Month of the Military Child: To mark the Month of the Military Child, our Armed Forces Network chair Melanie Dyke shares a powerful reflection on the realities of military family life and the values it instils. Her daughter, Merryn, also contributes a heartfelt letter about growing up in a military family, offering an honest glimpse into the challenges of frequent moves, long separations, and the deep pride she feels for her parents’ service. Read the Dyke family’s stories here.
Walton Hospital CDC tour: Some of our colleagues enjoyed a sneak peek tour of Walton Hospital’s new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) to learn more about the development and see a preview of the soon-to-open centre. The CDC is a partnership development between DCHS and CRH, that once open will provide patients with a ‘one-stop-shop’ for diagnostic tests and services, including blood tests, point-of-care testing, CT and MRI scanning and will enable quicker diagnoses and treatment plans for conditions such as cancer, heart disease and respiratory issues. See some photos here.
12 May 2025 is International Nurses’ Day, and we want to celebrate the incredible skill, dedication and impact of our nursing colleagues at DCHS! Let us know how you’re marking the day, and if you’d like to recognise a nursing colleague or shoutout a team, please send over your stories and pictures to the comms team so we can celebrate you all and share your amazing work across our channels.
19 May farmers' Health MOT day: Farming men and women in Derbyshire are being invited for a free health MOT check at Bakewell Agricultural and Business Centre on Monday 19 May from 9am to 1pm. They will have the chance to speak to healthcare professionals on a range of health issues relevant to them. The aim of the free health MOT Day is to target farmers and farm workers who may not usually take the time to look after their own health as well as they could, or who just want to find out what NHS services are available. Find out more here.
May Derbyshire Dialogue: Come along to the next Derbyshire Dialogue, taking place on Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 21 May from 1pm to 2pm. Please click here to book your place. This session will focus on Dying With Dignity and we will hear from Dr Pauline Love, end of life clinical lead and Uzma Rani, end of life transformation lead. End of life discussions are still taboo. Come and hear what is happening within Derby and Derbyshire, and share your thoughts around end of life issues. There will then be an opportunity to have a further discussion around it.
New starter induction training on SystmOne: A new process for delivering SystmOne induction training via ESR is now live. All new starters, including bank staff, regular agency and users who may already have used SystmOne within another Trust, are required to undertake the standardised initial SystmOne induction training prior to access for SystmOne being granted. To request training please complete the training request form.
Following receipt of the form an email with an attached guide will be sent to the new member of staff. The guide explains how to access ESR and the steps to follow for completing the course. A copy of the email will also be sent to the individuals line manager. SystmOne access will be granted upon receipt of the ESR completed training certificate.
Please note that this is currently not for students, admin, phlebotomist or ward-based staff. That will remain via Teams. Any queries, please email DCHST.Trainingrequests@nhs.net
For more information about Derbyshire Dialogue, see our website. If you wish to subscribe to Derbyshire Dialogue emails, please email ddicb.engagement@nhs.net with 'Subscribe to Derbyshire Dialogue' in the subject line.
Our Armed Forces network would like to invite colleagues to their monthly NAAFI break!: On Thursday 5 June, our Armed Forces network is relaunching the ‘NAAFI break’ series (formerly known as Tea & Chat). This is an informal MS Teams session, that provides an opportunity for members of the staff network to catch up, share stories or listen, without judgement.
In military slang the ‘NAAFI’ stands for the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute – a place on camp to purchase refreshments. Your NAAFI break was the chance to be relieved of duties for a short period of time to grab a drink or snack with friends and colleagues before returning to work.
When? 10am – 10.30am, on the first Thursday of every month
Where? Online via MS Teams.
To join the Armed Forces network, request the MS Teams link for the NAAFI break, or for further information, please email: dchst.armedforces@nhs.net
Free Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Awareness training available to book throughout 2025/2026: Derbyshire County Council has commissioned Harmless Academy to deliver free half-day training for staff and volunteers working with Derbyshire residents. Harmless is the national centre of excellence for self-harm and suicide prevention, and their courses are based on up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge. DCHS colleagues can access the following training sessions:
- Mental health awareness training - this course will build awareness and understanding of mental health, address stigma, provide details of resources and services, equipping the staff and volunteers with confidence and skills
- Suicide awareness and managing mental health conversations training - this course will build general awareness and understanding of the topic of suicide and equip participants with skills and confidence to have supportive conversations with individuals who exhibit emotional distress.
You can find more information, including links to book your place, in this brochure or contact the Harmless Academy team for more information and advice: training@harmless.org.uk.
Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week 2025: Get involved in #EQW2025 taking place on 19-23 May. Find out what is happening during the week, access resources and register for the webinar here.
Library and Knowledge Service - keeping current with the latest evidence: KnowledgeShare is an online web-based current awareness system that sends you updates by email when a new article or report is published. Your KnowledgeShare profile is specific to your information needs. You can choose your areas of interest and select how often you would like to receive emails.
You can find out more and register for a KnowledgeShare account here.
Join the ‘Making Connections - Reciprocal Mentoring’ Programme 2025: Looking to grow professionally while sharing your lived experience? This programme offers a two-way mentoring experience where both partners learn, collaborate, and support each other’s development. You can watch this video that talks more about reciprocal mentoring, what it's about, and more. You will need to be available to attend the MS Teams launch event planned for 20 May 2pm - 4.30pm. To find out more please click here.
Pension courses available from Affinity Connect: Various courses are available to colleagues free of charge from Affinity Connect, including a new partial retirement (draw down) course:
- Retirement - 13 May, 1pm - 3.30pm
- Partial retirement - 2 June, 10am - 12pm.
If you'd like more information on any of the above courses or you'd like to book a place, please contact our People Development Team.
Belper’s new health centre takes shape: You can see the latest pictures of the building progress here. The completed building will include 14 consulting rooms, six treatment rooms, a health education group room and other facilities, and will provide a range of services including community nursing, midwifery clinics, podiatry services, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, continence advisory service, wound care and phlebotomy. It is expected to open to patients in early 2026.
Upcoming Quality Conversations sessions – book your spot!: There is a great line-up of training sessions coming up this May, covering key skills to support your work. Take a look here and be sure to book your place early – spaces fill up fast! Get in touch at dchst.qualityconversations@nhs.net for any questions.
