Julie's a 'driving force' behind transformation of empty clinic space into vital multi-service community hub
Senior Sister, Julie Joyce, has been presented with a Making a Difference Award for her contribution, dedication, and passion in being the driver behind transforming Clinic A into a thriving multi-speciality department at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital (FNCH).
As part of a project that repurposed an unused clinical space into a vital general outpatient clinic, Julie was influential, showing an Always Improving mindset to take inspiration from a similar service at Queen's Hospital Burton and ensure Clinic A at FNCH could come to have such a positive impact on the care being received by patients, including expectant parents.
She said: "Four years ago when we came into Clinic A, it was just an empty shell, the clinic didn't exist. We wanted to bring the model that had been used at our Burton site over to Florence Nightingale, which meant turning it into a multi-speciality outpatient department."
Today, Clinic A is a hub of essential services, playing a key role in supporting local teams, communities, and families.
Julie added: "We house services such as lymphoedema, midwifery, virology, dermatology and many more. We hear patients say how light, bright and friendly the space is, and we really get to know the patients as we're so visible here. We have great working relationships with all the different specialities that come in and use the space."
Clinic A brings care closer to the community in a welcoming environment. Part of Julie's role welcomes navigators each week from the 'Becket Family Hub' - an initiative from the Department of Education and Department of Health and Social care that supports families with children and young people up to 19 to access the right services, in the right place at the right time. At Clinic A, the navigators speak with antenatal patients to offer support and promote the services available within Derby that the diverse, sometimes isolated population may not be aware of.
Julie said: "The atmosphere when the navigator is in the waiting area with the patients is really lively and happy. It prompts discussion between individuals waiting for their antenatal appointments."
One of Julie’s achievements has been providing a new home for community midwives employed by UHDB, at a time when they were being displaced from GP surgeries across central Derbyshire. Recognising the urgent need, Julie stepped in and offered space in Clinic A, enabling the team to continue their work. The clinic now hosts antenatal appointments, offering continuity and reassurance to expectant parents across the region.
"It's really lovely to see the expectant mothers coming in to use the service. We get to see them at their eight-week appointments, throughout their antenatal visits right the way through to when they deliver," she said.
More recently, Julie has played a central role in delivering the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination programme. Under her leadership, Clinic A has become the RSV vaccination hub for Royal Derby Hospital. Not only does Julie manage the programme — she also personally delivers vaccinations, ensuring pregnant women receive timely protection during their antenatal care. Julie explained: "We have vaccinated over 800 antenatal patients since commencing the vaccination service here in Clinic A last September.
"Clinic A Midwives undertake over 400-450 antenatal appointments per month, Monday to Friday, and also host postnatal clinics on Saturday and Sunday."
Pete Tari, Matron for Centralised Outpatients, who works with Julie and nominated her for this Excellence award, said: "Julie is well known to staff and patients alike for her hands-on approach. Whether it’s managing the front desk, coordinating appointments, or simply greeting patients with a warm smile, her presence is a constant source of positivity and reassurance.
"She is, without doubt, an unsung hero within our Trust. Her unwavering support for the midwifery service, combined with her commitment to patient care and service development is a shining example to everyone.
"Julie is not only a driving force behind Clinic A’s success — she’s a ray of sunshine to everyone who walks through its doors."
Rebecca O'Connor, Executive Director of Corporate Development, presented the award and praised Julie for her determination to enhance patient experience at FNCH.
She said: "Julie's work has improved outcomes for those in our care and she has driven forward continuous improvement - which is so important for the Trust and making sure we're utilising every available opportunity and resource.
"It is inspiring individuals like Julie who are helping us to deliver Exceptional Care Together by driving innovation and efficiency across the organisation. Julie is the friendly face patients see when using Clinic A and she truly makes a difference to their experience within one our Community Hospitals. On behalf of our Executive Team and everyone at UHDB, thank you for everything you are doing."
Would you like to nominate a colleague for a Monthly Making a Difference Award?
If you would like to nominate a colleague or team for a Monthly Making a Difference Award, please let us know.
Our Monthly Making a Difference Awards celebrate those who have shown exceptional care and who have delivered improvements across safety, quality, effectiveness and patient experience and demonstrated the Trust values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence.
There are three monthly Making a Difference Awards categories:
- Chief Executive Award – chosen by our CEO
- Patient Hero Award – nominated by patients
- Excellence Award - you can nominate colleagues and teams
You can nominate in two ways:
- By completing this new e-form which will be sent directly to our awards team >
- By sending a 300 word nomination, along with the name of the team or individual, their job title and where they work, to: uhdb.employeeawards@nhs.net