Latest news

Dr Greg Fletcher, Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, joined Specialist Nurses Sabina Hardman and Helen Hale, appearing on eye-catching digital artwork across the Derbion in Derby City Centre, promoting organ donation for Organ Donation Week (23 – 29 September 2024).

The posters are displayed on large screens throughout the shopping centre, and the team have shared important messages about the impact of organ donation, and how to register to become a donor.

The daughter of a patient cared for at Royal Derby Hospital returned to the site to pay tribute to the compassion shown by colleagues on Ward 203 and within our Dementia teams - after their sheer determination and hard work to reunite her with her husband at their home while receiving palliative care.

This Organ Donation Week (23 – 29 September) NHS Blood and Transplant and University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) are celebrating the fact that the NHS Organ Donor Register has been saving lives for 30 years through the gift of organ donation.

On Friday 20 September, UHDB held its Annual Making a Difference Awards ceremony at Hilton St George's Park with 280 colleagues from UHDB joining in an evening of recognising achievements from across the Trust.

The ceremony, hosted by actor, singer and weather presenter Des Coleman, saw nominees for 10 awards come together to celebrate clinical and non-clinical members of staff from across a variety of our sites, who have driven improvements in quality, patient care and supported UHDB to be a great place to work.

The Radiotherapy department at Royal Derby Hospital is hosting an open day in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University to showcase the 'on the job' support and training available to students. 

Today is #Red4Research Day, which highlights and celebrates all those who take part in, support, and deliver research - shining a spotlight on teams and individuals who are driving innovation in healthcare through their commitment to research.

Here at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), we are delighted to take part in today's celebrations and showcase just some of the groundbreaking research happening across our hospitals.

Want to make a difference to families and babies in our care? Join our new Neonatal Transitional Care Service.

We are delighted to announce that this year's Annual Members' Meeting will be taking place on Tuesday 24 September.

A colleague whose innovative thinking has led to the delivery of groundbreaking new technology, which is improving patient experience and reducing appointment cancellations for patients whose first language is not English, has been recognised with the Chief Executive's latest Making a Difference Award.

From Monday 16 September until late December 2024, we are making some improvements to our emergency department at Queen's Hospital Burton, which will mean at certain times there will be some restrictions on vehicles and pedestrians outside A&E.

Our pharmacy team has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award for improving safety and quality of care for frail patients attending the Emergency Department at Royal Derby Hospital, through an innovative ‘joined-up’ approach.

A member of our Digital Services team has shed light onto how everyone across the Trust can help to save money in their areas to help the organisation in achieving one of our key annual priorities for 2024 / 25. George Kythreotis, End User Support Team Leader based at Royal Derby Hospital, has explained how he has made two simple, but highly effective changes, in his area which are already saved more than £3,500 since their introduction earlier this year. 

We are proud to share the news that four UHDB apprentices have been shortlisted for the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards 2024. These awards, sponsored by the University of Derby, celebrate the region's most talented apprentices, with winners set to be revealed on Thursday 3 October 2024 at The Village Hotel in Nottingham.

We are thrilled that the Medical and Surgical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) teams at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) have been shortlisted for both the HSJ Patient Safety Awards and the NHS Parliamentary Awards respectively following a highly competitive nomination process.

This accomplishment recognises the incredible contribution of both teams to improving patient care and outcomes in our urgent and emergency care department and reducing operational pressure throughout the Trust, using the SDEC model.

The HSJ Patient Safety Awards will be taking place on Monday 16 September at Manchester Central, and the NHS Parliamentary Awards will be held on Monday 14 October at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster, London.

Patients who have stayed overnight in UHDB hospitals have rated their overall experience as being in the top 20 acute trusts nationally, according to the results of a national survey.  

The UHDB Transition team have announced they will be hosting an upcoming event aimed at supporting young people with long-term or complex health conditions as they transition from paediatric to adult services — taking place on Wednesday, 2 October, from 6-8pm, at the Lecture Theatre at our Royal Derby Hospital site.

This important event is specifically designed for young patients from age 13 and older, and their parents or carers, offering a comprehensive overview of the healthcare transition process.

