Florence Nightingale Community Hospital's Ward 5 doing 'great work' to support patient discharge
Staff from across a number of different specialist areas have come together to open a new ward at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital (FNCH) to provide care for patients who are waiting to be discharged home or to their next place of care this winter.
Ward 5, a 23-bedded ward at our Derby-based community hospital, is providing care to medically fit patients who no longer require care in an acute hospital, to support them to be ready for discharge.
The ward forms part of winter capacity plans by UHDB and the wider health and social care system across the Midlands region by freeing up spaces at acute hospitals, such as Royal Derby Hospital, to support and maintain the flow of patients through hospitals as pressures on the system remain high.
Ward 5’s Senior Sister, Ajinder Gidda, who has previously worked across a number of wards at UHDB, said: “We have colleagues who have joined us here on Ward 5 from ICU, Theatres and more, and all of them have been very positive and helpful. It’s been a really good experience for myself and the whole team so far and we’re really enjoying it.
“Everyone has been so helpful in getting the ward up and running. Everyone has done their bit; from Debbie, the Housekeeper on Ward 2, helped us make sure even the smallest things were all in place for when we started welcoming patients, to the Estates Team who we wouldn’t have been able to do this without. It’s been a real team effort.”
The ward opened on 5 December after weeks of hard work to prepare the area and the team who staff the ward; all of which who have come together from different specialities and backgrounds to form the new ward team.
For Registered Nurse Rachael Walton, this has been a “very different experience” to her usual place of work.
Rachael explained: “I’ve been working in the Elective Procedures Unit (EPU) for the past two years, where we see 15 to 20 different patients every day. On Ward 5, however, patients stay for longer so it’s a different kind of nursing that we’re providing.
“It’s been a very good experience to witness the social care aspect of care and getting to see the same faces every day has been really nice.
“The senior team has been fantastic and there’s so much support available. Everyone’s doing great work and it’s a really beneficial addition for the Trust during winter when we know the demand on our acute beds is particularly high.” 
Dawn Wilkinson, Senior Sister on FNCH’s Ward, is the Site Lead for Ward 5. Dawn also praised the incredible compassion and commitment the team has shown to creating the best environment for patients and staff.
She added: “Naturally some colleagues were a little anxious as it isn’t the area they’re used to working in, but once those initial nerves faded, they’ve all been amazing and are doing excellent things for our patients."
To further support patient flow through the busy winter months, Philip Ward has also been opened at Tamworth’s Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital as a ‘discharge to assess’ ward, providing a similar service to our patients closer to their homes in Staffordshire.
Find out more about the opening of Philip Ward here >
Sharon Martin, Executive Chief Operating Officer at UHDB, said: “Our community hospitals play such a vital role in helping us deliver care to our communities across Derbyshire and Staffordshire closer to their homes, and this is just another example of the brilliant work our community teams are doing.
“Winter is an extremely busy time for the NHS, and having Ward 5 along with Philip Ward at Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital helps us to continue to provide the ongoing support to patients during their discharge home or their next place of care.
“I am extremely grateful to the team for all their hard work in getting Ward 5 up and running in such a short amount of time. It’s a great example of working together with our partners across the health and social care system to make changes that improve the experience and care for our patients."