DHU Healthcare welcomed Derby South MP Baggy Shanker and East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward to its Orbis Advice Centre in Derby this November.
Both were given an in-depth look at how the organisation delivers urgent and community care, as well as advice and where to go for treatment through its NHS 111 service, to millions of people across the Midlands.
Mayor Claire Ward toured the centre to learn more about DHU’s role as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company providing NHS services across the region. She heard how DHU’s teams support patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and how its work makes a difference both to individual patients and to the wider health and care system. DHU also outlined its commitment to innovation and community-based care as the organisation contributes to the development of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Baggy Shanker MP later visited Orbis to see the service in action as a critical hub for NHS 111. The site is where DHU’s provision of the NHS 111 service began fifteen years ago and has since grown into the largest single NHS 111 provider in England. DHU showcased how its community, virtual and telephone-based care models support patients early, reduce pressure on hospitals and create a more joined-up system of care.
Both visitors were shown the breadth of DHU’s work, from urgent treatment and home-visiting teams to community nursing, primary care streaming and specialist clinical services. DHU highlighted how its not-for-profit model enables reinvestment directly into frontline services, innovation and staff development, including its Inspire coaching-based leadership programme.
Baggy Shanker MP, Member of Parliament for Derby South, said: “Visiting DHU gave me a real sense of the scale of the work happening here in Derby. The professionalism of the staff, and the way they guide people to the right care so quickly, is vital for patients and helps take pressure off busy hospital services.
“Derby plays a central role in NHS 111, handling around one in four of all 111 calls across England, and it was valuable to see how that expertise supports the wider NHS.”
DHU Chief Executive Stephen Bateman added: “We were delighted to be able to welcome both Mayor Claire Ward and Baggy Shanker MP to show them what we do, how we support our patients, colleagues, the regional health system and our plans for the future.
“We are fully committed to providing an innovative, integrated, community-focused model of care that aligns closely with the national priorities that are currently shaping the NHS Long Term Plan and this will continue to guide our future strategy.”
Top left image, left to right: DHU NHS 111 Deputy Clinical Director Sue Williamson, DHU Non-Executive Director Gillian Adams, Baggy Shanker MP, DHU Chief Executive Stephen Bateman, DHU Programme Director Sabia Hussain and DHU Chair Keith Nurcombe
Top right image, left to right: Left to right: DHU NHS 111 GP Clinical Director Tarun Sharma, DHU Chair Keith Nurcombe, Mayor Claire Ward and DHU Chief Executive Stephen Bateman
Publish date: 19 November 2025