South Staffordshire Research Articles

‘Coursing the Tinkerley Fox’: Tactics of Garrison Warfare in the West Midlands during 1643 and 1644

ABSTRACT A military defeat for the parliamentarians in south Staffordshire in March 1644 involved the capitulation of their outpost at Stourton Castle to Worcestershire royalists. The beaten parliamentary commander was Colonel John Fox, who in autumn 1643 had established a garrison near Birmingham at Edgbaston. This, like Stourton Castle in turn, was one of the number of strongholds in the West Midlands the opposing sides held as a strategy for territorial control. Indeed, much of the fighting of the English Civil War of 1642–6 involved clashes between local garrison-based forces, sometimes fought for the possession of rival strongpoints. In March 1644 Fox enabled the parliamentarian seizure of Stourton Castle for reasons that also impelled inter-garrison warfare elsewhere. The subsequent short campaign to besiege or relieve the castle is reconstructed here, as a case study of the tactics and conduct of the localized military action that shaped the course of the wider war.

George Sparrow, Coalmaster, and Early Steam Engines

George Sparrow was an early eighteenth-century coalmaster and an early user of Newcomen engines in the West Midlands and beyond. His early operations were in partnership with his neighbour Richard Parrott. These covered coal and ironstone mines in north and south Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Flintshire, salt production in Cheshire, and ironmaking. They were using steam engines to drain mines from 1714 and from that time most of their new mining ventures used them. Later, his son Burslem Sparrow settled at Wolverhampton and traded in partnership with Thomas Tomkys. They concentrated on mining in the northern part of the South Staffordshire Coalfield. The dearth of records of others mining there in the 1710s to 1740s suggests that they dominated mining in the area.

Stourbridge and Steam

It is well documented that the first public Newcomen engine was built in 1712 near Dudley Castle. Less well known is that Thomas Newcomen first visited Stourbridge in 1694 and maintained social and economic connections in Worcestershire. This paper describes the range and progression of relationships centred on Newcomen, which proved conducive to his and John Calley’s later deployment of the atmospheric engine in the neighbouring South Staffordshire coalfield, culminating in the construction of the 1712 engine.

A circumzenithal arc in cirrus fibratus clouds over Essington, South Staffordshire

WeatherVolume 72, Issue 6 p. E4-E4 Inside Cover Photograph A circumzenithal arc in cirrus fibratus clouds over Essington, South Staffordshire First published: 06 June 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/wea.3037Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume72, Issue6June 2017Pages E4-E4 RelatedInformation

Ethnic variation in colorectal cancer risk following a positive faecal occult blood test in an English bowel cancer screening programme centre.

The literature on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and ethnic diversity is dominated by studies from the USA. There are no such published data from the UK bowel cancer screening programme (BCSP) population. The Wolverhampton Bowel Cancer Screening Centre serves a population of 900,000 in the Black Country and South Staffordshire. South Asians (SA) comprise 9% of the population. We aimed to determine the effects of ethnicity and sex on the risk for cancer or adenoma detected by colonoscopy following a positive faecal occult blood test over a 5-year period (2007-2011). Data were collected from the prospectively maintained BCSP cohort. South Asian patients were identified and compared with those of non-South Asian ethnicity, and colonoscopy outcomes were determined. A total of 3552 participants underwent BCSP colonoscopy (non-South Asian=3363; SA=189). There were 271 cancers (7.6%) detected within the non-South Asian group and seven cancers (0.2%) in the South Asian population (P<0.05). The probability of colon cancer is higher [odds ratio (OR)=3.84, P<0.05] in non-South Asians compared with South Asians. Patients in the 65-70-year age group have the highest risk (OR=1.60; P<0.05) for CRC. During the study 1313 adenomas were detected. A total of 771 high-risk and intermediate-risk adenomas were detected in the non-South Asian group, and 14 were detected in the South Asian group. The risk of adenoma in non-South Asians is six times higher than in South Asians (OR=5.99, P<0.001) following positive faecal occult blood testing. There are fewer colorectal cancers in South Asians compared with the non-South Asian population in this regional study. This is the first such study in the BCSP population.

