What is a Virtual Ward? Virtual Wards allow patients to receive hospital-level care safely in the comfort of their own home. Being in familiar surroundings can help people recover more quickly, while also freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most. How does it work? Our dedicated team of Doctors, Advanced Clinical practitioners […]
Virtual Wards allow patients to receive hospital-level care safely in the comfort of their own home. Being in familiar surroundings can help people recover more quickly, while also freeing up hospital beds for those who need them most.
Our dedicated team of Doctors, Advanced Clinical practitioners (ACPs), and Pharmacists—supported by specialist hospital consultants—provide expert care to help you stay well at home.
The team offers a wide range of tests and treatments, including blood tests, intravenous medications, and fluid replacement therapy.
As a patient on the virtual ward, you will be reviewed daily, with your care discussed in a Multidisciplinary Team meeting led by a specialist doctor to ensure the best possible care and support is received.
We work closely with hospital specialists across a wide range of conditions to ensure you receive expert, personalised care. This includes support for:
We also provide onward referral to appropriate in-hospital teams and community services where needed, ensuring a full and holistic approach to your care.
Bringing Care Closer to You At The Dudley Group NHS FT, we’re committed to making it easier and faster for you to get the tests, checks and scans you need. Our Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) are a key part of that commitment. What is a Community Diagnostic Centre? A Community Diagnostic Centre is a dedicated […]
Bringing Care Closer to You
At The Dudley Group NHS FT, we’re committed to making it easier and faster for you to get the tests, checks and scans you need. Our Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) are a key part of that commitment.
What is a Community Diagnostic Centre?
A Community Diagnostic Centre is a dedicated space away from our main hospital – Russell Hall Hospital – where you can access a wide range of diagnostic tests under one roof. This can include blood tests, X‑rays, ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, heart and lung function tests, and other investigations that help clinicians understand your health needs. CDCs are designed to be calm, convenient, and efficient, giving you quicker access to the right tests without the pressures of a busy hospital environment.
Their locations are designed to improve access to these vital tests and also to ease the pressure from our main Hospital sites.
Care Closer to Where You Live
We know that travelling to the main hospital site isn’t always easy. CDCs are located within local communities, making it simpler to attend appointments without long journeys, parking challenges or navigating a large hospital campus. By offering diagnostic services closer to home, we’re helping you fit healthcare around your life—not the other way around.
We currently have CDCs at the following locations:
| Site | Imaging | Cardiology diagnostics | Other |
| Corbett | MRI, CT, US, X-ray, DEXA | Echo, ECG, BP | Dermoscopy, Bloods |
| Guest | CT, US, X-ray | — | Bloods |
| Brierley Hill | Ultrasound | ECG, BP | Bloods |
We continue to explore funding opportunities to increase our capacity for diagnostic centres in our communities.
Why Not Having to Visit the Main Hospital Matters
Receiving diagnostic care outside the hospital brings several benefits:
It means you can get the answers you need sooner, in a setting designed around your comfort and convenience.
Why We’re Investing in CDCs
The Trust is investing in Community Diagnostic Centres because they are a proven way to reduce waiting lists and speed up diagnosis. By moving high‑volume tests out of the main hospital, we free up space for urgent and specialist care while increasing overall capacity across the system. This investment supports our long‑term goal: ensuring that every patient receives timely, high‑quality care, with faster results and fewer delays. CDCs help us diagnose conditions earlier, start treatment sooner, and improve outcomes for people across Sandwell and West Birmingham.
You can read more about the national strategy regarding CDCs here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/community-diagnostic-centres/
What is Critical Care? Critical Care is a specialist area of the hospital where patients receive additional monitoring and support when they need closer attention. In Critical Care, a highly trained team look after patients around the clock. They use monitoring equipment to keep a close eye on things like breathing, heart rate, and blood […]
Critical Care is a specialist area of the hospital where patients receive additional monitoring and support when they need closer attention.
In Critical Care, a highly trained team look after patients around the clock. They use monitoring equipment to keep a close eye on things like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, so they can respond quickly if anything changes. These monitors can be noisy and alarm, these alarms are to alert the staff. Although we know they can be annoying they are vital for your safety and care. If noise and light is affecting your sleep/rest, please ask a member of staff for a sleep pack (eye mask and earbuds).
Patients may get admitted to critical care to support:
Here on Critical Care, we have three areas,
Area A: 9 beds – two of which are side rooms
Area B: 6 beds
Area C: 8 beds – four of which are side rooms
Side rooms are for patients who have an infection or who are at high risk of catching an infection. We understand this can be isolating but it is for the safety of patients, yourself, staff and visitors.
There are televisions in Area B and in all rooms of Area C. There are patient toilets in Areas B and C only.
Our staff work across all three areas of the unit. You may be moved from one area to another depending on your care needs.
We have a multitude of staff who may see you. These people include (to name a few):
We also use other teams of specialists when necessary.
Staff should introduce themselves and be identifiable through visible name badges. If you are unsure who someone is, please ask them.
Ward round happens every day and we have two ward rounds a day, AM and PM.
Visiting is 11-8, to allow time for personal care, you to eat if able, the doctors to do their ward round and allow staff to complete medication rounds with minimal distractions to reduce error.
Visitors are asked to leave by 8pm to allow you time to rest and as this is vital to your progression and recovery. Between 1900-1930 when nurses are handing over, we ask relatives to leave the clinical area to maintain confidentiality for other patients.
Visiting can be flexible on an individual need/circumstance and should be discussed with the nurse in charge/lead nurse on duty.
When you are unwell, your body needs extra energy and protein to recover, fight infection, and keep muscles working and you may experience taste changes.
We understand that it can be difficult to eat at times when you are not well, but good nutrition is important in Critical Care to help your body heal and regain strength.
