Annual Making a Difference Awards 2025 recognises and celebrates those driving forward improvements at UHDB
On Friday 19 September, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) held its Annual Making a Difference Awards ceremony, funded by Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity, at Hilton St George's Park, celebrating 270 colleagues from across the Trust.
The ceremony, hosted by local broadcaster and Ram's TV presenter Owen Bradley, saw nominees for 10 awards come together to celebrate clinical and non-clinical staff from across a variety of our hospital sites. Teams and individuals were celebrated for making a difference to the lives of patients, colleagues or our communities, by going above and beyond to make an improvement.
After an unprecedented 1,605 nominations showcasing UHDB values of excellence, compassion and openness in abundance, the judges had a challenge choosing a shortlist from the high-quality submissions.
One of the winners on the night was the South Derbyshire Bowel Cancer screening team > for bringing UHDB’s strategic focus into the wider communities and partnerships through championing innovation and inclusion in community health and leading the way in delivering equitable early cancer detection both regionally and nationally - supporting an additional 4,500 patients since June 2024.
Driven by excellence, and their compassion for communities in the region, the team combine clinical innovation with a powerful commitment to inclusion - targeting outreach in areas of greater deprivation and ethnic diversity to ensure no community is left behind.
Other winners included James Howe, Specialist Biomedical Scientist, who took home the Behind the Scenes Hero Award. James, who works at Royal Derby Hospital, was recognised for his pioneering work in colour calibration across Digital Pathology, a shining example of Always Improving in action. His innovative formula enables consistent and reliable imaging, reducing the risk of misinterpretation and enhancing the accuracy of diagnoses – especially crucial in cancer detection and treatment planning. The result is a robust and scalable advancement that improves both patient safety and diagnostic quality.
The Home Haemodialysis team won the Patient Hero Award for providing compassionate care alongside valuable peace of mind for patients by empowering people to undergo dialysis in the comfort of their own home. The team positively impact these individuals’ quality of life by granting them greater independence while maintaining quality and safety. Their commitment is further symbolised by them being available around the clock, answering late-night calls or resourcing emergency visits in times of need. In the words of one patient, “we are lucky to have such a fabulous team who support, explain, advise and, more importantly, understand the struggles we go through as patients and family members who are impacted.”
The prestigious Chair’s Team of the Year 2025 was awarded to the UHDB Paediatric Diabetes Service who have gained national recognition for their Always Improving approach to support patients in getting access to the latest technology to manage their diabetes. After NICE recommended hybrid closed loop (HCL) pumps for all patients with Type 1 diabetes in 2023, the team aimed to deliver an insulin pump start programme, offering HCL to all patients within two years. They designed a new training programme for patients and their families, allowing 20 pump starts a day - a significant increase from their previous 25 a year.
The standard for the Chair's Team of the Year category was so high this year, a highly commended team was chosen as well as a winning team. The Cardiology Virtual Ward at Royal Derby Hospital were given the Highly Commended recognition and since launching in 2023 represent a transformative approach to delivering acute care. The team enable patients with heart conditions to receive hospital-level treatment in the comfort of their own homes — with patients using the service sharing positive feedback, noting increased satisfaction, improved confidence in self-management, and a strong sense of being supported.
The winners were chosen by a judging panel consisting of members of our Executive team, senior leaders and governors.
The full list of winners from our Annual Making a Difference Annual Awards are:
Patient Hero Award:
- Home Haemodialysis team, Royal Derby Hospital
Behind the Scenes Hero Award:
- James Howe, Royal Derby Hospital
Education and Learning Award:
- Candy Collyer, Queen's Hospital Burton
People Experience Award:
- Amy Reaney, Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital
Quality and Safety Award:
- Pulvertaft Hand Therapy team, Royal Derby Hospital
Research and Innovation Award:
- Sam Hussain, Florence Nightingale Community Hospital and Royal Derby Hospital
Value and Sustainability Award:
- Nitrous Oxide Reduction Multidisciplinary team, Trustwide
Communities and Partnerships Award:
- Cardiometabolic Service, Royal Derby Hospital
Championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for our People and Communities Award:
- South Derbyshire Bowel Cancer Screening team, Trustwide
Chair's Team of the Year Award:
- UHDB Paediatric Diabetes Service, Trustwide
You can see all the shortlisted individuals and teams here >
Thank you to Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity > for funding the Making a Difference Awards and who raised over £1600 on the night, and to sponsors LG Davis for supplying all printed materials.