We’ve been celebrating our Loyal Service Awards with 138 of our people marking a total of 895 years with us at DHU! There were four people celebrating 20 years here, one of whom was Julie Tomlinson, our Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults who told us about her time here and what DHU means to her…
“So, it was 20 years ago when I started working for DHU, which back then was called DMS, or Derby Medical Service. I was a custody nurse based at chesterfield police station which was a very interesting and varied role but, when the contract changed, I moved over to telephone triage for the out of hours service.
“Looking back, it’s very different to how it is today. Back then we had just one nurse on overnight and we rarely got a call after midnight, very different to the service and demand we have now. I was part of the merger with Chesterfield which effectively resulted in the name change to Derbyshire Health United, abbreviated to DHU as we know it now, and the start of our ever expanding services.
"An amazing journey..."
“I’m now in Adult Safeguarding, a team I’ve been working with since around 2005. As the lead nurse, I initially worked for two hours a week but, as the service got bigger, my hours increased and I now have a safeguarding team to work with. It’s been an amazing journey and being a part of the expansion of a service that makes a huge difference to people’s lives has been a real privilege.
“I really enjoy working for DHU. At its backbone it has a good moral compass which aligns to how I think healthcare should be. I wouldn’t have spent so much of my working life here if it was any other way.
“I think recognition is a beautiful thing and the highlight of my time at DHU was when I was asked to present the Dignity award at the first ever version of the CARE awards. It was some time ago and, like a lot things at DHU, it has grown and become something much more grand.
“I've seen many colleagues come and go; some have come back again after realising that the grass is not always greener elsewhere. I have great pride in knowing that some of the people that I’ve worked with in the safeguarding team have moved into governance or safeguarding leadership roles in other organisations. It shows that we’re doing something right in having people that are sought after elsewhere. I like to think that I helped their career progression and will always encourage and support staff that want to progress.
“Thank you to everyone celebrating Loyal Service today at DHU for everything you do, this is your day and I hope you enjoy celebrating your loyal service together.”