If you are unable to eat well on your own, we may insert a tube called a nasogastric tube (NG) down your nose to your stomach where we can give you liquid food. You may not be able to eat normally after some surgeries, but we will keep you informed of your nutritional plan.
This is done to help you:
If you are struggling with nutrition, please speak to a member of staff for alternative menu options.
As you get to a level 0 (or level 1 in some cases) you will be deemed ‘wardable’ it is at this stage that we start looking for a ward bed for you. Due to hospital demands this may not happen on the same day.
You will be told which ward you are going to, and a comprehensive handover will be given to the ward staff.
You may be visited on the ward by our Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT). One of these nurses will review your progress on the ward. When they feel you are no longer in need of these reviews they will discharge you from their list. This does not mean they will never see you again.
Ward staff and doctors can re-refer you to them and they will come and see you again if medically required. You may also be visited by the Critical Care Rehab Team if your level of care and complex needs fulfil their criteria for ongoing support.
We want patients and families to feel heard and supported. Martha’s Rule gives you an extra way to ask for help if you are worried that your/your relatives condition is getting worse and feel your concerns have not been fully addressed. Find out more: Martha’s Rule – The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
Community Paediatrics at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive, child-centred care for babies, children and young people within their local community. Our service focuses on assessment, diagnosis, management and ongoing support for a wide range of developmental and health needs. We work closely with families, schools and partner agencies to ensure each child’s […]
Community Paediatrics at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive, child-centred care for babies, children and young people within their local community. Our service focuses on assessment, diagnosis, management and ongoing support for a wide range of developmental and health needs.
We work closely with families, schools and partner agencies to ensure each child’s needs are understood and supported across home, education and healthcare settings.
Our Approach
Specialised Expertise:
Community Paediatricians are trained in both hospital and community settings, offering a broad and unique perspective on children’s health and development. We work closely with acute paediatric teams to ensure continuity of care when children require hospital-based treatment.
Supporting a Wide Range of Needs:
We assess and support children and young people with:
Joined-up Care, Multi-disciplinary care:
We collaborate with a wide range of professionals to provide co-ordinated care. This includes:
Our goal is to ensure children receive the right support, from the right professionals, at the right time.
Family-Focused Support:
We place families at the centre of care. Our team provides advice, guidance and practical support to help parents and carers understand their child’s needs and access appropriate services and resources.
Referral and Assessment:
Referrals are usually made by GPs or other healthcare professionals.
For children under 5, referrals are triaged through a multidisciplinary Single Point of Access, helping ensure each child is directed to the most appropriate service from first contact.
Assessments may include:
Long-term Management and Ongoing Care:
Community Paediatricians play a key role in the long-term management of children with chronic conditions or disabilities. We work closely with specialist and palliative care teams, including hospice services, to provider co-ordinated, compassionate care for children with complex or life-limiting conditions.
Conditions and Services We Support
Our service provides assessment, advice and management for:
What does the service not offer?
If you are waiting for a new or follow up appointment and you are concerned about your child’s health please contact your GP, call 111 or 999 if an emergency.
On behalf of the team who will be caring for you, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Day Surgery Unit. The unit is managed by speciality manager Angela Larkin, alongside her team of experienced nurses, health care assistants and ward clerks. Our elective Day Surgery Unit treats over 13,000 […]
On behalf of the team who will be caring for you, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the Day Surgery Unit. The unit is managed by speciality manager Angela Larkin, alongside her team of experienced nurses, health care assistants and ward clerks.
Our elective Day Surgery Unit treats over 13,000 patients a year from a variety of specialities to enable patients to have their surgery with an aim to discharge the same day. Surgery is scheduled for morning, afternoon and evening theatre lists.
Please note your arrival time is not your surgery time, you may be expected to wait a number of hours before going to surgery, so please bring a book, puzzles etc to help occupy you. We will aim to keep you updated throughout your stay, but if you have any concerns please speak to your nursing staff.
Useful patient information links:
How to access the service
Telephone numbers
Useful Information – limit to (if relevant) location, contact details and opening hours – these will feature on the right-hand side
This service is available at:
Where to find us
Key staff
Management team
Nursing leads
Patient information leaflets
When you have been diagnosed with cancer it can be very over whelming. This page will provide information around types of cancer treatments. Your case and results will be discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT), where a group of health of professionals including a MDT coordinator, consultants, histopathologist, radiologist, oncologist and clinical nurse specialists […]
When you have been diagnosed with cancer it can be very over whelming. This page will provide information around types of cancer treatments.
Your case and results will be discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT), where a group of health of professionals including a MDT coordinator, consultants, histopathologist, radiologist, oncologist and clinical nurse specialists who specialise in the type of cancer you have been diagnosed with.
Your treatment depends on the type of cancer you have been diagnosed with, your fitness levels, past medical history, choice and general well-being. Not all treatments are an option for every patient who has cancer. Your clinical team will discuss with you what treatments are an option for you. There are different types of cancer treatment and understanding how they work, how they are administered, and the side effects can help prepare you to cope. Below you will find the main treatments available for cancer treatments.
Across the Trust we have several teams covering various forms of cancer. Please find further details below.
Across the Trust we have several teams covering various forms of cancer. Please find further details below.
The Living with and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) team are here to support you through your cancer diagnosis and beyond. The team provides holistic needs assessments, information, support and signposting to other services and organisations, as well as facilitating cancer information events. Please scan the QR code for the Web referral form for patient self-referral […]
The Living with and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) team are here to support you through your cancer diagnosis and beyond. The team provides holistic needs assessments, information, support and signposting to other services and organisations, as well as facilitating cancer information events.
Please scan the QR code for the Web referral form for patient self-referral to Macmillan benefits service.
