The number of people in work in Chesterfield rose in December according to figures released this week.

Latest regional data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of people claiming job seekers allowance in the town fell from 1,300 to 1,270 over the month of December.

The figures are in line with national statistics which showed a record 32.2 million people in work (75.3%) for the quarter, a rise of 415,000 on a year earlier.

Regionally, the employment rate rose from 58.9% to 59.6% quarter-on-quarter, but was slightly down on the 60.4% recorded a year earlier.

Nationally, unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, comments:-

“We had a record-breaking 2017 for employment and I’m delighted to see this trend continue as we enter the new year. The number of people in work is at an all-time high and the unemployment rate has not been this low for over 40 years.”

Regional figures show the unemployment rate at the end of November was 4.1%, 0.1% down on the previous quarter.

Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“The national position remained very strong as 2017 ended but we have seen month-on-month variations regionally in employment levels and in claimant counts across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

“Only this morning there are reports that Tesco and Sainsbury’s cutting thousands of jobs nationally from their stores and Carillion’s collapse, which will send shockwaves through its huge UK supply chain, happened after these figures were collated.

“Without wishing to rain on the Government’s parade today, there are changing trends in the ways businesses are working and also significant inflationary pressures being faced by employers at the moment, not least being the latest rise in the National Living Wage in April, which will force them to make difficult decisions about how they balance their books.

“Here in the East Midlands we are very good at making things and shipping them to global markets, second only to London and the South East in terms of contribution to the national economy, but for far too long we have succeeded despite Government policies rather than because of the help given to the region.

“Government needs to start looking at ways of cutting the upfront costs of doing business and to make sure the East Midlands gets its fair share of investment, particularly infrastructure investment such as electrification of the Midland Main Line, to ensure it can continue to make a positive contribution to UK plc.”

The next phase of the Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) expansion project is now complete and open to patients.

The Royal will continue to work together with DHU Health Care CIC (DHU) in providing a service to give patients presenting to ED faster, more appropriate care and will now have a purpose built space in which to carry this out.

The Orthopaedic reception area has already been moved next to the Fracture Clinic Outpatient Suite 8 and the vacated space has been remodelled. This has helped to provide three consulting rooms and a reception area to provide a place where patients are initially streamed to either primary care or ED.

Sue Wootton, ED Matron, said:-

“The aim is to split the admissions appropriately between those that need emergency care and those who would benefit better from a primary care service. Previously this service had to operate out of cubicles within our main ED and the children’s play area but this new development will provide a dedicated space where these patients can receive treatment.

“An experienced nurse will carry out a brief assessment on each patient as they arrive and decide whether or not the patient needs immediate emergency care. If their reason for presenting is assessed as being more suited to a primary care consultation then they will be streamed to primary care where they will be seen by one of our DHU colleagues.

“The purpose of this is to ensure that those who need emergency care will be seen faster and that all patients who attend will receive appropriate care more quickly. Providing a bespoke area for this to take place allows us to make that distinction much clearer and make better use of the space that we have.”

The streaming service has been based at the Royal since 2013 and has been providing extended hours seven-day streaming services since July 2017 making it one of the first to introduce additional hours services ahead of the national target of October 2017.

The ED team will continue to work with DHU to ensure that each patient is effectively assessed as quickly as possible. The streaming service delivered by DHU will always have at least one GP, one advanced practitioner and one healthcare assistant employed by DHU to support the service which operates seven days a week, 8am until 11pm.

Dr Aqib Bhatti is Clinical Director of DHU Urgent Care Derbyshire providers of the streaming services at the Royal:-

“The new waiting area and treatment environment is a vast improvement for staff and patients alike. The improved facilities will result in a better experience for people assessed as not needing immediate emergency treatment and therefore a more appropriate use of precious ED resource, especially important during these times of increased pressure on NHS services.”

This work is part of a larger project due to be completed in June 2018, expanding the existing ED by approximately fifty per cent. In the interim period the streaming area, although fully operational, needs to be closed off at one end whilst work is carried out on the front, ‘blue-light’ ED entrance. Completion of this will mark the end of the redevelopment and result in patient access to the streaming area being opened up at both ends.

Seven new life-size steel figures have been unveiled as part of a memorial to miners who lost their lives at Markham Colliery nearly 80 years since the 1938 disaster at the site.

Derbyshire County Council Public Health Department are encouraging local support groups to take advantage of the Five Ways to Wellbeing Small Grants Scheme aiming to improve the mental well being of people living in Derbyshire.

The aim of the fund is to improve the mental wellbeing of people living in Derbyshire by
providing community based activities and services that help people to access the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’.

Mental wellbeing can take many different forms, but a useful description is ‘feeling good’ and ‘functioning well’. Mental wellbeing is more than just happiness, it includes feelings of contentment, enjoyment, self-confidence and self-esteem. Physical and mental wellbeing are closely related and so overall wellbeing involves both the mind and the body.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a set of national evidence-based actions (developed by the
New Economics Foundation) which promote people’s wellbeing. They are Connect, Be
Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. These activities are simple things
individuals can do in their everyday lives which have been proven to help improve people’s mental wellbeing.

Local voluntary, community or faith groups and organisations who deliver services in Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire are invited to apply for the small grant scheme.

Grants can be applied for, for up to £1500, on the condition that all grant money must be spent on the project within one year receiving the award. The grant scheme is administered by Chesterfield Champion, Derbyshire Voluntary Action and all applications must be sent to them by 5pm on Friday 16th February 2018.

