Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

30/08/2026

Meet Lucy, a Medical Photographer, who has been working at the Trust for three years.

Sheffield-based Lucy has put her degree in photography to good use by using her skills in photography to benefit both patients and clinicians.

Lucy works for the Clinical Illustration department at the Trust, who provide photography services to clinics and services at the Trust.

Her role involves taking clinical photographs for different services around the Trust. These include the Tissue Viability service, where she is required to take photos of wounds so that clinicians can review and keep track of how a wound is progressing, and Dermatology, where she will photograph the surgical site before minor operations.

Patients can also be referred directly to the Teledermatology service, where Lucy or another photographer will photograph a mole to be reviewed by a clinician at a later date.

This bank holiday weekend, Lucy will be working in the Ophthalmology clinic, where she will be performing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans which show the layers in the back of the eye for further management by a clinician. The clinic deals with emergency cases, but they also track certain conditions, such as macular degeneration in the eye.

The clinic will be running for emergencies over the bank holiday and will also be scanning for pre-planned virtual and Consultant-led appointments.

Lucy loves her job because of the variety it involves. She said: "One day I could be photographing feet, the next it will be eyes. I particularly like to meet patients and help to put them at ease and find it so satisfying when we are able to clearly capture what is needed to have a positive impact on their care."

Thanks to Lucy and everyone else who will be helping to keep our services running over the bank holiday weekend.

Remember, your NHS is still here for you this bank holiday:

👩‍ Always speak to your local pharmacy or your GP practice first for advice about minor illnesses and conditions
📱 If you need urgent care but it’s not an emergency, call NHS 111 or search “NHS 111” online to get the advice you need
⚠️ In an emergency, always call 999

29/08/2026

Meet Cheryl, a Pharmacy Technician, who specialises in education, training, workforce development and medicines management.

Cheryl leads on the technical training within the pharmacy department to ensure all colleagues have completed the right training to perform their job well and is also the apprenticeship lead for the pharmacy team, where she supports colleagues to gain extra skills and qualifications.

She said: “The most rewarding part of my role is seeing the people I train develop, gain confidence, and succeed. It is a privilege to know that their growth ultimately helps us provide outstanding care to our patients.”

Her role as a Pharmacy Technician over the bank holiday weekend involves making sure that medication requests from wards are processed and then dispensing and checking the requested medications before distributing them to wards.

She will also process, dispense and check medicines for patients who are due to be discharged, so they can return home with the correct treatment for their ongoing care.

As well as this, she visits wards to speak with newly admitted patients to get an accurate list of all the medicines they were taking at home and how they were taking them. This helps her to identify any medicines that need to be ordered and check if there are any issues with medications they are currently taking.

Cheryl stressed that it’s important for patients to bring their medication with them when they attend hospital, if they are able to. This means that she and her colleagues can perform a check on their medication when they are admitted to ensure it is all correctly prescribed, not causing any underlying issues, and suitable for use whilst undergoing hospital treatment. Cheryl and the team can give advice to patients about their medicines and the best ways to take them.

She continued: “What I enjoy most about working at SFH is the supportive team environment, where colleagues work together, encourage one another, and always put patients at the heart of what they do.”

Thank you to Cheryl and everyone else at who will be working to keep our services running smoothly this bank holiday weekend.

Remember, your NHS is still here for you this bank holiday:
👩‍ Always speak to your local pharmacy or your GP practice first for advice about minor illnesses and conditions
📱 If you need urgent care but it’s not an emergency, call NHS 111 or search “NHS 111” online to get the advice you need
⚠️ In an emergency, always call 999

28/08/2026

Meet Lia, a Senior Radiographer who will be working this bank holiday weekend.

Her role as a Rotational Radiographer sees her working across x-ray, theatres and the Computed Tomography (CT) department. Radiographers are a vital part of the patient journey, and 9 out of 10 patients will see a Radiographer during their hospital stay.

Lia’s role as a Radiographer involves so much more than just simply taking x-rays or CT scans.

She spends time with patients ensuring that she is able to get the best images possible so that the reporting Radiographers or Radiologists are able to make a diagnosis, which is an important part of the patient journey.

She also speaks with teams in the Emergency Department and on the wards to make sure that her patients are receiving the correct treatment in a timely manner.

While working in theatres Lia will assist the orthopaedic surgeons by providing intraoperative imaging. This allows the surgeons to see in real time what they are doing.

Lia is also trained to perform CT scans, which provide detailed images of inside the body.

The team at SFH is one of the reasons why Lia loves her job and she said: “Every day is different and my team are wonderful. I love the variety of my role, because I get to meet so many patients every day and they each have a different story to tell.”

Lia and her team deal with a mixture of inpatients and outpatients, with many patients being referrals from the Emergency Department.

Thank you to Lia and everyone else at who will be working to keep our services running smoothly this bank holiday weekend.

Remember, your NHS is still here for you this bank holiday but please choose your services wisely:

👩‍ Always speak to your local pharmacy or your GP practice first for advice about minor illnesses and conditions
📱 If you need urgent care but it’s not an emergency, call NHS 111 or search “NHS 111” online to get the advice you need
⚠️ In an emergency, always call 999

27/08/2026

There is a yellow warning for thunderstorms and heavy rain in place across the whole area until 11pm tonight.

• There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds
• There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life
• Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
• Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
• There is a small chance that some communities become cut off by flooded roads
• There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost

Please take care and check on vulnerable and elderly neighbours and relatives.

26/08/2026

The Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust Charity is pleased to support the purchase of two new Transoesophageal Echocardiography (TOE) probes for the Trust's cardiology service.

The funding has been made possible through a generous legacy gift left for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust Charity by Jack Davies, which has helped to restore an important heart scanning service and protect it for the future. TOE scans provide highly detailed images of the heart and are used to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients with complex cardiac conditions.

