Toy Library showcases innovative approach to supporting families

Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), visited the Toy Library in Bulwell this week to find out about its innovative approach to supporting families.

The Toy Library was founded 45 years ago and has evolved since then to offer family support services and child development through play. Community involvement, co-production and lived experience are at the heart of all Toy Library activities.

Services offered by the Toy Library include:

• The award-winning Family Mentor support service which offers tailored support to families of 0 – 4 year olds. Evidence shows that the programme is making a meaningful difference in children’s lives, offering guidance and encouragement during the most formative years. The service is currently funded through the Health Inequalities Investment Fund, administered by the ICB.
• Room to Play, which offers free, universal sessions, 6 days a week. The Room to Play centre is located prominently on Bulwell’s high street, offering a drop-in model, to improve accessibility.
• Work with 5-14 years olds, supporting them to develop through 121 and group-based sessions and holiday activities/projects.
• Targeted sessions for hard-to-reach 9-13 year olds including children and young people who have been excluded from school
• Organising child centred community events in school holidays.
• Signposting families to other services including health and dental services and local food banks.

Kathy said: “It was impressive to see how the Toy Library is working with local families to offer them the services and support they need. They also demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity, with translators available on-site, strong partnerships with local primary schools, and dedicated sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

“This is an excellent model for community-based support which is helping to tackle this issue and I can see the potential for inspiring similar initiatives in other areas of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”

Dr Kathy McLean visits Nottingham’s Urgent Treatment Centre

Today, Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), visited the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) operated by Nottingham CityCare. She was welcomed by Jim Quinn, Head of the UTC, and Dr Nicole Atkinson, Chief Executive of Nottingham CityCare, for a behind-the-scenes look at the healthcare facility.

The UTC has been a cornerstone of urgent care in Nottingham since 2000, evolving from a Walk-In Centre to an Urgent Care Centre, and now to its current form. It serves not only the Nottingham conurbation but also patients from across the county and neighbouring counties.

Open every day of the year from 7am to 7pm, the centre sees an average of 190 patients daily, with peaks reaching up to 250. It provides care for a wide range of minor illnesses and injuries, without the need for an appointment – though patients referred from other NHS services can book ahead.

The centre is staffed by nurses, paramedics, and physiotherapists all working at the top of their licences. It also boasts an on-site x-ray facility delivered in partnership with Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), exemplifying strong cross-organisational collaboration. One of the UTC’s standout features is its full access to the majority of patients’ GP records. This enables clinicians to view previous tests, diagnoses, and treatments, and ensures that all care delivered is added to the patient’s record—supporting continuity and safety across the system.

During her visit, Dr McLean saw firsthand some of the innovative practices at the UTC. One such example is the use of advanced splinting technology for fractures, allowing patients to avoid traditional plaster casts. This not only improves patient experience but also reduces pressure on hospital services.

Reflecting on her visit, Dr Kathy McLean said: “I was incredibly impressed by the Urgent Treatment Centre. It’s a brilliant example of integrated care in action – from the partnership with NUH for x-ray services to the seamless use of patient records. CityCare’s work here is not only compassionate and responsive, but also innovative and connected to our neighbourhood health priorities.”

For more on the UTC’s work and innovations, visit Nottingham CityCare’s news page.

Dr Kathy Mclean visits some of Nottinghamshire’s smallest patients on tour of the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at QMC

Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Integrated Care Board, visited the newly opened Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) recently.

Kathy spoke to staff and saw how new systems and ways of working had been embedded.

Rachel Boardman, Director of Nursing and People for Family Health, Lleona Lee, Neonatal Consultant and Zara Doubleday, Neonatal Matron, showed Kathy around and talked her through the improvements, from the calming reception sky lighting to the sound proofed flooring across the unit.

Costing £32million and designed to be a home-from-home for babies and their families, the NICU at QMC is the largest in the East Midlands in terms of cots and footprint, with carefully thought-out areas such as quiet family rooms, play areas for older siblings and glazed screens between bays for increased privacy.

Rachel Boardman, Director of Nursing and People for Family Health said: “We discussed with Kathy the learning from this unit that we have been able to take forward into other projects, such as our Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, which has recently been refurbished.

“By carrying out a project as large as the NICU expansion and approaching it the way we did, we have been able to learn so much and look at different ways of working for other areas in the hospital too.”

Visiting the specially designed side rooms of the NICU, colleagues talked Kathy through how they had designed them to ensure that everything was off the floor to make it a clearer working space. They also discussed the importance of the new technologies that had been implemented, how they have been utilised to improve patient care, and how changes such as the flooring and monitor levels have made an impact on the noise levels, which is so important for babies at this stage in their development.

The group also shared how the new unit had helped with recruitment and retention, with things like dedicated areas for teams to be together making a big impact on staff wellbeing.

The tour included visiting areas such as the dedicated parent laundry room, which means that parents do not need to go home to do their laundry, and the family lounge which includes a kitchen space where families can make meals and have some time together.