A 10-year history of perinatal care at the Brockington Mother and Baby Unit Stafford.

Perinatal mother and baby units are an essential service for women suffering from perinatal mental illness by allowing the baby to stay with the mother whilst receiving inpatient mental health care. Such units enable the mother to develop a relationship with her baby in a safe and supportive environment whilst caring for her mental health needs and allow her to gain confidence in her role as a mother. This article presents the development of the Brockington Mother and Baby unit and its progressive advancement towards an exemplary service for women suffering from perinatal mental illness. The Brockington Mother and Baby unit (MBU) at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (SSSFT) is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is one of six MBUs accredited as excellent by the Royal College of Psychiatry (RCPsych). The unit is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Quality Care Network and thereby adheres to their national standard of care. This article describes the journey from a single lone worker in perinatal mental health to an exemplary service caring for women with perinatal mental illness during the first 12months following the birth of their child.

A randomised trial to compare the performance of Oxyzyme® and Iodozyme® with standard care in the treatment of patients with venous and mixed venous/arterial ulceration

This study was to evaluate the potential benefits of two products (Oxyzyme® & Iodozyme®) into a leg ulcer service in South Staffordshire, UK. A randomised controlled Trial (RCT) was used to evaluate time to ulcer healing, quality of life, pain and cost effectiveness. 100 patients were randomised to receive either Oxyzyme/ Iodozyme (active group) or standard care (control group) with venous or mixed arterio-venous ulcers. Patients were evaluated weekly up to 12 weeks, with further follow up at 24 weeks. Whilst there was a small benefit in terms of healing over follow up using the Cox Proportional Hazards Model, this did not achieve a standard level of statistical significance (Hazard Ratio= 1.13, 95%CI 0.64 to 2.02, p=0.67) after adjustment for confounding factors. Patients with high protease activity showed an improved and faster healing in the active group, (HR=1.35, 95%CI 0.63, 2.87)p=0.44. The active group required significantly fewer dressing changes (14.8 versus 10.0, p=0.033). Despite the dressing costs being higher, there was a significantly lower cost of nursing time, leading to a greater cost effectiveness in terms of cost per healed ulcer (£977 versus £1071. A Markov model used to assess cost effectiveness in the main trial found that the control group had slightly better outcomes (12 more ulcer free weeks), but at a substantially greater cost (£5,031). When those with high protease activity the cost in the active group dominated, with lower cost (-£2,450) and an improved outcome (29 more ulcer free weeks). Health related quality of life (HRQoL) and pain significantly improved over the assessment period, though there was no difference between the treatment groups. The use of Oxyzyme® & Iodozyme®) could provide better value for money in the management of venous and mixed arterio-venous ulcers than standard care in a community leg ulcer service.

Origin of Carboniferous sandstones fringing the northern margin of the Wales‐Brabant Massif: insights from detrital zircon ages

