Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

06/02/2026

✨ Southwell Ward is back open!

Our 32-bed Southwell Ward at City Hospital has reopened to patients following a £1.7 million refurbishment – and the difference is already being felt.

Used primarily for respiratory patients, the ward has been fully refreshed over the past 12 weeks while patients were cared for on Newell Ward.

The refurbishment includes:
🛁 New bathrooms in the five and six-bed bays
🚿 Ensuite facilities in single rooms
🧼 New clean and dirty utility areas
🛎️ A refreshed reception desk and offices

Funded by the Trust, the project was completed in just 12 weeks, with teams working long weeks and split shifts to get the ward ready as quickly as possible.

Victoria Fensome, Director of Nursing and Professions for Medicine, said:

“This much-needed refurbishment will make a real difference to the experience of our patients and staff. The ward now feels much more modern, with significantly improved facilities throughout.”

A huge thank you to colleagues and everyone involved for their patience, support and hard work in making this happen 💙

05/02/2026

🌱 £3.7 million boost to make our hospitals greener and more comfortable

We’re delighted to have been awarded £3.7 million in government funding to help reduce our carbon footprint while improving the experience of patients and staff at our hospitals.

This investment will support major upgrades to the behind-the-scenes systems that keep our hospitals running, helping us use energy more efficiently, cut carbon emissions and save money – all while creating more comfortable environments for everyone.

The funding, awarded to NUH through the NHS Energy Efficiency Fund (NEEF), will be used to:

🔵 Upgrade the complex building management system at Queen’s Medical Centre, including heating, ventilation and energy systems
🔵 Replace more than 800 lights at City Hospital with energy-efficient LED lighting
🔵 Cut carbon emissions by an estimated 741 tonnes of CO₂ every year – the equivalent of taking 160 cars off Nottingham’s roads
🔵 Save NUH around £840,000 each year, which can be reinvested into patient care

This funding builds on our wider 15-year energy efficiency programme, supported by PSDS funding, which includes renewable geothermal heating and cooling, energy-saving windows and smarter building controls.

Together, these projects are helping us create a more sustainable future for our hospitals and our city 💚

03/02/2026

The country’s first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), run and staffed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, now hopes to open in Spring 2026 as work continues on the building’s water system.

Building contractors, Integrated Health Projects (IHP), are still in the process of completing the work on the building’s water system which has still not yet met the rigorous safety and quality standards for the patients who will be cared for at the cutting-edge centre.

In the meantime, patients continue to be treated at Linden Lodge, our specialist rehabilitation unit based at our Nottingham City Hospital, and by the same highly-skilled staff who will be transferring over to the NRC once the building is ready.

Additional rehabilitation beds were also opened on Ward C24 at our Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) to enable us to support the wider cohort of patients we will be treating at the NRC, so that more NUH patients can benefit from enhanced rehabilitation as soon as possible.

02/02/2026

Now 100 days post stem cell transplant, Dan Chapman has returned to Fletcher Ward at Nottingham University Hospitals to say thank you and ring the bell. In this update, Dan reflects on his journey, the compassion and dedication of the staff who cared for him, and the hope he feels as he looks to the future.

Dan is also sharing his story to encourage others to sign up to the stem cell register because it takes one person to sign up to save someone's life.

02/02/2026

How we’re improving care for patients at NUH 🏥💻

"Having patient information in one place has made clinical decision-making quicker and safer" - Staff Nurse Precious Osondu

We’ve introduced a new electronic patient record system which means staff are spending less time doing paperwork and more time with patients across Nottingham University Hospitals - This is a major step in modernising how we deliver care.

For patients, this means:
🔵Better coordination between clinical teams
🔵Faster access to important information
🔵More time for staff to focus on care, not paperwork
🔵A platform that supports future digital services for patients

This is just the beginning of our 10-year digital journey, with more patient-focused improvements coming in 2026.

30/01/2026

“If my husband was still here, he would be so proud.”

At 90 years old, NUH volunteer Margaret Wildgust has received a truly special honour, a Nottingham City Transport double-decker bus named after her.

After nearly 20 years of dedicated service supporting patients, visitors and staff, Margaret was crowned Volunteer Award winner at the NUH People First Recognition Awards. Her kindness, compassion and tireless commitment have touched countless lives and now her volunteering legacy will travel across Nottingham every day.

