Pulmonary Rehab - Stoke and North Staffs

04/11/2025

‼‼ Who can have a free flu vaccine ‼‼
Most people with lung conditions can get a free flu vaccine.

You can get a free flu vaccine if you have:
asthma, if you use a steroid preventer inhaler or take steroid tablets
bronchiectasis
bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema
cystic fibrosis
interstitial lung diseases, such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and pneumoconioisis
pulmonary hypertension.

You can also get a free flu vaccine if:
You've had a lung transplant
You're the main carer for someone with a lung condition.

If you live in England, Scotland and Wales and you're over 65 years old, you can also get a free flu vaccine. In Northern Ireland you need to be over 50 years old.

Speak to your GP, nurse or pharmacist if you're not sure if you or your child are eligible for a free flu vaccine.

03/11/2025

Fireworks and bonfires can increase air pollution levels, especially during big celebrations like Bonfire Night, Diwali, New Year and the Chinese New Year.

When fireworks explode, they release smoke and harmful pollutants into the air that can damage your lungs. These include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Breathing in smoke from bonfires can also irritate your airways.
This means that fireworks and bonfires could make your lung condition symptoms worse. They can cause an asthma attack or a flare up of your lung condition.

It's best to avoid being near fireworks and bonfires if it affects your lung condition, but we know that this may not always be possible. For example, if your neighbours have fireworks or a bonfire at home.

You can stay safe by:
⭐Standing back
⭐Being prepared
⭐Wearing a mask
⭐Consider staying indoors

15/10/2025

- a reminder that looking after our minds is just as important as looking after our bodies.
In this episode of our podcast, Kristy, Carolyn and Caroline from our 0-19 Service chat about 5 Ways to Wellbeing which are simple, evidence-based steps we can all build into our daily lives to feel more positive, cope with life’s ups and downs, and get the most out of each day.
🎧 Listen here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/06JctjiGgdzQY53vtUhu46?si=cPxKg3deTi2tt2oiuORcGg&fbclid=IwY2xjawNcUNlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBQRFFSZWtYaWM3NXFYQVpqAR5ZlmLnjgTmsavQnVWpaTpPy1jjve9zayKiak_sYJgBOcgZRtNsZvo8nWCXmQ_aem_4oQ_aFUVd-Iho5sEyKNa4A&nd=1&dlsi=8890d5e939c54491

✨ This World Mental Health week, why not try one (or all!) of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and see how it can boost your mood?

The MPFT Podcast · Episode

25/09/2025

If you need urgent support in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent you can now call 111 and select the mental health option to talk to a mental health professional and get help 24/7. More information is available on the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System website: https://staffsstokeics.org.uk/.../crisis-mental-health.../

19/09/2025

🍑🍑🍑Keep bones healthy over 65 🍑🍑🍑

It's true that our bones tend to lose strength as we get older. But even in later years, there's plenty we can do to prevent falls and fractures.
Stay active
Being inactive makes your muscles and bones lose strength. This increases your risk of osteoporosis, falls and fractures.

🌞Moderate-intensity exercise🌞
People over 65 should try to get 150 minutes (2 and a half hours) of moderate-intensity exercise every week. It's best to do some exercise every day, spread across the day. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Exercise outdoors if you can and build up slowly.

Moderate activity will raise your heart rate and make you breathe faster and feel warmer.
One way to tell if you're exercising at a moderate level is if you can still talk but can't sing the words to a song.

✅Examples of moderate-intensity activities include:✅

•Walking

•Water aerobics
Activities for strength
You should also try to do activities to improve muscle strength at least twice a week.
This could include:

lifting weights
carrying groceries
going up and down stairs

Activities such as yoga or tai chi are best for this. These types of activity can also ease stiffness and unsteadiness associated with painful joints.

You can do activities twice a week that combine moderate-intensity exercise with improving your strength, balance and flexibility or you can do different activities.
You should also try to avoid sitting around for long periods. If you find you have been sitting for a long time, get up and go for a stroll. See more about why we should sit less.

If you have a health condition such as heart disease or arthritis, you may be able to join a suitable group exercise class.
See physical activity guidelines for older adults.
Exercising with osteoporosis

If you have a high fracture risk or spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis, you need to look after your back.
It's especially important to bend your knees when lifting objects. Avoid movements that involve awkward bending and lifting movements.
You may need to be cautious about some types of high impact exercises. Your GP can advise you about this.

18/09/2025

‼ Protein plays an important role in your body ‼

• Keeping muscles strong
• Repairing injuries such as wounds and broken bones
• Supporting our immune system to fight infections

A daily intake of protein from regular meals and snacks can help keep us in the best of health.
Eating too little protein, particularly for long periods of time, may lead to muscle weakness, frailty
and slow recovery from illness and injury.