A study of detrital zircon age populations in Namurian–Westphalian (Carboniferous) sandstones in the southern Central Pennine Basin of the UK has revealed considerable complexity in their provenance history. The Pendleian–Marsdenian Morridge Formation, which is known to have been derived from the Wales‐Brabant Massif to the south on the basis of palaeocurrent and petrographic information, is dominated by zircons ultimately derived from the Caledonian belt to the north. These zircons were recycled from sandstones of northern origin that had been previously deposited over the massif during Middle to Late Devonian times. The Morridge Formation also includes Late Neoproterozoic zircons of local Wales‐Brabant Massif origin. The south lobe of the Yeadonian Rough Rock has been previously interpreted as having a complex provenance including sediment of northern origin interbedded with sediment ascribed to a Wales‐Brabant Massif source. However, the zircon spectrum lacks a Late Neoproterozoic component that would have been diagnostic of input from the Wales‐Brabant Massif, and the provenance history of the Rough Rock south lobe therefore remains enigmatic. The Langsettian Ludgbridge Conglomerate is dominated by Late Neoproterozoic zircons of Wales‐Brabant Massif origin, but even in this evidently proximal deposit, the provenance is complex since the main zircon group (ca. 640 Ma) cannot be matched with known local Neoproterozoic basement sources. The data either indicate the presence of hitherto‐unknown magmatic rocks of this age adjacent to the South Staffordshire coalfield or indicate that the zircons were recycled from sediment with a more distal origin. Finally, the Duckmantian Top Hard Rock contains zircons that can be reconciled with a source in the Irish Caledonides, consistent with the palaeocurrent evidence, supplemented by zircons derived from the Wales‐Brabant Massif, possibly including the Monian Composite Terrane of Anglesey. The study reinforces the important message that failure to recognize the presence of recycled zircon could lead to erroneous reconstructions of sediment provenance and transport history. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Self-injury and harm minimisation on acute wards.

Practitioners' attitudes to self-injury vary widely. While some healthcare professionals are comfortable providing advice about safe self-injury in the inpatient setting, others believe they have a duty of care to protect patients from harming themselves, including removing all potentially sharp implements and increasing observation levels. This article describes work undertaken at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to explore self-injurious behaviour in inpatient settings, including staff knowledge and perceptions and service users' experiences. Development of clinical guidelines for safe self-injury is also discussed.

Self-injury and harm minimisation on acute wards

Practitioners' attitudes to self-injury vary widely. While some healthcare professionals are comfortable providing advice about safe self-injury in the inpatient setting, others believe they have a duty of care to protect patients from harming themselves, including removing all potentially sharp implements and increasing observation levels. This article describes work undertaken at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to explore self-injurious behaviour in inpatient settings, including staff knowledge and perceptions and service users' experiences. Development of clinical guidelines for safe self-injury is also discussed.

P-828 - Driver and vehicle licensing agency regulations and new ways of working: a legal gap?

The United Kingdom Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)regulations provides guidence to drivers affected of psychiatric conditions and/or taking psychotropic medication. These regulations place the duty in the doctor to inform the patient of the impact of the diagnosis in the ability to drive and to remind them of their responsibility to inform the DVLA. This duty is not clearly spelled for other health professionals. In the United Kingdom, “New Ways of Working” refer to a process of reviewing the traditional roles of doctors and other disciplines with a view of enhancing patient care. Many patients that in the past would have been seen by a doctor may not see one and as a result may not receive advice regarding their fitness to drive. To explore the knowledge and attitudes of mental health nurses with regard to DVLA fitness to drive regulations. To identify if New Ways of Working has created a gap in legislation that can put patients and the general public at risk. A survey was conducted in South Staffordshire amongst psychiatrists and menatl health nurses to compare their knowledge and attitudes towards DVLA regulations. Although there were difference sin knowledge regarding specific conditions and ability to drive there were also similarities in the reluctance to inform patients as a result of the potential consecuences on the patient or the therapeutic relationship. The authors beleive that a gap has been identified in the process of informing patients with regards to their driving

Factors influencing participation in outdoor physical activity promotion schemes: the case of South Staffordshire, England

Policy exhortations for promoting outdoor physical activity have increased considerably in England and Wales over the past 20 years. Despite a considerable number of schemes developing during this period to encourage physical activity and exercise, marked population-level changes in outdoor physical activity behaviour have not been seen. The paper explores the triggers to this participation using a five-fold classification: physical infrastructure; information infrastructure; administrative infrastructure; participant constraints and participant preferences. Through a series of interviews in a case study ‘healthy exercise’ scheme in South Staffordshire, a district local authority in England, these triggers to participation are identified and explored. It is concluded that whilst the infrastructure triggers can be manipulated by scheme providers in an attempt to improve scheme participation, participant triggers fall largely beyond the control of scheme providers. Research suggests, too, that participant triggers tend to be stronger than infrastructure ones. Because of this, where there is a lack of healthy exercise scheme success, this cannot necessarily be attributed to scheme providers as it might be as a result of user triggers. For the same reason, it might be beyond the influence of scheme providers to turn ‘failing’ exercise schemes into successful ones.

