With autumn well underway and coughs, colds and flu already starting to circulate, Cannock Chase Clinical Commissioning Group is urging parents of children between the ages of two and seven to make sure their child has their flu nasal vaccination.

Health bosses in Stafford, Cannock Chase and the surrounding areas have received national recognition for a programme of work, which supports GPs to distinguish between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), without the need for patients to attend numerous hospital appointments.

Representatives from Stafford and Surrounds CCG and Cannock Chase CCG presented the project at June's Commissioning Live conference and are set to do the same again in November as well as being put forward for a Shared Learning Award with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The pilot for the project, which has also attracted the attention of the Department of Health, has seen the test, called CalScreen, introduced across all GP practices in Stafford and Cannock and could bring an end to the need for patients to attend numerous hospital appointments just to receive a diagnosis.