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Trigger warning: the below story contains references to baby loss

An ACP who supported a colleague through a difficult loss has been hailed "a joy to work with" and "everything a leader should be."

Matthew Fowler, Advanced Clinical Practitioner in CTAU/Oncology at Royal Derby Hospital has been praised by his colleague Emily Parr, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner, after offering unwavering support when she lost her unborn baby last year.

Today marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. To all of our Muslim colleagues and communities - we wish you a very happy Ramadan Mubarak!

Ramadan begins in the evening of Wednesday 22 March 2023, and lasts for 29 or 30 days, concluding with the celebration of Eid Al-Fitr, this year taking place on Friday 21 April 2023 - dependent on the sighting of the crescent moon.

A team at Royal Derby Hospital are on a fund-raising mission to buy a special piece of equipment that will "make a massive difference" to their patients.

Colleagues on the Combined Triage Assessment Unit (CTAU) will be joining forces to jump out of a plane for a skydive and jog their way to the finish line in a 10km run later this year.

A patient who was admitted to Ward 301 at Royal Derby Hospital praised the team for making him feel "safe and not alone" after he was admitted to the ward to receive end of life care. The patient, who will remain anonymous, wrote his letter that the team had made "an impossibly terrible situation bearable and easier, going well beyond their scope of duty".

The heart-warming feedback led to the Ward 301 team being awarded our latest Team UHDB Making a Difference Award, which was presented to them by Executive Chief Operating Officer, Sharon Martin, and members of the management team from our Cancer, Diagnostics and Clinical Support (CDCS) Division.

Monday 13 - Sunday 19 March is Healthcare Science Week 2023.

Healthcare Scientists (HCS) make an invaluable contribution to patient care at UHDB, covering a wide variety of different roles - primarily structured around four key disciplines: Physiological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Bioinformatics, and Medical Physics. However, Healthcare Scientists work in several fields beyond these, and their varied work is crucial to delivering effective patient care.

Calling all student nurses qualifying in September 2023. If you're wanting to find out more about #TeamUHDB, we are hosting two student nurse recruitment events this month.

From 7am on Monday 13 March 2023, some junior doctors across the NHS take part in industrial action which is planned to last for 72 hours, concluding at 6.59am on Thursday 16 March 2023.

Since September 2022, our Alcohol Care Teams (ACT) have been in place at Royal Derby Hospital, supporting patients who are alcohol dependant or who are at risk of alcohol-related harm.

Patients who are admitted to our hospital are asked a series of questions to understand their alcohol consumption levels. If we think their relationship with alcohol could benefit from our support, patients will be offered specialist treatment whilst in hospital to provide patients with the tools to manage their withdrawal from alcohol upon discharge.

National No Smoking Day takes place today, on Wednesday 8 March 2023.

There is never a bad time to give up smoking, but on this day, colleagues at UHDB urge all in our communities who have a tobacco addiction to consider quitting smoking, and accessing the support you might need to help you give up.

Covid-19 forced teams across UHDB to change the way they worked, but for one team based at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, the changes have resulted in more than halving the amount of time patients wait to access their services.

The Dermatology Isotretinoin Team, which cares for patients with acne and supports them with the psychological and social impacts this has on their lives, has implemented a series of changes over the past 18 months. These changes include introducing virtual follow-up appointments and a home delivery service for prescriptions, which have improved the patient experience and noticeably reduced waiting times for patients.

Florence Nightingale Community Hospital's (FNCH) Ward 5 team has been praised for the "superb" feedback that has been received by colleagues and patients alike - despite welcoming its first patients less than 100 days ago.

A Clinical Nurse Specialist working in Occupational Health has been praised for the "indescribable" impact she had on a colleague which helped them to rediscover their passion for nursing.

Fiona Calladine, who is based at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital in Derby, has been working closely with Louise Rayner, a Registered Nurse in Occupational Health, to support her in settling into her new position in the team.

Louise lives with some long-term health conditions which have provided challenges for her during her career, but Fiona's compassionate leadership, invaluable support and mentoring have enabled Louise to fully settle into what she describes as her "dream role".

On Friday, 3 March, the third annual Overseas NHS Workers Day took place, and we were pleased to take the opportunity to express our thanks to UHDB's international colleagues and celebrate their contribution to our organisation and communities.

Executive Chief People Officer, Amanda Rawlings, was "delighted" to be able to celebrate our Overseas staff, saying: "Overseas NHS Workers Day may just be one moment for us to recognise the brilliance of our colleagues from around the globe, but every single day we rely upon their expertise, experience and exceptional standards.