EarlyBird in South Staffordshire: reflections on an innovative model of interagency working to deliver an intervention for families of preschool children with autistic spectrum disorder

In this article three education and health services professionals, Julia Halpin, Sally Pitt and Emma Dodd, describe and reflect upon the way in which a small group of professionals from health and education services worked in collaboration to meet the need to inform and empower parents of preschool children with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Julia and Sally, both clinical nurse specialists, and Emma, an educational psychologist, outline the background to the project in terms of demographics, epidemiology and service needs, and explain the way in which the interagency project was initiated as a ‘bottom-up’ response, reflecting on the advantages and disadvantages of this way of working. The team piloted an innovative evaluation method which is offered as a tool that could usefully be developed further.

The Staffordshire (Ogley Hay) hoard: recovery of a treasure

The Staffordshire (Ogley Hay) hoard was found on the 5–10 July 2009 by Mr Terry Herbert while metal-detecting on arable land at a site in south Staffordshire in the English Midlands (Figure 1).Mr Herbert contacted Duncan Slarke, the Portable Antiquities Scheme's Finds Liaison Officer for Staffordshire and the West Midlands, who visited the finder at his home and prepared an initial list of 244 bags of finds. These were then taken to Birmingham Museum and HM Coroner was informed. Duncan Slarke also contacted the relevant archaeological authorities including English Heritage, the Staffordshire Historic Environment Record, the Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham Museum &amp; Art Gallery and the Portable Antiquities &amp; Treasure Department at the British Museum. A meeting was held in Birmingham on 21 July at which it was agreed that the controlled recovery of the remaining objects of the hoard and an archaeological investigation of the findspot was a priority. It was also agreed that one of the Portable Antiquities Scheme's National Advisors, Dr Kevin Leahy, should compile a hand-list of finds in preparation for the Coroner's Inquest.

The Staffordshire (Ogley Hay) hoard: the find, the context, the problems

A large and intriguing collection of gold and silver fragments dating mainly to the seventh century AD was found in the parish of Ogley Hay near the south Staffordshire border (England) in 2009 by Mr Terry Herbert, while using a metal detector. With its peculiar composition and uncertain context, the origins and purpose of the Staffordshire Hoard currently remain something of a puzzle.

The ‘Staffordshire Hoard’: the Fieldwork

AbstractThe Staffordshire Hoard was found by a metal detectorist on arable land in the parish of Ogley Hay in south Staffordshire in July 2009, and was recovered by archaeologists from Staffordshire County Council and Birmingham Archaeology. More than 3,940 pieces were retrieved, mostly of gold or silver alloy and mostly representing what appear to be martial battle goods. The date of the material has yet to be ascertained but the artefacts appear to range from the late sixth to the early eighth centuries AD. The reasons for burial remain, as yet, largely unknown. The choice of location, on the north-western spur of a prominent ridge, could have been intended to facilitate its rediscovery, unless the locale held a symbolic significance within the wider landscape. The second stage of fieldwork, in March 2010, identified a number of undated field boundaries and undated palisade trenches perhaps associated with a small farmstead of pre- or post-Roman date, unlikely to be associated with the hoard.

