Flu vaccine: Flu season has hit the NHS more than a month earlier than usual, with cases three times higher than this time last year. You can protect yourself and your colleagues by getting your flu vaccination now. Our flu team are running drop-in clinics across several sites this week for staff. Find your nearest clinic and book online (you’ll need to be on-site or connected to the VPN) – or simply drop in. If you have any questions, please email dchst.flu@nhs.net
Improving DCHS as a place to work: Your feedback in the NHS staff survey will help us to improve DCHS as a place to work and receive care. It only takes five minutes to have your say! Your electronic survey should have arrived from ‘picker_surveys@picker.org’, our survey provider, if you’re struggling to find it in your inbox. Please can all leaders support their teams and set aside dedicated time to complete their survey and have a voice. Check out our NHS Staff Survey page on My DCHS here for information videos, our latest response rate and more to help spread the word.
Join our Annual Members’ Meeting!: Everyone is welcome to attend the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust Annual Members’ Meeting on Tuesday 25 November from 1pm – 2.30pm (held virtually).
Everyone is welcome to join, click here to download the invite and add it to your diaries. The pop-up will appear in the right side of your page in a 'downloads' column, then you just need to click 'open file' and 'accept' to add it to your diary.
Oliver McGowan mandatory training in learning disability and autism:
As you may be aware, there are two tiers of the Oliver McGowan mandatory training in learning disability and autism. To view the full guidance and to see which you need to complete please click here.
Admin forum: The admin forum welcomed 140 attendees to the last meeting. If you class yourself as working in an administration role, please consider joining future forums – email dchst.adminforum@nhs.net. For those who couldn’t attend last month, or if you want to see a recap, the main themes are included in the summary here”
Learning through experience group: A space where real stories and shared knowledge drive meaningful change across the Trust. Meeting quarterly, this group is all about putting people at the heart of learning. We listen, reflect and take action based on lived experiences – celebrating what works and learning from what doesn’t. Our mission is :
- Spot valuable learning from individual events or emerging themes
- Share insights widely and effectively across the Trust
- Ensure learning leads to real, visible improvements
- Prevent repeat poor experiences
- Champion proven practices that enhance experience
- Foster a culture of learning, openness and no blame.
If you have any questions, you can contact Victoria Stafford or Esther Jennison-Boyle
Our latest edition of Where’s the Teaspoon? is live! In this episode we had a chat with our new chief nurse, Abby Trainer, to learn more about her – and her life outside of work. Listen on Spotify here, or on YouTube (with subtitles) here.
A new episode of Conversations in Frailty is out now: This educational podcast has been designed for any clinicians working with patients with Frailty across the county.
The topic of episode 14 is dizziness. Listen in to hear Dr Sarah Morris, DCHS GP, in conversation with local audio vestibular doctor Vasileios Gkiousias. It includes tips for adapting examinations to the frail patient, which drugs are best to deprescribe and much more. Available now on Spotify and YouTube, so you can fit your learning around your busy life!
Have your say - join us for EDS domains two and three grading workshops: We are delighted to invite all DCHS colleagues to take part in the Equality Delivery System (EDS) domains two and 3 grading workshops in January 2026. This is a great opportunity for you to share your views on the Trust's equality information or evidence against EDS domains two and three that would be presented and also to help shape improvements. The EDS is a framework that helps us review and improve equality for staff, patients and communities. To find out more about the EDS, visit here.
Further details will be shared nearer the time. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please get in touch with the inclusion and belonging team.
Autumn energy-saving tips: With autumn upon us it’s a good time to focus some mental energy on top tips for better energy efficiency. We’ve come up with a list of eight simple but effective ways to save energy and money. These are easy steps we can all take to help keep a lid on our energy costs and lighten the financial strain on us as we work hard to reduce our spending within DCHS. From supplies to electricity, heating and water - what we save on resources means more money for patient care. Collectively our small, everyday actions can lead to big savings. Got a smart energy-saving idea? Email it to dchst.communications@nhs.net – your tip could inspire change across DCHS.
Tip seven: Fridge and freezer efficiency matters even more as temperatures outside drop. Sometimes energy waste is hiding in plain sight. If something doesn’t look right, let us know. Report dripping taps, broken lights, or overheating rooms.
A single dripping tap could waste up to £100 a year. Report issues to dchst.estateshelpdesk@nhs.net
Quality Conversations sessions: Are you having Clear Conversations? In Derbyshire 6 out of 10 people will have difficulty understanding basic health information. Using Verbal Health Literacy techniques makes information easier to follow, remember and act on. In this session you will learn and practice 3 key verbal health literacy techniques:
- Using simple language
- Teachback
- Chunk and check.
How will it help?
- Reduce miscommunications
- Support people in making choices about their health
- Improve people’s health and wellbeing.
Book your place here.