The new equipment will enable patients to continue receiving specialist cardiac diagnostics closer to home, reducing the need for travel to other hospitals and helping people to get care more quickly.

As executors of Jack's estate, David and his wife Pauline were keen to see how Jack's gift would be used and the difference it would make for patients. They visited Clinic 4 to meet with members of the cardiology team, including Dr Mansour Salama, Cardiac Consultant; David Henton, Department Manager; and Alison Barnett, Lead Echocardiography Clinical Physiologist, and to see first-hand how the new equipment will support patient care.

Alison Barnett, Lead Physiologist for Echocardiology:
"We're incredibly grateful for this charitable funding, which will help us restore a vital diagnostic service for our patients. Having these new TOE probes means we can continue providing high-quality care closer to home while supporting the training and development of our specialist teams."

The Trust Charity is incredibly grateful to Jack and his family and friends for this lasting legacy. This generous gift will help improve patient care, support our cardiology teams and ensure local people continue to access specialist heart diagnostics closer to home for years to come.

Thank you to everyone who supports Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust Charity.

If you would like to support the Charity, you can find out the many ways to donate by visiting our Trust website: www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/charity

Pictured: David and Pauline visiting the cardiology department.

21/08/2026

🗓️The Annual General Meeting (AGM) and annual members' meeting of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will take place on Wednesday 23 September 2026 from 5:30 pm.

Before the AGM, there will be a unique Improving Lives drop-in event featuring the fantastic work taking place across all three sites. The drop-in will give an insight into what is happening now and what is coming next for the Trust.

The Annual General Meeting will then begin and provide attendees with an in-depth look at the Trust’s performance.
The Improving Lives event will be held from 4:30 – 5:30 pm, and the AGM from 5:30 – 7:00 pm.

You can use this link to get your free ticket to the AGM: https://www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/about-us/annual-general-meeting/

❓There will also be an opportunity to put your questions to the Trust’s Board of Directors at the meeting. All questions must be submitted in advance of the meeting by emailing [email protected] before midnight on Wednesday 16 September.

We look forward to seeing you!

20/08/2026

Thank you to everyone in our local community who has helped to share our message over the past few days while our Emergency Department has been very busy.

Though it seems small, just sharing our social media posts or telling a friend or family member really does help and we are very grateful.
The pressure has eased a little, but we are still very busy. Our staff are working hard to help people who need urgent care as quickly as they can.

Please remember that the Emergency Department is for people who need urgent help. If it is not an emergency, there are other places that can help you:

• Your local pharmacy can help with minor illnesses, such as a sore throat, sinus problems, a UTI, shingles or infected insect bites. Some pharmacies are open late and at weekends. Find out more here: https://notts.icb.nhs.uk/your-services/community-pharmacy/
• Your GP surgery can help during normal opening hours if it is not an emergency.
• NHS 111 can tell you where to go if you are not sure. Visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111.

If you are coming to the Emergency Department or Same Day Emergency Care unit at King’s Mill Hospital, or the Urgent Treatment Centre at Newark Hospital, please only bring one adult with you.

If you can come on your own, please do. This will help stop our hospitals from becoming too crowded.

Please keep sharing this message, it really does make a difference.

20/08/2026

Please remember to order your repeat prescriptions ahead of the summer bank holiday on 31 August.

Pharmacies can be busy around Bank Holidays and opening hours may be different, so any repeat prescriptions should be ordered as soon as possible.

You can do this easily be using the NHS app or getting in touch with your GP surgery.

Visit https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/how-to-order-a-repeat-prescription/ to find out more.

18/08/2026

The Emergency Department at King’s Mill Hospital is exceptionally busy today (Tuesday 18 August at 1.45pm).

If you think you need your NHS but it’s not an emergency, please:

• Think NHS111 first. You can visit 111.nhs.uk online or call 111 for advice on where to go to access the treatment you need.
• Seek advice from your local pharmacist, who may be able to help, including by suggesting over-the-counter treatments for many less serious conditions. Most local pharmacies can supply NHS treatment for conditions including sore throat, sinusitis, UTI, shingles, infected insect bites and some skin problems like impetigo (restrictions apply). Some local pharmacies are open late and at weekends. Visit the ICB website to find out more: https://notts.icb.nhs.uk/your-services/community-pharmacy/
• Contact your GP team during their normal opening hours for all other conditions.
• Only attend our Emergency Department if it is an emergency - please consider other treatment choices.

For more information about choosing the right service, including mental health support, dental care, children’s health and self-care, visit notts.icb.nhs.uk/choose-the-right-service/ .

Important: patients attending the Emergency Department and Same Day Emergency Care unit at King's Mill Hospital, and the Urgent Treatment Centre at Newark Hospital, can have one adult accompany them. However, due to the current pressures on the department, please do come alone if you are able to.

Thank you for your continued support.

12/08/2026

This evening (Wednesday 12 August 2026), a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK.

It's a rare and exciting event that many people will be keen to watch.

But looking directly at the Sun without the right protection can cause permanent damage to your eyesight.

Follow this UK Health Security Agency advice on how to watch the solar eclipse safely: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/07/23/how-to-watch-the-solar-eclipse-safely-this-summer/

Learn how to protect your eyes whilst watching the partial solar eclipse!

We probably shouldn’t have to say this, but don’t look directly at the sun. Looking directly at the sun without the right protection can cause permanent damage to your eyesight – so you need to take care. Remember, your normal sunglasses may look great, but they won't cut it.

Follow the link to learn more about how to watch the eclipse safely!

➡️ https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/07/23/how-to-watch-the-solar-eclipse-safely-this-summer/