The tour ended with a discussion with staff around what they would like to see more of, how they could be further supported and the benefits of all the support services such as dietitians and speech and language therapists being in the same space.

Kathy said: “I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to show me around the unit. It is obviously a very busy unit, but there is still that calm atmosphere that prevails, and I think that is so important in a unit like this that is caring for such tiny babies.

“It has been great to speak to staff and hear their different accounts of how the unit works and the benefits for both staff and patients. It is clear that the unit has been really well thought out to consider everything that may be needed for the families that need to use it.”  

Nottingham Women’s Centre showcases its vital work

Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), visited Nottingham Women’s Centre recently to learn about their vital work to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.

The visit offered Kathy a first-hand look at the Centre’s trauma-informed, person-centred approach to supporting women. The Centre, which has been open for over 50 years, provides a safe, welcoming space for women to access services, build connections, and take steps toward recovery and empowerment.

The Centre offers a wide range of services, including counselling, casework for women on probation, therapeutic support, and wellbeing activities. One of its key focuses is supporting women transitioning out of the criminal justice system. This work is crucial in breaking cycles of reoffending—especially given that nearly 60% of women reoffend within a year of release.

Kathy said: “I heard powerful stories from women whose journeys from crisis to stability were made possible through the Centre’s wraparound support.

“And with more than half of the women using the centre being from minority ethnic backgrounds, the work they do to offer health literacy programmes for migrant women and a community languages counselling service is incredibly important.

“The Centre is a powerful example of how the voluntary sector can drive prevention, reduce health inequalities, and deliver social value.”

The Centre also provides practical support through a mini emergency foodbank, hygiene bank, and open-access facilities where women can cook, shower, and rest—no questions asked. Its women-only library and archive further enrich the space as a cultural and educational hub.

Find out more about Nottingham Women’s Centre

Proud moments for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire at the HSJ Digital Awards

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire were proudly represented at the HSJ Digital Awards 2025, which celebrate excellence in digital innovation across the NHS.

Andrew Fearn, Chief Digital Officer for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB, was Highly Commended as ‘Digital Leader of the Year’ for his instrumental leadership in advancing digital health initiatives for the East Midlands Radiology Network.

Andrew said: “It was really nice to be in a room of digital enthusiasts showing the NHS show it should be done… a great night!”

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust were also Highly Commended for their ‘One Version of the Truth’ hospital discharge dataset agreed by all partners. This supports collaboration across health and social care partners in managing the timely, safe and appropriate discharge of people from hospital. This has supported better practice and decision-making and is helping more people to go directly home, in a shorter time.

Rosa Waddingham, Chief Nurse at the ICB said: “Well done to Andrew and the One Version of the Truth team for being highly commended at these prestigious national awards. These achievements reflect our dedication to digital excellence in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and its positive impact on patient care.”

End of year blog by Dr Kathy McLean

As is often the case at this time of year, I have been reflecting on the last twelve months and thinking about what 2025 might hold for the health and care system in our area. 

I wrote back in May this year that we needed to carve out the time to ‘lift our gaze’ from the pressures of running our health and care services and prioritise delivery on our Integrated Care Strategy.  Whilst there have been some moments throughout the year where the unexpected challenges have threatened to distract us, I am pleased that overall we are making strong progress on delivering our strategic principles of Prevention, Integration and Equity. 

You can see some really great examples of how working together, differently, is having a meaningful impact on our population and their health in the winners of our Health and Care Awards.  In particular I would celebrate the work delivered by Oasis Community Church in Worksop supporting men at risk of Suicide.  The ‘Men At The Edge” project really exemplifies how we can make a difference by bringing together the faith sector, community groups and the NHS.  Another really deserving winner was the Broxtowe Learning Disability Collaborative which has supported people with learning disabilities in a huge variety of ways and will make a real difference for the long term.  All of the Award entries and winners were really excellent – you can see more details and watch the videos of all the winners. 

I spend a good proportion of my time meeting with other leaders of health and care systems from across the country and I’m always keen to share where we are doing something innovative and impressive and encourage you to do the same – let’s spread the good news about our progress both within our system and more widely!

My overwhelming feeling as we finish this year and start to look towards next is one of gratitude.  Thank you to everyone who works in health and care in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.  Thank you for your dedication, hard work and compassion.  Thank you for persevering in the face of what might seem like complex challenges.  Thank you for taking the time to think about how things could be done differently and better and having the courage to try something new.    

Christmas may not be celebrated by everyone in our area but I always find the opportunity offered by the festive season to spend time with friends, family and loved ones a powerful time to reconnect with what matters.  Whatever this festive period means to you please do take the time to rest and recharge and be ready for the challenges of 2025.  And for those who are working throughout the holiday period thank you again. 

Dr Kathy McLean, Chair of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Partnership