Partnership Enhances Commitment to Nursing Excellence in Chesterfield
29 January 2013
Professor John Coyne, Alfonzo Tramontano and Gavin Boyle (front row) with Dr Paula Crick, Dr Maxine Simmons, Professor Lorraine Ellis and Professor Liz Barnes
We know that the graduates the University of Derby provides are first class and we want to recruit the people that it trains.
”The Royal's Chief Executive, Gavin Boyle.
The partnership signing at Derby during December
The University of Derby and Chesterfield Royal Hospital have joined forces to ensure the future of the trust's highly skilled professional nursing team is in very good hands.
The two organisations have embraced a close working relationship for many years but the signing of a partnership agreement and unveiling of a plaque has made this highly successful partnership official.
The partnership agreement was signed at the University of Derby during a visit by the Royal's Chief Executive Gavin Boyle, Chief Nurse Alfonzo Tramontano and Senior Matron for Professional Development Dr Maxine Simmons; along with University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne, Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Liz Barnes, Professor Lorraine Ellis and Dr Paula Crick from the School of Health and Dean of Faculty Professor Guy Daly.
The agreement formalises the partnership to benefit the local community through a range of education and applied research initiatives.
More than 200 nurses are currently studying on Nursing programmes at the University's Chesterfield base at Chesterfield Chambers, with many gaining some of the practical experience they need within Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The Royal's Chief Executive, Gavin Boyle, said: "I'm delighted to be able unveil this plaque which is a symbol of our partnership to deliver the high standards of education for nurses and other clinical professionals. We know that the graduates the University of Derby provides are first class and we want to recruit the people that it trains.
"This agreement, and our future collaborative working, will give us a wonderful opportunity to enshrine the Hospital's 'Proud to Care' values into the University's teaching, ensuring student nurses feel as much part of our hospital family throughout their studies.
"My ambition is to make this trust an exemplar of how a District General Hospital can serve its local community as a provider of care and also as good employers. To achieve this we need staff that are well motivated, well trained and well supported. Our partnership with the University of Derby is a critical part of that.
"We are also looking forward to working with the University to design continuing professional development training for our workforce and promoting research opportunities, which will ensure our professional staff have the knowledge and skill to keep us at the forefront of healthcare delivery."
Head of the University's School of Health, Professor Lorraine Ellis, added: "With an established base in Chesterfield we already feel part of the community but we wanted to formalise our relationship with the Royal, so that we are both even better placed to rise to the challenges that we face in a climate of unprecedented change, whether in health or the higher education sector.
"Both sectors share the same agenda: quality patient care delivered by a workforce that is well educated and fit for practice. The partnership agreement is a testament to this and Derby is delighted at this development.
"As many of our students come from the area this partnership will give them further opportunities to use their skills to serve the community, and to maintain their connection with us through continuing professional development throughout their nursing careers."
On January 17 (2013) the Royal recruited 20 newly qualified nurses, many of whom had been students at University of Derby, as part of a £1.5million investment to increase the number of nurses working on its wards.
The University's Chesterfield Campus provides its students with a modern, friendly and supportive learning environment.
For more information visit www.derby.ac.uk/nursing or www.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk
