Latest news

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month >, a global campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer and promote early detection.

People across our community are being invited this October to learn skills that could save a life, when resuscitation training experts from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) will be raising awareness about what to do to help someone in cardiac arrest and teaching basic CPR skills at a series of events to mark the annual Restart a Heart initiative. 

There will be changes to the car parks available at Royal Derby Hospital during the weekend of October 10 to October 13, while a large crane is on site to help provide essential maintenance to the hospital.

This Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) Awareness month, we are raising awareness about the condition, and clinical nurse specialist, Agnes 'Aggie' Williams, explains more about sickle cell disorder, symptoms of a crisis and reducing the risk of triggers.  

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) colleagues in our Dementia team will be hosting their Dementia Annual Event at Royal Derby Hospital this month, taking place on Monday 20 October 2025.

Held from 10am to 3pm in the Education Centre Lecture Theatre, Level 2, the event is open to everyone – including patients, carers, family members, staff and members of the public – who want to learn more about dementia and the wide range of support available. No registration is required and the event is free to attend.

Patients and visitors using the Macmillan Information Centre at Royal Derby Hospital have commended the "welcoming and friendly" environment, and the department "exceeding the level to retain" a quality standard called the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark (MQEM) after an independent review in July 2025. 

The family of a young amputee whose lives were 'turned upside down' when he contracted sepsis are helping others recognise the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening condition, which affects 245,000 people in the UK each year.

A Derbyshire woman who has regained her independence and the ability to care for her husband following life-changing corneal transplant surgery is urging others to consider becoming eye donors – as University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) becomes one of just 10 new NHS trusts in England to offer a complete eye donation and transplant service.

Today, on World Pharmacists Day >, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) celebrate the invaluable contributions of our pharmacy teams. This year’s theme highlights the vital role pharmacists play in improving patient care, safety, and outcomes — and at UHDB, that impact is felt every single day.

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. 

Congratulations to the Parkinson's Rapid Advisory and Intervention Therapy Service (PRAIS) for winning the Deteriorating Patients and Rapid Response Initiative of the Year category at the 2025 HSJ Patient Safety Awards, in recognition of their incredible work to deliver high quality and safe care to vulnerable patients across our Trust and communities.

The Baton of Hope tour > is coming to Derbyshire and Florence Nightingale Community Hospital (FNCH) on Saturday 13 September. 

Radiotherapy colleagues at UHDB will be hosting a special Radiotherapy careers open day on Saturday 6 September 2025 at Royal Derby Hospital (RDH) — open to members of the public and fellow NHS colleagues alike. 

This will be help in our RDH site's Radiotherapy department, located on Level 0, across two sessions — 9.30am to 11am, and 11.30am to 1pm.

Three colleagues from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) have been shortlisted alongside the Trust at the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Apprenticeship Awards 2025.

We are delighted to announce that this year's Annual Members' Meeting will be taking place on Thursday 18 September and is open to all to attend. 

The meeting will take place in the Teaching Room 1 at the Medical Education Centre, Queen's Hospital Burton, with doors opening from 4.30pm. Attendees will be able to visit a host of stalls prior to the meeting to find out more about the work of Derby and Burton Hospitals Charity, the Patient Experience Team, the work of our Trust Governors and from a host of other areas from across the Trust. 

''All I ever wanted was to be a nurse and care for and look after people… Now I feel I have to be on my guard all the time at work, I feel I need to have eyes and ears everywhere because the presence and threat of violence is with all staff, at every single shift.'' - Megan, Senior Sister, Emergency Department (ED).

Patients undergoing reconstructive surgery at the Royal Derby Hospital are benefitting from pioneering 3D printing technology that is improving surgical outcomes, enhancing patient experiences and saving NHS resources - by creating model replicas of their skulls or jaw.

The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) Maxillofacial surgical team, based within the Head and Neck department at RDH, is harnessing the power of 3D printing to drive advancements in patient care.

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.

We are pleased that three teams across University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) have been hailed as national examples of healthcare excellence. Their work has been shortlisted for the prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards 2025, who have recognised their innovative work to drive improvements in quality, safety and access to patient care.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) have marked World Breastfeeding Week 2025 by becoming a 'Breastfeeding Welcome Here' venue - one of several positive steps helping ensure parents feel comfortable and supported when feeding their babies at our hospitals.

Sir Robert Peel Community Diagnostic Centre in Tamworth now offers children's blood tests in a dedicated weekly clinic.

An event to raise awareness and boost testing for Hepatitis C is taking place in Derby city centre next week.

UHDB colleagues, families and supporters have come together to celebrate the achievements of ten young adults completing the 2024/25 Project SEARCH supported internship programme.

The graduation event, held in the Lecture Theatre at Royal Derby Hospital on Wednesday 16 July, marked the end of a transformative year for the interns - who completed 27 placements across the Trust thanks to key stakeholders who have helped to support the programme, such as our facilities provider ISS, and the University of Derby.

A national patient safety initiative is now live across University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) to give patients and their loved ones a direct route to request a rapid review if they are worried  about someone’s condition while they are in hospital. The Call for Concern phoneline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by our expert Critical Care Outreach (CCO) team.

Some resident doctors across the NHS including those at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, are planning to take part in strike action from 7am on Friday 25 July to 7am on Wednesday 30 July.

Researchers at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) are leading a new study to tackle long-standing health inequalities in the Deaf* community - having been awarded over £100,000 from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). 

Led by Dr Anna Selby PhD, Research and Postgraduate Manager at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre, the research will bring together a partnership between UHDB, the University of Leeds and University of Sheffield, and two Derby-based charities – Communication Unlimited and the Royal School for the Deaf Derby (RSDD). The study is taking a fully participatory approach, ensuring that Deaf people are not just research subjects but active partners in shaping healthcare improvements.

Last month Sue Eyre, Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Navigator, was surprised with a Patient Hero Award for her role in supporting the UGI cancer service at University Hospitals Derby and Burton (UHDB) and ensuring that smooth patient journeys are at the heart of everything they do.