The finishing touches have been put on the last of twelve Quiet Rooms, meaning that Chesterfield Royal Hospital now have one available to every ward.

These rooms, paid for thanks to the generous donations given to the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds, are designed to offer patients, relatives, carers and staff a place to go, away from the busy clinical environment, where they can talk in private, discuss complex elements of a patient’s care and take a moment to deal with difficult news.

Bridget O’Hagan is the Royal’s Deputy Director of Nursing and Patient Care, she said:-

“We decided to completely rethink the way we use and present our quiet rooms off the back of what was, essentially, a complaint. Relatives told us that the rooms that we had for this purpose were dark, badly furnished, people kept interrupting and they were basically not fit for purpose.

“When we looked more closely at the rooms we offered, we realised that we needed to do something about this for the benefit of everyone. We undertook an exercise to gather the views of patients, relatives, visitors and staff to find out what they would like to see in such a room and where we might improve the current facilities. We did this through and speaking to people face to face over a period of time and gathered responses.”

The Royal Hospital nursing teams worked with those involved in End of Life Care and Facilities to look at this feedback and decide on the next steps. The teams looked at similar rooms in other hospitals and hospices, researching different types of furniture, colours and pictures for the walls.

Jo Froud is the Trust’s Senior Matron for End of Life Care, she said:-

“We wanted to create an environment that is calming, relaxing and uplifting, with better lighting and basic facilities such as being able to make tea and coffee. We’ve provided sofas that can fold out to give overnight accommodation if required, along with new flooring, curtains and chrome plug sockets. Pictures of local landmarks, the countryside and improved lighting help to provide an atmosphere and appearance that is much more in keeping with somebody’s front room. So when we are having difficult conversations it is in an environment that doesn’t come across as clinical. It doesn’t feel like you’re on a ward.

“It’s opened up the rooms to new possibilities and we’ve made sure that we’ve taken account of Johns Campaign and The Carers’ Charter by ensuring that it is a space where carers can take a break and we’ve ensured that it is Dementia friendly. We can take patients there to give them time away from a clinical setting but be reassured that they’re still on a ward. We wanted to make sure that we got it right in terms of the environment and that it was functional, I think this space will be used extensively and it will be appreciated by all.”

Beverley Webster is Chair of the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds, she said:-

“The Charitable Funds Committee were delighted to support this project. Our ward staff are very sensitive to the challenges often faced by patients’ friends and family and clearly identified the need for dedicated Quiet Rooms. The whole team that were involved in preparing the bid for funding have put a great deal of thought and energy into gathering ideas from staff and planning the layout of the Quiet Rooms. The final result is a credit to all who have been involved and a fabulous example of what can be achieved thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

The Trust would like to thank the Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charitable Funds Committee for providing the resources to allow these twelve Quiet Rooms to be developed. The room on the Durrant and Eastwood Spine was unveiled on Monday 6^th November and is the last of twelve rooms to be developed.

Chesterfield College Group students and apprentices celebrated achieving university level qualifications today when they attended a graduation ceremony at Casa Hotel.

Family and friends joined the graduates at the celebration to congratulate the graduates along with representatives from awarding body universities including, Staffordshire University, Sheffield Hallam University and University of Derby.

The Principal and Chief Executive of the Chesterfield College Group, Julie Richards and Chair of the College Corporation, Frank Smith spoke at the event and were joined by the Headteacher of Parkside Community School, Kam Grewal-Joy who gave an inspirational speech about the importance of education and the choices it offers.

Almost 300 people graduated with a range of qualifications from Higher National Diplomas to degrees in a variety of subjects ranging from criminal justice to computing; engineering to education and human resources to health and fitness.

Julie Richards said:

“I want to congratulate all of our graduates on their fantastic achievements. Today I have heard many of them talk about how these qualifications are already making a difference to their employment prospects and how studying with us has opened new doors to help achieve ambitions and goals. It is wonderful to be able to be a part of their journey alongside employers and families whose support should not be underestimated. I am proud that the college group can offer people the choice to study to this level here in Chesterfield or through higher level apprenticeships across the country.”

Nicole Ball (33), from Darley Dale, graduated with a Foundation Degree in Psychology and Health she said:

“It feels amazing to be graduating today. It gives you a huge sense of achievement. I have absolutely loved the course and it has already helped me to start a new career working in mental health services. I was offered the job after doing a placement as part of the course so it really did open doors for me.”

Higher apprentice, Christian Walton (41), from Inkersall, has graduated today with a Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership. Christian said:

“It was definitely a steep learning curve at first, especially learning how to write more academically but the support and the tutors at college have been fantastic. I was actually promoted to Customer Service Manager a year ago thanks to the skills I’ve learned during my apprenticeship and I am exploring my options to progress on to a Level 6 qualification.”