Shropshire nursing chief: Welcoming the public on maternity open days and celebrating neurodiversity

As Easter approaches, please can I remind you to make sure that you order any of your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time for the bank holiday weekend.

Please check whether you have your required supply of prescribed medication as some pharmacies and GP practices are closed over the bank holiday weekend.

I would also like to encourage you to ‘Think which service?’ to ensure that you get the right help at the right time should you need any healthcare.

Our emergency departments (EDs) are extremely busy but more so during bank holidays. EDs are for genuinely life-threatening emergencies – for example chest pains or severe bleeding or burns. If you have a life-threatening illness or injury, please continue to dial 999.

If you have an urgent care need which isn’t immediately life threatening, there are a number of services available and all the information on the ‘Think which service?’ is on the website thinkwhichservice.co.uk.

Our rescheduled maternity services open day will take place this Saturday, March 23 from 10am to 3pm.

If you are pregnant, considering parenthood or are interested in what we do, we would like to welcome you to the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to learn more.

The open day will offer hourly guided tours of the Antenatal Ward, Delivery Suite, Midwife Led Unit and Postnatal Ward. Parking will be free for anyone attending.

Visitors will also be able to meet some of our teams, take part in Q&A sessions with midwives, watch simulation training and visit information stalls. There is no need to register to attend the event, visitors are welcome to turn up on the day. Children are also welcome to attend, however they will be unable to join any tours.

This week we are celebrating Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.

When it comes to inclusion, neurodiversity refers to a world where neurological differences are recognised and respected as all other human variations.

The ways that we process information varies from person to person and the term Neurodiverse is often used as a ‘catch all’ way to describe alternative thinking styles, such as Dyslexia, DCD (Dyspraxia), Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD. Regardless of labels however, neurodiversity is about recognising the differences between us.

We have a whole host of activities planned for colleagues this week, including a true-to-life experience called The Autism Reality Experience and a Human Library session.

The Autism Reality Experience is an innovative, hands-on experience which has been developed to give neurotypical people an experience of the sensory processing difficulties faced by those on the autism spectrum.

The Human Library session is an event where real people are ‘on loan’ to talk about their real experiences. It is designed to create a safe space for dialogue, to challenge stigma and stereotypes.

We hope these experiences, along with all of the activities scheduled this week help all of our colleagues to celebrate and broaden their understanding of neurodivergence.

Finally, Steph Eastment, a healthcare assistant (HCA), and her sister Lena are set to tackle a 100km ultra challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support.

They decided to take on the challenge in the Peak District on Saturday and Sunday July 6 and 7 after their father, Tony Eastment, received a lung cancer diagnosis just over a year ago.

Good luck to the sisters for this incredible challenge. You can donate to their fundraising efforts here: justgiving.com/fundraising/sistersonamission2.