Chesterfield Champions are highlighting community impact across Chesterfield, with Ashgate Hospice securing funding for specialist palliative and end-of-life care services for 2026/27, Chesterfield Royal Hospital is helping to reduce elective waiting times, and Kip McGrath Chesterfield West headlines this year’s Chesterfield Children’s Festival.
Ashgate Hospice secures funding agreement for 2026/27
Ashgate Hospice and Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (DDICB) have agreed on the specialist palliative and end-of-life care services that will be funded for 2026/27.
The agreement follows detailed discussions between Ashgate Hospice, DDICB and NHS England on how specialist hospice services can best meet local need within available resources.
Over recent months, Ashgate Hospice has made several changes to help reduce the gap between the cost of delivering specialist care and available funding. The agreement provides a more stable footing for 2026/27 and supports the continued delivery of hospice services across North Derbyshire.
As part of the agreement, Ashgate Hospice will increase inpatient capacity from eight to 10 beds, including two beds currently funded through the hospice’s Save a Precious Bed Appeal.
The funding settlement also supports the continuation of wider services, including care provided in people’s homes and Ashgate’s Virtual Ward service.
Ashgate Hospice, DDICB and NHS England will continue to work together over the coming year to develop a shared understanding of specialist palliative and end-of-life care provision across North Derbyshire. This will inform future planning and commissioning.
Barbara-Anne Walker, Chief Executive at Ashgate Hospice, said:
“This agreement is an important step forward for Ashgate Hospice and the people we care for across North Derbyshire.
“The last year has involved difficult decisions and detailed discussions about how specialist hospice care can continue to be delivered in a sustainable way for the future. This agreement gives us greater certainty for the year ahead and allows us to take a small but important step in increasing inpatient capacity.”
Further work will continue across Derbyshire over the next 12 months to support future commissioning arrangements, recognising the need to protect sustainability while maintaining high-quality care for local communities.
Chesterfield Royal Hospital praised for reducing patient waiting times
Chesterfield Royal Hospital has recognised staff for their hard work and dedication after recording one of the biggest improvements in elective waiting times across the Midlands.
Latest NHS figures show that by the end of March, more than 61% of patients at Chesterfield Royal Hospital were waiting less than 18 weeks from referral to treatment. This represents an improvement of 7.9% since January and marks the second highest improvement across the Midlands region.
The progress follows an exceptionally busy year for the hospital, with teams continuing to deliver high-quality care while managing sustained demand and service pressures.
Over the last 12 months, Chesterfield Royal Hospital carried out 9,245 surgeries, delivered more than ten million tests, and provided 341,607 new and follow-up appointments – the highest number recorded by the trust in a single financial year.
The achievement comes despite industrial action that led to a small number of postponed appointments, tests and operations during the year. Hospital teams worked to minimise the impact on patients by prioritising those with the greatest clinical need.
Dr Hal Spencer, Chief Executive at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said:
“This progress is down to the incredible commitment of our staff.
“Our teams have gone above and beyond to make sure patients continue to receive high-quality care, even in the face of service disruption and unprecedented demand.”
Throughout the year, the trust introduced several measures to improve access to care and reduce waiting times. These included extending operating lists, redesigning patient pathways and increasing collaboration between teams to maximise available capacity.
Elective recovery remains a key priority for Chesterfield Royal Hospital, alongside improving urgent and emergency care, supporting staff wellbeing and working closely with NHS partners to meet the needs of local communities.
New event sponsor announced for Chesterfield Children’s Festival
Kip McGrath Chesterfield West will be the headline sponsor for this year’s Chesterfield Children’s Festival, helping expand the free family event with a new craft tent and activities.
The Chesterfield Children’s Festival will return to Queen’s Park on Saturday, 18th July 2025, and Sunday, 19th July 2025, for its fourth year, organised by local charity Junction Arts.
Since launching in 2023, the event has grown into a key date in the town’s cultural calendar, bringing together arts, culture and play for children aged 0–16.
This year’s festival will be the largest yet, supported by a £1,000 sponsorship from Kip McGrath Chesterfield West. The funding will help introduce a new craft tent, offering free drop-in workshops across the weekend including cyanotype printing, badge making, pottery and make-your-own football shirt activities.
Kip McGrath Chesterfield West, run by Andy and Lorna Bell, provides English and maths tuition for primary, secondary and post-16 learners, working with schools and families to support confidence and learning.
Lorna Bell, Director at Kip McGrath Chesterfield West, said:
“Supporting children’s development goes beyond the classroom; play and creativity are just as important in helping young people grow in confidence. When we visited the festival last year, we were blown away by the variety of activities and the fact that everything was completely free for families. We knew straight away that we wanted to be involved in supporting something so special for our community.”
Ashgate Hospice, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Kip McGrath Chesterfield West and Junction Arts are four of over 200 Chesterfield organisations that are proud to support the local economy, working closely with Destination Chesterfield to showcase Chesterfield and North Derbyshire as a destination to live, work, visit and invest.
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