Welcome to this week’s edition of My Download – your go-to round-up of all the latest news and updates. Got something to share with colleagues? Send it our way by 5pm on Thursday: dchst.communications@nhs.net.

Flu cases surging – protect yourself and your community: We are seeing a large surge in flu cases across the Midlands, which is placing significant pressure on services across our system. Please protect yourself, your colleagues, and our patients by getting your flu vaccine as soon as possible - it remains our best defence against serious illness and winter pressures. If you haven’t yet had yours, you can drop in to any of our flu clinics - no appointment needed. Find your nearest clinic here. As always, if you have flu symptoms, please avoid coming into clinical areas to reduce the risk of spreading infection. Thank you for helping to keep our services and communities safe.

Have your say - what should Belper’s new NHS health hub be called? Belper’s £15 million health centre is coming together fast, and we want you to help pick its name! Opening spring 2026, it’ll have consulting and treatment rooms, a health education space, and lots of services from nursing and midwifery to physiotherapy and podiatry. Check out the six name options and cast your vote in the online poll and vote here.

Updated leavers process: From Monday 15 December, the leavers process will be fully online. This means:

No paper copies will be accepted after this date.
Please remove any paper form links from the intranet/webpage.
Encourage managers to destroy any remaining paper copies.

Click here to see the full information.

Behind the scenes of estates: The new 'Let’s Talk Improvement' podcast episode is out now. How does the estates team turn everyday challenges into smarter, safer solutions? In this podcast episode, Kelly Lacey shares how the team uses innovation, collaboration and a proactive approach to drive continuous improvement. Packed with real examples and practical tips. Click here to listen.

Carers' network meeting: Everyone is welcome to pop in for the pre-Christmas carers' network face-to-face meeting on Friday 19 December at 12:30pm in meeting room one at Alfreton Primary Care Centre. Jemma Walker, network chair said: "Tea, coffee and treats will be on offer. We'd love to see as many of you as possible whether you are a carer or just want to find out more about supporting carers in your team. It's a space where carers can share experiences and peer-to-peer tips. For more details about the network and the range of training available, visit the intranet page here.

New EmbRACE Network chair: Introducing our new EmbRACE staff network chair, Dr Victor Jeganathan! Victor, a research officer in our psychological insights team, is well known across DCHS for his powerful and expressive illustrations which have featured in a wide range of projects and campaigns to help address health inequalities and support engagement on key healthcare topics. As he begins his term as chair, Victor brings both lived experience and creative insight to the role. Read more here.

Christmas reflection this December: On Tuesday 16 December, there will be a reflection session held by the christian network at Derbyshire Healthcare. It will run from 12.30pm-1.15pm. Click here to join the meeting on the day. Any queries please contact dhcft.christiannetwork@nhs.net.

Chaplaincy referrals: Chaplaincy Derbyshire is a service available to all DCHS service users who may benefit from additional support, comfort and a confidential listening ear. All referrals should be done through SystmOne (guidance here) as the service has recently been receiving a number of referrals via potentially old routes which they can no longer access.

100 years of healthcare in Heanor: On 28 November we reached a milestone in the history of healthcare in Heanor – marking a century since the town’s old memorial hospital was officially opened. The hospital has since been replaced by its namesake Heanor Memorial Health Centre, situated on the same plot on Ilkeston Road. Click here for the full story.

Microsoft Teams phone - scheduled maintenance: There will be ongoing maintenance on the Microsoft Teams phones throughout December and January. During this time, there may be short-term loss of service. If you experience any ongoing issues, please email dchst.msteamsphonehelp@nhs.net.

Our ‘Having better mental health conversations’ training focuses on practical skills to help you:

Start meaningful conversations about wellbeing and mental health
Recognise when someone may be struggling
Respond in supportive and helpful ways.

You’ll learn mental health conversation skills that can make a difference both in your working life and beyond it. Whether you’re supporting colleagues, service users or loved ones, these tools can help you feel more confident and better prepared. You can book onto one of our December dates here.

Clinical supervision sessions: Find out how to access and record clinical supervision, or how to become a clinical supervisor, at our latest events here.

Free developing healthcare talent programme – registration now open! Programme highlights:

16 weeks, eight online sessions (1.5 hours each, every two weeks)
Reflective activities and collaboration with practice partners
Early sessions: communication and self-awareness
Later sessions: teamwork, patient care and belonging.

The sessions start Wednesday 21 January 2026 and will occur fortnightly on Wednesdays 10:00 - 11:30 AM. Book a call using this registration link. For questions, please contact: DCHST.cpdfunding@nhs.net or emma.pipe@talentforcare.uk

Filter needle practice change: This is a change of practice update regarding the use of filter needles. Previously it was advised we use one filter needle per vial when drawing up medications. The guidance has now changed to one filter needle per drug i.e. if you need to draw up three vials of morphine for the same syringe driver, you can use the same filter to draw up all three vials. There is no limit to how many times you can reuse the filter needle if you are drawing up the same drug.

Training at Ashgate Hospice: The next 'verification of expected adult death' training will be held on 11 December and syringe driver training is on 12 January. Please see the posters here and here for more info.

Clinical apprenticeships: If you want to apply for the nursing, or AHP apprenticeships due to start in Autumn 2026, the closing date for applications is 28 February 2026. You can only apply if your manager has confirmed support. The link to apply is here. For more information check out our intranet page (you will need to be logged in) and go to the ‘Apprenticeship’ section.

This week’s leaders' and managers' update includes a new and improved format, which you can see here. Contact the leadership development team with any queries.

Click here for the current wellbeing timetable for 2025, which runs until 31 December. To find out more about the diverse range of wellbeing support available visit the website or contact the team: dchst.yourwellbeingteam@nhs.net.

Castle Street Medical Centre in Bolsover is looking for a Bank band 2 receptionist who can cover the busy GP reception. Hours vary, shift times are Monday – Friday 07:30-18:30 with a late finish on a Thursday until 20:00. Please note this role cannot be done remotely or at weekends. Click here for full details and to express interest.

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

Congratulations to the following teams on achieving their Quality Always Gold achievement via the earned autonomy self-assessment process:

High Peak and Buxton MSK
Adult SLT
North East Derbyshire 0-19.

A shoutout to the north heart failure team from Lisa Clarke: ’The north heart failure team is always so supportive of one another and always has the best team spirit despite the challenges they face. I am so grateful to work in a team like this and I wanted to do a shout out to say thank you.’’

Congratulations to Verna Shaw, who works with us as a system support officer, and received her 40 years NHS long service award at our latest #DCHSTTT. What an incredible achievement!

Thank you for your service, Verna!

#TeamDCHS

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