Latest news

Patients and staff have this week begun to receive their second dose of Covid-19 vaccinations at Royal Derby Hospital.

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, paid a visit to Royal Derby Hospital today (4 March).

UHDB Chair, Dr Kathy McLean, has spoken to our LGBTQIA+ Network and shared experiences from both her personal and professional life of being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community working in the NHS. 

As part of our No Place For Racism campaign, colleagues across UHDB have come forward to share their experiences of abuse received whilst providing care to patients.

Elita, a Registered Nurse, has bravely shared her experiences of working as a nurse over the past 23 years

A nurse has shared her emotional account of accompanying a patient as they approached the end of their life. Felicity ‘Fliss’ Pass, Acute Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist based across both Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton, has been working on Covid-19 wards since late December 2020 to support her colleagues in caring for patients who have contracted the virus.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is once more appealing to NHS staff and the general public to increase the collection of Covid-19 convalescent plasma as research into further treatments of the virus continues.

Michelle Dable has praised the “amazing” Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff at Royal Derby Hospital as she shared her experiences of being redeployed to the unit during both the first and second waves of the pandemic.

Theatre Practitioner Lloyd Balatongan and his band 'The Soulm8s' are helping us to encourage more people in our communities to get the Covid-19 vaccine - through the power of song!

A patient who needed separate operations on both of her eyes in the space of three months has thanked the “amazing” Royal Derby Hospital Consultant who helped save her sight.

Mr Ravi Gandhewar, Consultant Ophthalmologist, and his team twice came to the rescue of the patient after her vision started to become seriously effected in one eye and then the other one too, shortly after. 

Sian Brown has been praised as one of the BBC's Unsung Heroes here in the Midlands, due to her care and compassion shown towards those who are shielding and on long-term sick leave due to Covid-19.

UHDB is extremely grateful to the Armed Forces for assigning dozens of their medics and personnel to assist in our Trust during what has been an extremely busy start to the year.

The teams have made a huge difference working in different clinical areas across Royal Derby Hospital over the last month or so, at a time when we’ve been caring for record numbers of patients with Covid-19.

Following a horrific incident at work, Royal Derby Hospital patient, Christopher, praises the team who performed extensive surgery to reattach his hand, with miraculous results.

A Royal Derby Hospital Healthcare Assistant has been recognised for always going above and beyond and providing excellent care and support to patients throughout the pandemic.

David Rady was nominated by multiple colleagues, patients and relatives for his compassion and kindness towards his patients. One nomination read: “David is a lovely bloke. He delivered some clean pyjamas and toiletries into the hospital for my relative when no visitors were allowed. He goes above and beyond to help people feel special - such a caring person.”

Penny Owens, Specialist Advisor and former Director of Allied Health Professionals, remembers Paul Selmic, a big man, with a big heart, and a real gentleman who made a huge impact at our hospitals, who died earlier this year.

“It is an honour to write this tribute to Paul Selmic—a friend, colleague, leader and manager to his colleagues and a husband, father and brother to his family. In whichever role we knew him, from whatever vantage point, he stood apart as someone we remember. I first met Paul when appointed as his deputy in 1987, but his career started much earlier.

We are delighted that Dr Seema Kumari will be joining our partners Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to work two days a week as their Deputy Medical Director.

It is with great sadness that we have to inform you of the death of Anna Lewis, a Speciality Trainee at UHDB. Anna re-joined the Trust in the autumn last year following a three year rotation at other hospitals as part of her training.

A grateful grandaughter has thanked Ward 15 at Queen’s Hospital Burton for the compassionate end of life care they provided to their grandmother.

Bronwen Owens nominated the team after her Grandmother passed away at the beginning of January 2021. Bronwen’s grandmother was in hospital with Coronavirus, but sadly her body became too weak to fight the virus.

An Emergency Department Worker at Royal Derby Hospital has been recognised for showing the importance of speaking up and showing the world there is no place for racism.

Thursday 11 February 2021 marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and here at UHDB, we are celebrating by showcasing some of the amazing work that members of #TeamUHDB are conducting in their fields of science and research.

UHDB is backing a new NHS campaign to urge families across Derbyshire and East Staffordshire to talk about organ donation following research that less than half of adults in England have had the conversation.

We are very sorry to announce that University Hospitals of Derby and Burton has lost a much loved colleague to Covid-19. Joe Wilson, a chef at Queen’s Hospital Burton, sadly passed away on Saturday 6 February 2021. Joe joined the Trust in 2013, working in the catering production unit, the Burton Clinic and the main restaurant.

Consultant Histopathologist Dr Rahul Deb is encouraging UHDB staff who haven’t had the Covid-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible, especially colleagues from a British, Asian or Ethnic minority (BAME) heritage. At present more than 77% of BAME staff have had the vaccine, but this is still below the overall figure of 89%.

“I’ve worked in Theatres in Derby since 1998, so this is my first step into this line of work in my whole career.”

A Consultant is presenting a series of virtual educational events in Gujarati to encourage more members of the BAME community to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton has given out its 20,000th coronavirus vaccine dose.

The milestone came on Tuesday, 2 February. The Trust has been handing out the vaccine to the most vulnerable local people in Derbyshire and Staffordshire as well as to frontline health and social workers since Tuesday, 8 December 2020.

Dr Magnus Harrison, Executive Medical Director, and Cathy Winfield, Chief Nurse, said: “We were saddened that Alderico was the subject of racial abuse at work. It is appalling that any patient or member of the public would verbally abuse our staff. However, it comes as no shock as our colleagues regularly report similar instances."

It’s with deep sadness we announce that University Hospitals of Derby and Burton has lost a much loved colleague to Covid-19.

Michelle Hart, Receptionist on Ward 408 at Royal Derby Hospital, sadly passed away on Friday (29 January 2021). Michelle had worked at the Trust for nearly two decades. Michelle joined the team on the original Ward 4 at Derby Royal Infirmary in 2007 before moving with the ward to the new Cardiology Ward 408.

MP for Derby North Amanda Solloway joined NHS colleagues across Derbyshire on a call to discuss what can be done to encourage women to attend routine cervical screening appointments.

Team UHDB’s Wendy Holmes-Taylor and Cynthia De La Cruz have shared their experiences of being redeployed to a new team; set up to protect patients and colleagues alike from Covid-19.

The last few months have seen Wendy and Cynthia’s roles change completely because of medical reasons, with both being transferred to the Trust’s Derby Swabbing team earlier this autumn.