Welcome to the latest issue of My Download - your regular news roundup. The deadline for contributions is 5pm on a Thursday. If you have anything that needs sharing with colleagues, please don't hesitate to get in touch: dchst.communications@nhs.net.

Today is National Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHP) Day and we want to give a big shout out to all the AHPs in #TeamDCHS. AHPs are the third-largest clinical workforce in health and care, and include professions such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians, paramedics, and more. Thank you to all of our AHPs for your hard work and dedication!

2024 NHS Staff Survey: The NHS Staff Survey launched last Monday and you should have received your survey via email from picker_surveys@picker.org. If you haven’t received it, please check your junk folder to see if the survey is in there. The survey is an important opportunity for each of us to share our experiences, insights, and thoughts on how we can continue to improve as an organisation and employer - we all have a voice that counts! If you experience any issues completing your survey, please let Simon Rose know.

Speak Up Month site visits: Our Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian, Jackie Rawlings, is starting her site visits this week for Speak Up Month. You can meet Jackie on Wednesday 16 October at Coleman Street Health Centre (as part of the People Promise drop-in session). Click here for full details of all Jackie’s visits. Call in and have a chat if you’re in the area – find out more about the guardian role or talk through any concerns you may have.

People Promise drop-in sessions: The first in our series of People Promise drop-in sessions takes place in Derby this week, aimed at hearing what matters to you at work, and making the People Promise work for us in DCHS. You’ll also get the chance to complete your staff survey, get your flu jab, and even enter a raffle with prizes very kindly donated by Unison. Join us this Wednesday, 16 October, at Coleman Street Health Centre, Derby, from 11am – 2.30pm.

Book or drop-in to a flu clinic: You can book online to have your flu vaccination here. Locations of flu clinics this week include Ilkeston Community Hospital, Ripley Hospital, Coleman Street Health Centre, Walton Hospital, Clay Cross Hospital, Florence Nightingale Community Hospital and Cavendish Hospital - you can see all the times and dates for each clinic here. Or please feel free to drop-in to any of these flu clinics at any time. Any questions, please email the team at dchst.flu@nhs.net and they will be in touch to assist you.

Introducing…our new chief executive Jim Austin: In this month’s episode of Where’s the Teaspoon, we sit down with Jim to learn more about him and his life outside of work. You can listen on Spotify here or YouTube (with subtitles) here.

Podcast guests wanted! We’re looking for guest speakers for new episodes of our Bump in the Road podcast. We’d love to hear from parents and carers about their experience of the perinatal period. Our podcast aims to bring to light and normalise the struggles that many parents and carers face throughout pregnancy, the newborn stage, and up until their baby is 1 (the perinatal period). With stories from other parents, to advice and information from health visitors, to coping strategies from psychologists, there's something for anyone who’s going through this often challenging time. Click here to find the topics we usually cover. You can listen to other episodes on Spotify or YouTube. If you would be interested in sharing your story, please contact Charlie Kenyon.

New telephony licences - phones changing over at all sites: We are changing our phone contract from Vodafone to Microsoft Teams Calling. There are a few changes that will take place, this will only affect staff who currently use a phone on various sites throughout the Trust (not mobile phone users). Find full details here, or contact Joanne Jones or Rav Kooner with any further questions.

Survey on respite care service for adults: The aim of this survey is to establish if a new community respite day care service for adults (18+) living with mental health conditions, learning difficulties and disabilities in Derby City is needed. The plan is to provide carers the opportunity to leave their cared for with care staff for a few hours per week in a safe and engaging environment, allowing regular short periods of respite. All responses are anonymous and none of your personal data will be collected. Fill in the survey here.

Developing Healthcare Talent programme (starting on Wednesday 6 November): This programme has been developed for healthcare support workers across the country and it's purpose is:

To further develop and expand core skills and competencies
To support people in their personal and professional development
To engage participants and strengthen their sense of belonging in their organisations.

It will lead participants, with minimum demand on their time, to establish a new set of skills, a fresh mindset and an accompanying set of innovative practices that are proactive, rather than simply responding to circumstances. The benefits to participants, their peers and their communities are long lasting, well beyond the participation in the programme. The next cohort will start on Wednesday 6 November at 10am, the dates and times for all sessions can be found on the expression of interest form.

Please ensure you have your managers permission to apply. Following on from the expression of interest, you will be asked to complete a registration with the provider Talent for Care. If the program becomes over subscribed, your names will be passed to a future cohort should you wish to take up the offer.

Conversations in Frailty episode 7, diabetes – Hypo and Hyperglycaemia in Frailty: Dr Sarah Morris continues her conversation with Beth Cooper – diabetes specialist lead nurse in the north of the county. Here we reflect on the presentation and management of high and low blood sugars in the frail elderly, as well as sick day rules for the acutely unwell. Ideal for ACPs, ECPs and doctors – whether in training or wanting an update! Listen now on Spotify or on DCHS YouTube.

Feedback always welcome - ⁠⁠dchst.advancedpracticeed@nhs.net⁠⁠ or on Spotify - about this episode or topics you’d like covered in the future.

This week’s leaders' and managers' update spotlights:

People Promise roadshows
Health and safety training
Quality Conversations e-learning offer from JUCD
Upcoming in-house people management masterclasses with spaces still available including finance and project management
Coaching and mentoring within the Trust and across the Derbyshire system

Take a look at the latest update here. You can book via ESR self-service – search 'people management' to view all available sessions.

It's currently Baby Loss Awareness Week. If you need support, the Sands baby loss charity provides a helpline with a confidential space to talk: 0808 164 3332.

There is a monthly meeting held by the Derby branch of Sands. If you would like to attend, email support.derby@sands.co.uk. You can read more about how you can raise awareness and show support here.

If you need any further help with your wellbeing, you can contact our wellbeing team: dchst.yourwellbeingteam@nhs.net.

Congratulations to Hannah Handley, who works as a senior community nurse at Coleman Street, who has recently been awarded her 20 years' long service award. Thank you for your long and loyal service, Hannah!

Well done to our High Peak MSK/OP therapy team, for sustaining their Quality Always Gold achievement and DCHS Dignity 2 certification via the Earned Autonomy self-assessment process on Thursday 3 October.

Julie Upton, Oral Health Improvement Lead, would like to shout out the Improvement Innovation and Effectiveness team:

"The team have been working with our service to capture outcomes more effectively which can then be shared with our commissioners. The work is now complete and has created a template on AMaT which has replaced our individual MS forms to capture evaluation and the team have also helped us to then create simple charts to report the data, perfect for my quarterly reporting. The team have definitely created an efficiency saving for us. Thanks so much from the Oral Health Team."

Jobs at DCHS: Check out all the latest DCHS vacancies here.

Our Rapid Response Chesterfield / Northeast Derbyshire team shared a huge ‘well done’ to NQN preceptors Amy Shelton and Naomi Aburn on completing their preceptorship with the service! The team said: “They have taken to this role with ease and tenacity and have been smashing it for a while - we often forget that they are NQNs. Thank you for all your efforts and hard work!”

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