On Monday 2nd June Claire Travis and Jackson Pountney attended 2 of the pilot sites for the Hconnect Project to support Carers from Wards 3 and 5 @ Florence Nightingale Hospital, London Rd, Derby, DE1 2QY by creating a relaxed drop-in area in the foyer area at entrance B.
This drop-in area provided carers with a wealth of resources to help them on their caring journey. Members of the Hconnect team and staff from Derbyshire Carers Association shared what Derbyshire All Age Carers Support Service and supported several carers with a variety of challenges that they were facing.
We will be available at Florence Nightingale Hospital, London Rd, Derby, DE1 2QY on the following dates - Thursday 12th June (1pm-3pm), Monday 16th June 11.30am-3pm, Monday 7th July 11.30am-3pm and Monday 21st July 11.30am-3pm so please feel free to pop along and say hello and let us support you within your caring role.
On Monday 9th June staff members of Hconnect Project Tina Curran and Claire Travis attended the Bluebell Ward at Walton Hospital, Chesterfield as part of their `Carers Event` to offer support and advice to Carers.
During the event, the Bluebell Ward was blessed, refreshments and cake were offered to all and Carers could have an informal chat to learn more about how Derbyshire All Age Carers Support Service (DAACSS) could help and support them on their own Caring Journey.
The event was a great success and everyone enjoyed themselves. Staff at DAACSS can`t wait to support the Bluebell Ward over the coming months to better meet the needs of Carers there.
Staff members from Hconnect, DAACSS, Carers Voices and Derbyshire County Council were pleased to be able to support the Carers Event which took place at the MacMillan Unit, Chesterfield Royal Hospital one of the Hconnects pilot sites, alongside several other charities and organisation all there to offer support and guidance to carers on their Caring Journey.
The Carers Event was a great success, with lots of Carers attending to find out more about the help and support available to them, as well as having the chance to meet other Carers too. Many thanks to Michelle Jacklin and the rest of the MacMillan Unit staff members for organising such a wonderful and supportive event for Carers of loved ones suffering with cancer.
Ward 5 at Florence Nightingale have been working hard to support Carers on their ward with the support of their Hconnect Hospital Liaison worker Claire Travis by creating a brand-new Carers Noticeboard.
All of the staff on Ward 5 are keen to support carers better, and the creation of this Carers Noticeboard now enables all carers to have easier access to vital websites and telephone numbers so allowing them to access the Carer support services offered by Derbyshire Carers Association and Universal Services for Carers Derby.
This is the first step to improving Carers support on Ward 5, and in the coming few months all of the staff will be receiving the Hconnect Carer Awareness Training for Hospital Settings to further improve Carer identification and the support offered to Carers on Ward 5 Florence Nightingale Community Hospital.
All the staff on Ward 5 are super excited to part of the exciting ARF – Hconnect Project. Well done Ward 5 at Florence Nightingale!
L-R= Ajinder Gidda (Matron), Roxy Cree ((HCSW), Angela Roome (Senior Sister)
L-R= Diane Brocksopp (HCSW), Carol Bailey (RN), Angela Roome (Senior Sister)
We recently held an `Informal Carers` session which took place at the MacMillan Unit at Chesterfield Royal (12th March 2025).
This was the first Carers Session to be held within the MacMillan Unit and DCA/DAACSS went along to talk about what we do as a charity, how we can support Carers in their own Carer Journey and to showcase the Hconnect Project to them.
We got their feedback and views linked to the Hconnect project itself, as well as getting the chance to hear about each Carers own personal experience linked to the hospital discharge process and their needs as a Carer.
We will be holding another Carers Event that will be taking place at the MacMillan Cancer Support Centre, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, S44 5BL on the 9th June 10am-1pm.
Featured within the photographs –
- Michelle Jacklin – Macmillan Information and Support Centre Nurse
- Claire Travis – Hospital Liaison Worker (Northern Derbyshire)
- Lesley Hodkin – Hospital Liaison Worker (High Peak)
- Tina Curran – Hconnect Engagement Worker (Southern Derbyshire)
- Carers who attended the event
We would like to thank the funders of this project, The Department of Health and Social Care.