Chesterfield FC have signed young defender Alex Whitmore on a permanent basis from Burnley.

The 22-year-old central defender arrives on a two-and-a-half-year deal from the Premier League club.

Manager Jack Lester is delighted with his latest signing. He said:-

“Alex is well thought of at Burnley and we can improve him. He is dominant and aggressive, with two good feet. He is also quick and reads the game well.”

After putting pen to paper, Whitmore said: “I got a call from Burnley to say there was interest and it felt right straight away.

“I met Jack Lester and got on really well with him and had a nice conversation with him. I knew this is where I wanted to come to and it’s nice to get it over the line.”

Whitmore has had several spells out on loan. He made 43 appearances for Morecambe last term and turned out 11 times for League One Bury earlier this season.

Photography Tina Jenner

Greater investment in research and development across the economy, strengthening the skills base to better engage with the digital revolution, and improving ambitious firms’ access to growth finance are key to enhancing science and innovation in the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership area, says a new study.

The Science and Innovation Audit for the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Area (or SIA) was commissioned and funded by the D2N2 LEP; the private sector-led partnership of business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary services which promotes economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. A copy can be read online at www.d2n2lep.org/Growth/Evidence-Base

Science and innovation’s positive impact on the D2N2 area economy is examined in the research report, produced by leading economic and social development consultants SQW.

The study says an estimated 188,000 people in the D2N2 LEP area work in (what the Office for National Statistics defines as) the economy’s science and technology related sectors (2016 figures). The report looks at how targeted investment could help accelerate productivity growth in this area.

The D2N2 Science and Innovation Audit report highlights the D2N2 LEP area has:

• An estimated one-in-five jobs in (ONS defined) science and technology sectors.
• Three university partners (Nottingham, Nottingham Trent and Derby) whose research and business support have international reach.
• Three science parks, plus innovation centres and ‘incubator’ areas; all home to many innovative and technology-rich small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• World class advanced manufacturing firms including Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and Toyota; a growing life sciences cluster in Nottingham, anchored by Boots and BioCity; and also innovative future food processing and digital technologies firms. All sectors already identified by D2N2 among its eight key commercial sectors; with, for example, Nottingham’s new £30million life sciences building BioCity Discovery receiving £6.5m in investment from D2N2’s Local Growth Fund allocation.

However, the Audit focuses on the need for the LEP area to foster a stronger innovation culture amongst businesses, help ambitious SMEs access growth finance to bring new products or ideas to market, improve skills and training, and encourage major firms to drive more research and development activity amongst supply chain companies.

A D2N2 SIA Framework has been developed to highlight how the D2N2 LEP area’s innovation culture, local expertise – in advanced manufacturing and engineering, digital technologies and data, and integrating systems – and area market priorities , can interact and complement one another to support greater productivity growth.

The Audit study concludes that a strategy to boost science and innovation long term in the LEP area should concentrate on market priority sectors, where considerable advances have already been made, including:

• Next generation transport – The LEP area benefits greatly from having major employers Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Bombardier within its boundaries; each of which invests in their own research and development activity.
• Life sciences and healthcare – In addition to BioCity (mentioned above) the D2N2 area’s sector companies include major employer Boots, the MediCity life sciences cluster; and Concept Life Sciences in Chapel-en-le-Frith and N4 Pharma in Chellaston, in Derbyshire.
• Future food processing – The competitive food market is constantly hungry for new products and innovation here is seen as key. Food research is strong among D2N2’s university partners, but the LEP has also invested in innovation. With local industry body the Food and Drink Forum it is sharing the costs of the £7million Food Enterprise Advisory Support Team (FEAST) programme; to help businesses innovate and bring new products to market. D2N2’s funding comes from its €251m in European Structural and Investment Funds.
• Energy and Low Carbon – As part of D2N2’s strategy to pursue a more sustainable, less environmentally damaging economy a D2N2 Energy Strategy is to be published in spring 2018, looking at how opportunities in this sector could be unlocked. Current D2N2 backed-initiatives include D2N2 Growth Hub help for SMEs to take a more low carbon approach and assistance to low carbon businesses; for example, recent Growth Hub assistance to help Nottingham low carbon couriers, WEGO.

The SIA has been commissioned now to inform changes to D2N2’s Strategic Economic Plan, its blueprint for developing its area’s economy, which is currently being ‘refreshed’.

Matt Wheatley, Chief Executive of the D2N2 LEP, said:-

“Our ambitions for a dynamic and productive economy led by science, technology and innovation, and creating opportunities for all, is only achievable by pinpointing the changes needed and bringing partners with us.

“To do this we needed an in-depth study of our current position, which this Science and Innovation Audit provides. I thank SQW and the partners who contributed to it. The study will be extremely useful in ‘refreshing’ our Strategic Economic Plan, and in seeing how D2N2 supports objectives in the Government’s Industrial Strategy, but it is also being made available to LEP area businesses and organisations, to progress their research objectives.”

The SIA study draws on existing evidence for the area; including its universities’ research profiles and results, national Research Councils and Innovate UK information, analysis of latest Business Register and Employment Survey data, and information from local partners.

A workshop was hosted with a D2N2 Innovation Working Group, and discussions held, from August to November (2017), with companies and other stakeholders. Around 40 organisations and businesses – including the Food and Drink Forum, East Midlands Rail Forum and Boots, Toyota, Rolls-Royce and Bombardier – contributed to the study.