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In November 2021, the Logistics team based at the Lighthouse Lab, embarked on a 6,389 mile journey, virtually cycling the distance from Plymouth to Wuhan, China.

After having experienced his fair share of serious ailments these past few years, including contracting Covid back in March 2020, Logistics Manager, John Fyffe suffered from long-Covid which left him feeling unwell for months, suffering multiple blood clots in his lung and an enlarged heart. He feels that he has a lot to thank the NHS for and is extremely grateful that he is still here to see the birth of his granddaughter and the marriage of one of his children.

Today sees the publication of our CQC report. The CQC came to inspect our services  in the autumn of 2021, carrying out an unannounced inspection of urgent and emergency care and medical care services and rating us for well-led as a trust overall. 

The much loved ‘Secret Garden’ based in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Derriford Hospital is about to undergo a huge transformation.

The Secret Garden is a private space which can be used by patients and their loved one at every stage of their critical illness. Since the garden opened on Christmas Eve 2018, it has been used as a space for staff, patients, their families and their pets.

Joint funding from Plymouth Hospitals Charity, University Hospitals Plymouth and NHS Charities Together will now see the garden be completely transformed into the UK’s first bespoke outdoor rehabilitation space. Generous donations from the local community have allowed Plymouth Hospitals Charity to fund £250,000 towards this incredible space which will be the first of its kind.

Plymouth’s Royal Eye Infirmary (REI) has taken a step closer to a new home in 2022, with the submission of planning application for a purpose-built development.

A Plymouth teacher was hospitalised whilst pregnant due to suffering with flu, shortly after catching COVID-19. She would like to appeal to all pregnant people to get both the flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in order to protect both themselves and their unborn babies.

The Morlaix Drive Access Improvement Scheme will get started from Monday 24 January and will finish by the end of the 2022.

A University Hospitals Plymouth Consultant is the Clinical Director of a course that has become the first of its kind in the UK to be awarded independent accreditation.

Surgeon Commander Stuart Dickson is an Intensive Care Consultant who works at Derriford Hospital. He also specialises in clinically infectious diseases and has seen the impact of covid first-hand.

This morning (Tuesday 4 January) we communicated to our staff that we are operating in an internal critical incident. This is due to the high pressure on urgent care services and increasing demand for COVID beds. We currently have 99 COVID positive patients across Derriford and our three community hospitals and just under 500 staff absent for COVID-related reasons.

We are experiencing high attendances to our Emergency Department, including patients attending by ambulances, a pattern replicated among other hospitals across the country.