Biochemical hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes in primary care practice

Objective: This study explores the links between testosterone deficiency and Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) parameters in three south Staffordshire practices prior to a major double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study. Research design and methods: Four hundred and eighty-eight consecutive type 2 diabetic patients, aged over 18, attending their general practitioner for routine diabetes visits were assessed for sex hormone binding globulin, total testosterone (TT), calculated free testosterone (FT) and bioavailable testosterone, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profile, Sexual Health Inventory for Men, and current and past prescriptions for erectile dysfunction (ED). Results: TT and FT were significantly inversely associated with raised body mass index, waist circumference and HbA1C. The prevalence of ED was 77%, which was associated with low levels of TT, FT and raised HbA1C. Only 10% were receiving treatment for ED. Conclusions: Patients with low testosterone were more likely to fall outside the QOF targets and new markers might be difficult to achieve unless low testosterone is addressed. There is a strong case for the inclusion of TT and FT estimation in routine diabetic care.

Emergency contraception: Patterns of use in community sexual health clinics

SummaryThe reported uptake of the intrauterine device (IUD) as emergency contraception is very low despite its superior efficacy when compared with levonorgestrel emergency contraception. A prospective study was conducted to investigate the methods of emergency contraception offered to and accepted by women attending South Staffordshire Sexual Health Clinics. A total of 240 women attended the clinic for emergency contraception during the 2-month study period. The IUD as a method of emergency contraception was not offered to the majority of women presenting within 72 h of an episode of unprotected intercourse. Nulliparous women presenting before 72 h were significantly less likely to be offered an IUD compared with parous women, p < 0.01. This study shows that the IUD is not offered to the majority of patients, in particular nulliparous women, attending for emergency contraception. Also, the low rate of the uptake of the emergency IUD is related, at least in part, to the counselling patients receive from clinicians.

‘Ladies who lunch’. Considering gender in services for younger people with dementia

Practice Development in Health CareVolume 7, Issue 3 p. 164-169 Ideas and opinions ‘Ladies who lunch’. Considering gender in services for younger people with dementia Hazel Barker, Hazel Barker Assistant Psychologist, Shropshire's Service for Younger People with Dementia, South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. UKSearch for more papers by this authorAnn Johnson, Corresponding Author Ann Johnson ann.johnson@sssft.nhs.uk Outreach Sister, Shropshire's Service for Younger People with Dementia, South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. UKThe Rowans, Shelton Hospital, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 8DN. Tel: 01743 492175 Fax: 01743 492292Search for more papers by this author Hazel Barker, Hazel Barker Assistant Psychologist, Shropshire's Service for Younger People with Dementia, South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. UKSearch for more papers by this authorAnn Johnson, Corresponding Author Ann Johnson ann.johnson@sssft.nhs.uk Outreach Sister, Shropshire's Service for Younger People with Dementia, South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. UKThe Rowans, Shelton Hospital, Bicton Heath, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 8DN. Tel: 01743 492175 Fax: 01743 492292Search for more papers by this author First published: 28 August 2008 https://doi.org/10.1002/pdh.260Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume7, Issue3September 2008Pages 164-169 RelatedInformation

Do we let children's teeth decay just because some people object to topping up the natural fluoride that's already in our water?

Tooth decay rates among children have been falling in most European countries since the mid-1970s, with the gap between the countries with the highest and lowest average levels narrowing. Widespread use of fluoride toothpaste, high levels of educational achievement in the Scandinavian countries, and public health approaches such as the use of fluoridated salt in Switzerland, France and Germany, have all contributed to this welcome improvement. Whilst average tooth decay rates are down, those averages mask stubbornly high decay rates in some communities and in some social groups. Many young children in the UK still suffer from severe dental caries (BASCD, 2007). No one in public health could reasonably argue that dental caries in the UK is a battle already won. It is not. Even if we take the deceptively soothing average dmft scores (decayed, missing or filled teeth), we find a fivefold difference between the best and worst dental health. The average South Staffordshire five year old has 0.6 dmf teeth (the best dental health in England), while the average Blackburn five year old has 3.2 dmf teeth (the worst in England) (BASCD, 2007).