A dedicated team of nurses at UHDB have been working hard to ensure that patients who are referred to us with suspected prostate cancer are told they are cancer-free, or if they require the start of their cancer treatment, as soon as possible.

Within our Oncology (Urology) departments at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital Burton, the Prostate Cancer Triage Team and Nurse-Led Biopsy Service was set up in January 2023 and August 2023 respectively in order to bring the diagnostic journey for patients referred to us with suspected prostate cancer into a single service.

The Imaging and Radiology department at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton were selected to attend the UK's largest Imaging and Oncology event to present their research on the approach used to train 85% of the newly recruited CT-specialist radiographers at the Trust to full competency within 10 weeks.

We will be announcing all of the shortlisted teams, departments and individuals for all 10 categories across the week, with the shortlist for two categories being announced every day at around 10am and 2pm.

Pharmacists across UHDB are “proud to be keeping patients safe even after they leave our care” after being recognised at a national level for their work. The Medicines Optimisation team has worked collaboratively with digital services at the Trust and pharmacies across the region to develop an interface that improves communication with community pharmacies, to help patients have the right medication they need, with safety reviews, after leaving hospital.

A physiotherapist has described the special moment she was able to allow a patient to dance with their partner again during rehabilitation following a serious stroke.

A young amputee who had both of his legs amputated after contracting sepsis has thanked the team at Royal Derby Hospital's Amputee Rehabilitation Centre, saying they have helped him to get his life back. Levi Dewey, from Willington, was only 20 when he was admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms and breathing difficulties. His condition then rapidly deteriorated and he was diagnosed with pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis. 

Kath Hulkorey, Deputy Lead Nurse for Professional and Practice Development at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), has been awarded the prestigious Cavell Star Award in recognition of her unwavering compassion, outstanding leadership, and dedication to nursing practice. In a heartwarming surprise ceremony, Garry Marsh, Executive Chief Nurse, and Stephen Posey, Chief Executive, joined colleagues to honour Kath's remarkable contributions. The event was planned by Barbara Day, former Head of Learning and Education on her final day at UHDB before retiring, who was Kath's line manager, along with Karen Hill, Lead Nurse for Professional Standards.

We are proud to share that Professor Fran Game, Clinical Director in Research and Development and Consultant Diabetologist at UHDB, has received the 2024 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Roger Pecoraro Award for her significant contribution and research into Diabetes foot care. 

The intensive care follow-up clinic at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton offers patients recovering from serious illness after-care to help them understand what happened to them during their time in the intensive care unit (ICU) and additional physical and psychological support to patients struggling to get their life back to normal after being discharged. 

Congratulations to Dr Tanya Bleiker, dermatology consultant at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, for being honoured with the Sir Archibald Gray Medal, the highest accolade awarded by the British Association of Dermatology, for her dedication and ongoing service to British Dermatology

Innovative technology that allows for 240 languages to be translated at the touch of button, is improving patient experience and reducing appointment cancellations at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton.

Innovative research at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) found that a 'hybrid' approach to treating patients recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery led to an 85% improvement in quality of life for patients taking part in the study.

We are delighted that our EMBRACE Staff Network, alongside other Trust colleagues, will be proudly participating in the Derby Caribbean Carnival 2024, with support and funding from the Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity (DBHC). This vibrant and culturally rich event will take place on Sunday 21 July 2024, at Osmaston Park in Derby.

The Derby Caribbean Carnival is a beloved annual event organised by the Derby West Indian Community Association (DWICA). It showcases the rich and diverse Caribbean culture through a lively procession, colourful clothing and outfits, and vibrant music. The event is a staple in Derby’s cultural calendar, and celebrates and promotes Caribbean heritage, while fostering broader community spirit. The procession will be starting at 1pm from Derby City Centre, culminating in Osmaston Park where attendees can enjoy a variety of performances, food stalls, and family-friendly activities.

We are pleased to share the news that Chris Sands has been appointed as Executive Chief Financial Officer at UHDB.

Chris, who will join UHDB in late October, currently holds a similar role at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) since joining in 2021, and has nearly 20 years board level experience.