Please click the link to see the latest bulletin from the Wales Council of the Blind.

Public Health Wales has published new data on public health outcomes.

Public Health Wales has launched a new symptoms checker tool to help parents spot the signs of Strep A. It is hoped it will help parents decide when to treat their child at home and when it is appropriate to seek medical advice. It follows an escalation in the number of calls to NHS 111 Wales last weekend. There were over 18 thousand calls – more than double the calls received on the same weekend last year. A significant proportion of these were from parents of children aged 12 years old and under and from those concerned about sore throats and throat problems.

Sense is running two online Sensory Walk Workshop sessions in January & March 2023.

Cymru Versus Arthritis, has a peer led support group starting in Cardiff in January 2023. The group is fee to attend and will be an opportunity to meet, have a chat, receive information, advice, and support on arthritis, MSK and related conditions.

Staff from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have been recognised for their important and innovative work at this year’s Advancing Healthcare Awards.

The Welsh Government will publish its draft Budget later today, including funding to ensure social care workers continue to receive the real living wage.

The Coronavirus pandemic may have exacerbated an already worrying trend of a rising gap in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas in Wales, with particularly stark trends for women, according to an article published in the Journal for Public Health.

Public Health Wales is reporting that the flu season in Wales has begun earlier than usual this year. It means that levels of flu in the community may peak around Christmas. Public health experts are urging those who are eligible for a free flu vaccine to take up the offer now, to help protect themselves and others from getting seriously ill with flu this Christmas.

Thousands more people in Wales will benefit from faster diagnosis of cancers and rare disease thanks to a new plan to increase the use of gene testing.

New research from Public Health Wales has identified that while the majority of people would like to continue working from home, nearly half surveyed also reported worsened wellbeing and feelings of loneliness.

Public Health Wales are recruiting for a public engagement panel to give people in Wales the opportunity to have their say about matters that affect the health and well-being of themselves and their communities.

Public Health Wales is reminding parents that cases of invasive group A streptococcal infection (iGAS) remain rare in Wales, and that children have a very low risk of contracting the disease.

Statistics published today show that over a million people in Wales have now received their COVID-19 booster vaccination this autumn.

The first ever summit for children and young people in care and care leavers in Wales will take place today (Saturday 3rd December).

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan, officially opened the Welsh Ambulance Service’s new station in Cardiff yesterday. The £8 million Welsh Government-funded facility in Pontprennau is the new home of both emergency and non-emergency crews, previously based at the Blackweir station.

Richard Firth, Consultant in Health Protection for Public Health Wales, said:

“Public Health Wales is today (2 December) confirming that no additional cases of monkeypox have been identified in Wales. The total in Wales remains at 47. The cases are being managed appropriately. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details relating to patients will be disclosed.”

New data from Public Health Wales depicts a complex picture of substance misuse in Wales, resulting in increased hospital admissions for alcohol-specific conditions and increased mortality from both problematic alcohol consumption and illicit drug use.

Cold temperatures in the home are linked to worse health outcomes, confirms a new report by Public Health Wales.

Across the UK there are significant demands on Childrens Intensive Care Services, and as a consequence Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is experiencing bed pressures within its Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This is due to rising numbers of viral respiratory illnesses amongst children resulting in a surge in numbers of children requiring treatment within critical care.