2024 has been an eventful year for our Trust. This page summarises some of our achievements during the year. It covers:
- Activity across our services
- Launch of our new Trust Strategy
- National awards
- Staff successes
- Personal stories of hope and recovery
- Making Room for Dignity programme - new-build facilities
- Living Well Derbyshire/Derby Wellbeing winter newsletter.
Activity across our services
2024 has been an extremely busy year across our mental health services, neurodevelopmental services, eating disorders services, addiction services and children's health services.
Our annual report for 2023/24 shows the number of people we supported from April 2023 to March 2024. These are summarised in the infographic and in the figures below:
- 1,286 inpatient admissions
- 81,353 children treated
- 44,938 adults treated
- 87,323 referrals received
- 72,280 people seen
- 608,339 attended contacts
- 247 inpatient beds
- 3,047 babies cared for in Derby city
- 7,506 face-to-face follow-ups for those in our learning disability (LD) services.
In the two months of August and September 2024 alone...
- The Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service helped 4,877 people
- Our Work Your Way employment service successfully supported 38 people open to community mental health services into permanent work in roles of their choice
- The East Midlands Gambling Harms Service received 57 self-referrals from people concerned about their gambling habits
- 1,144 mothers received care from our Perinatal mental health services
- We received 251 formal compliments from service users, carers, families and students - in addition to all the thank you cards and staff recognition scheme nominations that were sent in
- This website was visited by 40,886 people on 68,353 separate occasions.
Launch of our new Trust Strategy
In the autumn, we launched our new Trust Strategy - which has been developed through extensive engagement with staff, Trust governors, service user and carer representatives and partner agencies.
Our four strategic priorities, or '4 Ps' are now as follows:
- Patient focused - our care and clinical decisions will be respectful of and responsive to the needs and values of our service users, patients, children, families and carers.
- People - we will attract, involve and retain staff creating a positive culture and sense of belonging.
- Productive - we will improve our productivity and design and deliver services that are financially sustainable.
- Partnerships - we will work with our system partners, explore new opportunities to support our communities and work with local people to shape our services and priorities.
Learn more about these strategic priorities. Early in 2025, detailed delivery plans will be agreed for each priority.
National awards
The Trust and its teams and colleagues were recognised at a number of awards ceremonies this year, including:
- National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards - winner of the Great Autism Practice Award for significantly reducing adult autism assessment waiting times and decreasing the number of those with autism who are treated in hospital. Learn more about the Great Autism Practice Award.
- National Dementia Care Awards - Trust colleague Lesley Fitzpatrick was a finalist in the Dementia Care Innovator category for an article she published in the British Journal of Nursing on alcohol-related dementia. Learn more about Lesley's article and award shortlisting.
- BAME Health and Care Awards - Toby Marandure, our Head of Nursing for Community Mental Health Services and Substance Misuse, was a finalist in the Nurse of the Year category. Learn more about why Toby was shortlisted for 'nurse of the year'.
- Health People Management Association (HPMA) Awards - winner of the Excellence in People Award for our ICARE training programme for newly employed healthcare support workers. The same programme was also shortlisted at the Nursing Times Workforce Awards. Learn more about the ICARE programme.
- Step into Health Awards - winner of the Forces-Friendly Employer award along with our partner, Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS) NHS Foundation Trust. Learn more about the Forces-Friendly Employer award.
- HSJ Awards - Gemma Saunders, psychotherapist at Derbyshire Healthcare and Mel Dyke, an intensive health visitor at DCHS, were jointly a finalist in the Military and Civilian Partnership category in recognition of their efforts as co-chairs of the Armed Forces Network across both trusts. Gemma, Mel and the other network members have worked to support local employees who have served their country in the Armed Forces. Learn more about the work of the Armed Forces Network.
- NHS Communicate Awards - the Communications and Engagement team was a finalist in the Working in Partnership category, for a collaboration with Derbyshire Mind, Waythrough (formerly Richmond Fellowship) and others to promote urgent mental health support services. Learn more about the efforts to promote urgent mental health support services.
Staff successes
Some of the achievements by Trust colleagues during the year were as follows:
- Dementia support worker Lynn Woodroffe won a prestigious Chief Nursing Officer Award
- Lived experience worker Leanne Walker published her second book, and was asked to present two awards at a national awards ceremony
- Consultant Psychiatrist Subodh Dave raised over £11,000 for charity by completing an epic series of marathons and runs
- Children's occupational therapist Jan Nicholson was presented with a Merit Award by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
- Clinical nurse educator and former army medic Hayley Lawrence carried the Book of Remembrance at this year's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
- Consultant psychiatrist Dr Rais Ahmed received a leadership appointment from Royal College of Psychiatrists to improve patient care.
- Psychologist Dr Liam Ennis was awarded a prestigious national research fellowship.
A number of high-performing colleagues and teams were also recognised at the Trust's internal staff awards, the HEARTS Awards - Honouring Exceptional and Really Terrific Staff. Learn more about the winners of our HEARTS Awards.
Personal stories of hope and recovery
Our vision is to make a positive difference in everything we do. Here are some of the stories of people who have benefited from using our services:
- "I was £80,000 in debt but still couldn't give up my gambling addiction - the East Midlands Gambling Harms Service helped me to change my life"
- "I was addicted to drink and drugs but now I'm using my experiences to help others"
- "I have some good and not so good experiences with mental health, but accessing the right services changed my life"
- "I lost £2,000 during a family dinner through my secret gambling habit – and had to pretend nothing was wrong".
Our members' magazine, Connect, issued twice a year, also includes the personal stories of those who use our services. The winter 2024/25 issue of Connect magazine tells the story of Marvin Richards, who learned to overcome a heroin and crack cocaine addiction with the help of our Derby Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service. It also tells the stories of Gail Asher and Alison Moores, whose children have been helped by our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and who are now parent peer support workers in the CAMHS team.
Making Room for Dignity programme
Preparations have continued during 2024 for our new inpatient healthcare facilities, which will offer hotel-style accommodation for local people with acute mental health needs. The new and refurbished facilities will provide single, en-suite rooms and give much greater privacy and dignity to patients. There will also be a new model of care that takes a more therapeutic approach.
The first of the new facilities to open will be Bluebell Ward in Chesterfield, for older adults. This ward is due to open on 7 January 2025 with an official opening to follow in the spring.
Learn more about our Making Room for Dignity programme.
Below is an image of the Derwent Unit in Chesterfield, taken in October 2024.
