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In the spotlight …
with Dr Nigel Sturrock Dr Nigel Sturrock joined Derby Hospitals in January and will take up the role of executive medical director in March. Throughout January and February he is working on our wards to get to know staff and talk to patients and relatives. He is keen to hear your views about what works well here and, importantly, to listen to your feedback on areas we could improve to support staff and patients.
What attracted you to Derby Hospitals? I saw Derby as a high performing foundation trust. It has a reputation as a friendly hospital providing excellent clinical care. For me, the medical director post offered an opportunity to be part of the goal of being a beacon of excellence in healthcare. Of course there are issues that need resolving - around financial, access targets and some aspects of quality such as C Diff, but they are no different from anywhere else - and I look forward to working with colleagues to help turn these around.
What have you been doing since you arrived? I’ve very much enjoyed my first month - half my week is spent on the Medical Assessment Unit seeing patients on the acute medical take. I very much enjoy my clinical work - and this has given me the chance to talk to clinical colleagues on the ground to hear what the issues are as well as see things for myself. I’ve been shadowing Alison Fowlie at various meetings, as well as having lots of conversations with her as she fills me in on all I need to know! Finally, I’ve been meeting the divisional medical directors, clinical directors and associate clinical directors as well as the general managers of the divisions to hear all about the specialities.
Training Passport for staff will help protect patients Would you pass through Derby Hospitals’ passport control? Are you up to date with important training on safeguarding, infection control, information governance and other essential issues Patient safety comes first and mandatory training is everyone’s responsibility Did you know you can view your training record 24 hours a day from work and home
What have you learnt about the Trust so far? I’ve been really impressed by all that I’ve seen around the wards and departments - the pride in the care that is given has really come across. Some areas are really ahead of the game, like the birthing suite, or the development of the advanced clinical practitioners in medicine.
What will your priorities be? I want to give myself time to really understand the issues, looking at the quality of care that we deliver and get to know everybody - so I’ll be out and about - visiting wards every week, as well as getting to divisional and business unit meetings. The new structure is putting clinical leadership at the forefront in Derby to deliver quality and performance in difficult financial times, so I want to facilitate and support that to really take off.
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If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve Taking Pride please email dhft.communications@nhs.net or call 01332 785778. www.twitter.com/DerbyHospitals
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