檚 administrative teams.

After being live for less than six months, the portal already has more than 100,000 patients registered for the free service.

When patients are scheduled a new outpatient appointment, the Trust will send a text message鈥痠nviting them to join the patient portal. All they need to do is click on the secure link and follow the instructions as prompted.

Further functionality, including the ability to cancel, reschedule or request appointments for select services, will be added later this year.

Natasha Chare, Chief Digital and Data Officer at UHCW NHS Trust, said: 鈥淥ur patient portal has a wide variety of features which make it easier to use our services.

鈥淥nline access to key clinical information, including selected test results and appointment details, will save time and put control of patients鈥� healthcare in their hands, meaning they don鈥檛 have to wait for a letter to arrive in the post.

鈥淩eaching this milestone shows the appetite across Coventry and 江南体育 to view health information online and we will continue to add new functionality to ensure the patient portal goes from strength to strength.鈥�

Further information on the patient portal 鈥� myhealth Coventry and 江南体育 鈥� can be found here.