NHS staff and patients celebrated in special NHS Day
Patients and carers, frontline NHS staff, and leaders across Derby and Derbyshire were celebrated in the media last week as part of a national day for the NHS run by the BBC.
A cobbler who lost his thumb in an accident, a GP in Derby, and call handlers who run the 111 centre in Derby were among the people interviewed about their experiences in the NHS.
The day was part of a national celebration of the NHS, and staff and patients were featured on BBC radio Derby and on TV to highlight areas of outstanding care, current pressures, and how the NHS is ensuring it is fit for the future.
First to share his thoughts was Dr Drew Smith, a GP in Derby City. Drew spoke about the pressures facing primary care and the range of support available to patients beyond seeing a doctor.
He highlighted the growing roles of wider practice teams, including physiotherapists, dietitians, social prescribers and advanced practitioners, as well as the importance of reception teams in directing people to the right care.
Then we heard the incredible story of David Lee, a cobbler who lost his thumb in a workplace accident in 2019. With reattaching the thumb not a viable option, surgeons from the Pulvertaft Hand Centre, based at Royal Derby Hospital, performed a complex procedure to sew one of his big toes onto his hand to create a new thumb.
David said: “Straight away, I knew how bad it was and I just worried that I wouldn’t be able to fix shoes again. I cried my eyes out when I thought about it, as I thought I was going to lose my shop.”
After multiple operations and extensive rehabilitation, David has regained function in his hand and returned to work. During an emotional on‑air reunion with his surgeon Ms Jill Arrowsmith, he reflected on his recovery and adapting to life after the surgery.
Jane Warder, Divisional Director of Community Care for Derbyshire Community Health Services came on-air to explain what Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) are and when people should use them. Jane spoke openly about the challenges facing urgent care teams, including staff abuse, and highlighted her pride in delivering care under pressure.
Listeners also heard a powerful eye transplant story about eye donation and transplants, featuring Ann, an 85‑year‑old woman from Ashbourne, who had experienced significant sight loss. She underwent two cornea transplants to restore her eyesight at Royal Derby Hospital, with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB), one of only ten new Trusts in the country offering a complete eye donation and transplant service.
Ann said: “‘I couldn’t have survived my normal live without having this operation. I can’t thank [Ms Lana] enough, and she knows that.”
Ann is now able to live her life normally, and is able to care for her husband who has dementia.
Ms Lana Faraj, Ann’s surgeon, said: “None of this could have happened without the amazing gift of the donor who donated their eyes to us. Eye donation is essential to be able to do this type of work.”
Later in the programme, Jackie phoned in to describe how her husband’s eye donation restored the sight of two women, and how the letter she received about it brought her comfort.
During the 11:30am slot with presenter Ian Skye, Wes Streeting, the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, joined to discuss national NHS priorities. He spoke about ambitions to reduce waiting times, improve access to GPs and A&E, and improve ambulance response times.
While acknowledging the scale of the challenge, he said there were signs of progress, noting that waiting lists in Derbyshire have fallen, though more than 100,000 people are still waiting for treatment. He encouraged people not to be deterred by headlines and to continue using NHS services when they need them, calling 999 in an emergency or NHS 111 for advice.
The day concluded with a visit to Derby’s NHS 111 call centre, run by DHU Healthcare, hearing from health adviser Fay and clinical adviser Chelsea about how calls are handled and how they support people to get the care they need. They shared examples of providing reassurance, directing care and supporting callers until help arrives.
Fay said: “It’s cradle to the grave, so we deal with people giving birth, and we deal with people who are dying.
“I once had a call from a farmer who was putting a ram on a trailer, the ram turned around very quickly and the ram’s horn went straight through his leg… so you do get some unusual calls”
Over at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, BBC Look North spent time in the Emergency Department (ED), speaking with an ED consultant, the lead ED nurse, and several patients to capture how teams continue delivering high‑quality care in challenging circumstances. The crew also recorded a live segment with Chief Executive Hal Spencer.
NHS Day provided a wide‑ranging look at the people, services and partnerships that make up the NHS in Derby and Derbyshire.
All pieces are available on catch-up.
Reflections from Dr Drew Smith – at 1hr 09 min
David Lee’s story – at 2hr 11 min
David Lee and Dr Jill Arrowsmith reunion.
Jane Warder discussing Urgent Treatment Centres – at 10:00 min
Ann’s eye transplant story – at 1hr 12 min, 2hr 17 min and 2hr 28 min
Wes Streeting – at 1hr 30 min
NHS 111 piece – at 1hr 48 min and 2hr 44 min