Click on the Link for more information
www.malnutritionpathway.co.uk/leaflets-patients-and-carers

17/09/2025

‼ Looking after your Feet ‼

As you get older your feet can develop problems for many reasons including:-
• Arthritic changes and deformity.
• Skin changes.
• Medical conditions such as diabetes.
• Reduced mobility.
Feet are an important part of mobility and they need to be kept in the best possible condition.

What you can do to help!!!
✅Washing
✅Skin Care
✅Nail Care
✅Exercise

16/09/2025

A healthy balanced diet will help you build healthy bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life.
You need sufficient calcium to keep your bones healthy and vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium.
Poor bone health can cause conditions such as rickets and osteoporosis and increase the risk of breaking a bone from a fall later in life.
You should be able to get all the nutrients you need for healthy bones by eating a balanced diet.
A good diet is only one of the building blocks for healthy bones, which also includes exercise and avoiding certain risk factors for osteoporosis.
Calcium
Adults need 700mg of calcium a day. You should be able to get all the calcium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

⭐️Good sources of calcium include⭐️

• Milk, cheese and other dairy foods

•Green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach

•Soya beans

• Tofu

•Plant-based drinks (such as soya drink) with added calcium

•Nuts

•Read and anything made with fortified flour

Fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards
Although spinach contains a lot of calcium, it also contains oxalate, which reduces calcium absorption, and it is therefore not a good source of calcium.
Vitamin D.

Adults need 10 micrograms (400 International Units or IU) of vitamin D a day.
It's difficult to get all the vitamin D we need from our diet and we get most of our vitamin D from the action of the sun on our skin.
From late March or early April to the end of September, you can make vitamin D from sunlight by having short daily periods of sun exposure without sunscreen. However, everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter when we cannot make vitamin D from sunlight.

⭐️Good food sources of vitamin D⭐️

Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel
Egg yolks
fortified foods, such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals

15/09/2025

‼ This week is National Falls Prevention Awareness Week and we will be posting information out every day to help raise awareness and provide some useful information about Falls Prevention.

• Falls present a major, growing public health problem which can have devastating consequences for older people, their families, and the healthcare service
• Falls can occur at any age but are increasingly common as people get older. Around a third of people aged 65 and over, and around half of people aged 80 and over fall at least once a year
• In 2022/23 there were around 210,000 emergency hospital admissions in England related to falls for people aged 65 and over. Around 146,700 of these admissions were people aged 80 and over. The consequences of fracture are significant, with a mortality of between 18% and 33% one year after a hip fracture
• The total annual cost of fragility fractures to the UK has been estimated at £4.4 billion which includes £1.1 billion for social care; hip fractures account for around £2 billion of this sum

18/08/2025

!!!! You're invited!!! Members of the public are invited to attend the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Annual Members' Meeting 2025
Come along to hear how we're supporting our communities and shaping the future of care. This is your opportunity to speak to our Chair and members of the Trust Board, reflect on our achievements and challenges from 2024/25, and look ahead at what's next.
On the day, we’ll be showcasing innovation and collaboration across our services, with keynote presentations from each care group, the return of our popular market stall event, plus the chance to explore both the Research Bus and our interactive Simulation Suite.
📅 Wednesday 10 September
⏲️ 11am - 4:00pm
📍The Education and Development Centre, St. George's Hospital, Stafford, ST16 3SR
🔗 More info: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk/.../member.../annual-members-meeting
Register your interest with Membership office by e-mailing membership@mpft.nhs.uk
If attending in person, please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements.

08/08/2025

‼️COME AND ATTEND OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP ‼️

Learn how to manage your lung condition by attending our Breathe Easy support group

Socialise meet new people and tell us how your lung condition is affecting your lifestyle

We can answer any questions you may have

We look forward to seeing you

07/08/2025

🌞 WARM WEATHER & OXYGEN🌞

Our MECC message for August is ‘Fire Safety’. Fire safety is essential for everyone, but patients using oxygen need to be extra vigilant around open flames and sources of heat. Patients must also be aware that oxygen concentrators contain sensitive components that may be damaged by exposure to high temperatures.

Here are some important messages we are sharing with patients to help keep them safe and their equipment in good working order:

✅Never smoke or let anybody else around you smoke while you are using oxygen.
✅Check that your smoke alarms work. Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month.
✅Do not use oxygen equipment near open flames and heat sources. The recommended distance for oxygen equipment from open flames such as fires, grills and barbeques is 3m (10ft), and closed heat sources such as radiators and heaters is 1.5m (5ft).
✅It is essential to turn off your oxygen concentrator whenever you are not using it. Some common items around the home can become highly flammable when exposed to concentrated oxygen over a prolonged period of time.