Colleagues and patients alike have heaped praise on Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital's newest ward for the high standards of care provided after opening just 13 weeks ago. Philip Ward, which opened on 28 November 2022, was opened after just six weeks of planning and preparation work by the team.

UHDB are proud to be working with AccessAble to create a number of Detailed Access Guides to facilities, wards, and departments at our hospital sites.

These guides are full of facts, figures and photographs to help patients, visitors and staff plan their journeys to and around our hospitals - covering everything from parking facilities and hearing loops, to walking distances and accessible toilets.

UHDB's Executive Chief Nurse, Garry Marsh, has shared his thoughts, views and lived experiences on being an openly gay man as we continue to mark LGBTQIA+ History Month.

Our Meet the Team series continues, where we speak to teams across our five sites to get to know them a little better and find out their invaluable contributions to the Trust.

We met the Upper Gastrointestinal Clinical Nurse Specialist team (UGI CNS) at Royal Derby Hospital and Queens Hospital Burton, and spoke with Louise Tristram, one of two of the teams lead CNS's, to tell us about the services that they offer.

From Monday 20 February, mask wearing will become personal choice in all non-clinical areas for patients and visitors across University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB).

Face masks must still be worn (unless exempt) in all clinical areas, including wards, patient waiting areas and the Emergency Department to continue to limit the spread of infection across our hospitals and keep our patients safe.

Colleagues at Royal Derby Hospital have created a specialist, tailored menu for patients being treated for liver disease to help aid the ongoing management of their health, reduce their length of stay and potentially readmittance to hospital.

An Intensive Care Nurse who dedicated her career to caring for patients in Burton-upon-Trent has retired after nearly 50 years of service in the NHS.

A group of young people are having their first taste of employment at UHDB thanks to the Project SEARCH programme.

The Trust is working in collaboration with St Martins School & Direct Education Business Partnership to offer young people with learning disabilities the opportunity to gain transferrable skills and experience through an internship which provides them with the tools to secure paid employment.

A University of Derby student who showed incredible kindness when working with a young patient with learning Disabilities, has been awarded a prestigious accolade in memory of UHDB colleague Alison Statham.

The award, which is named after the late Alison Statham, a Sister in the Trust’s Maxillofacial department, recognises the outstanding contribution of student nurses who have demonstrated Alison’s commitment, compassion, care and courage in the work they carry out every day.

UHDB is delighted to be celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, taking place this year from 6 - 12 February 2023.

To celebrate all things apprenticeship, not only are our Learning and Education Team hosting a number of webinars throughout the week, but we have spoken to two team members undertaking apprenticeships with us to hear about their experience: Isla Watson, an Apprentice Recruitment Assistant, and Joseph Stanyer, an IT Security Engineer, both working at Royal Derby Hospital.

A Specialist Physiotherapist who has retired after 30 years in the Trust said she has been incredibly lucky to land the job she has wanted since she was 11-years-old.

Fiona Lindop worked in the Parkinson's Service at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital and has played a major role in the team winning numerous awards and becoming a Centre of Excellence for Parkinson's care, making it one of only two centres in the UK to achieve such status.

A Consultant Surgeon has returned to Ghana to carry out more charity work on behalf of Humanity First UK (HFUK) after first visiting the country back in June 2022.

Mr Azher Siddiq, a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon based at Queen's Hospital Burton, is returning to the same hospital and region as his last visit (Wa Municipal Hospital, in the Upper West Region of Ghana), alongside consultant colleagues from across the UK - bringing with them a range of modern equipment and expertise to help train medical staff who are based there.

A 15-year-old patient who underwent major surgery after an agonising football injury returned to Royal Derby Hospital to personally thank the nurse for the exceptional care he received during his time on Dolphin Ward.

A senior leader in UHDB's Midwifery Team has been praised by her colleagues for the impact her compassionate leadership approach has had on their teams in such a short space of time. Interim Head of Midwifery, Natasha Stringer, joined UHDB in April 2022, with colleagues sharing the positive impact her leadership has had on the department.

A new mum who was diagnosed with a severe sickness condition while pregnant, called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), has thanked the team who cared for her during a difficult pregnancy and guided her through a difficult labour.

UHDB’s radiotherapy team has been shortlisted for a prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) award in recognition of their efforts to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

The team, which is based at Royal Derby Hospital, is up for the HSJ’s partnership award for ‘Most effective contribution to improving cancer outcomes’ for their collaboration with Vision RT to deliver an innovative tattoo and mark-free treatment to patients.

A caring Medical Secretary has been presented with a Monthly Making a Difference Award for the invaluable support she offers to cancer patients.