“I didn’t expect it at all. I am overwhelmed,” Margaret said, surrounded by family and friends as her bus was unveiled.

Margaret’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact one person can make. Thank you, Margaret, for everything you do. 💙

29/01/2026

We partnered with the media to share the reasons behind introducing body-worn cameras at the hospital and the role they play in keeping everyone safe.

Hannah says she's been punched, scratched and bitten.

Bodyworn cameras were introduced at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham two years ago - but have they made a difference?

We spoke to staff at the QMC to find out: https://bbc.in/4kasVz9

26/01/2026

Every year, thousands of children in the UK are affected by rare genetic conditions, with many families facing years of uncertainty before receiving a diagnosis. Delays can mean fewer or less effective treatment options.

The Generation Study, led nationally and offered at Nottingham University Hospitals, is changing that. The study offers free, optional newborn screening for over 200 rare genetic conditions that can be treated through the NHS if identified early.

For Priya and Abhishek Pancholi from Leicester, early screening has made a life-changing difference. After tragically losing their first son, Aarav, to spinal muscular atrophy before a diagnosis was made, they joined the Generation Study when their second son, Rohan, was born. Screening confirmed that Rohan does not have the condition, allowing his family to look forward with hope.

Priya says “If Aarav had been diagnosed when he was born, we believe he would be with us now. In many ways, Rohan is a legacy to his brother.”

Stories like Priya and Abhishek’s show why early diagnosis matters and how newborn screening can give babies the best possible start in life. 💙

25/01/2026

"I haven't really thought about any other career since." ❤️

A trainee surgeon in Nottingham said the specialist care she received as a child inspired her to pursue a medical career.

Read more: https://bbc.in/46cFAeZ

19/01/2026

Thousands of people are taking advantage of quicker, more convenient access to NHS medicines and expert advice at their local pharmacy, thanks to the Pharmacy First service.

Pharmacy First includes NHS treatments for the following seven common conditions (age restrictions apply):
💊 Sinusitis (people aged 12+ years).
💊 Sore throat (people aged 5+ years).
💊 Earache (children and young people aged 1-17 years).
💊 Impetigo skin condition (people aged 1+ years).
💊 Shingles (people aged 18+ years).
💊 Uncomplicated urinary tract infections, often called a water infection (women aged 16-64 years).
💊 Infected insect bite (people aged 1+ years)

More than 200 pharmacies in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are providing the Pharmacy First service, which is helping to free up GP appointments for people with more serious illnesses. Pharmacy First is usually available without an appointment and with trained pharmacists, often available at weekends.

Think Pharmacy First.

See link in comments for more details 👇

16/01/2026

This week, we declared a Critical Incident due to severe and sustained pressure on our hospitals.

Thanks to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our staff, we were able to stand down the Critical Incident yesterday.

During this time, our teams:

✅ Opened extra wards and capacity at short notice
✅ Volunteered for extra shifts, including coming back from leave, and worked in unfamiliar areas
✅ Deployed additional portering services
✅ Reopened areas closed for infection control
✅ Maintained a determined focus on safe and timely discharge
✅ Ensured laboratory turnaround times remained stable despite additional pressure

To all our colleagues across NUH thank you. 💙

And to all those who shared our messages, wrote incredibly kind messages for our staff and helped spread the word- thank you, it really does make a difference.💙

15/01/2026

🔵Critical incident stood down at NUH, but pressures remain 🔵

This morning, we stood down the Critical Incident that was declared on Tuesday due to the severe and sustained pressure on our hospitals.

Although pressures have eased, we remain at our highest escalation level short of declaring a Critical Incident. Our hospitals remain busy.

While numbers are lower, patients are still experiencing long waits in A&E, and demand for beds remains extremely high. Many wards continue to care for more patients than usual.

Please continue to help by only using A&E for emergencies or serious accidents. For all other health concerns, please call 111 first so you can be directed to the most appropriate service.

We again want to apologise to those who have been impacted by the pressures and thank our communities for their ongoing support. We would also like to thank our colleagues, whose response throughout this Critical Incident has been remarkable.