STAFF from the Royal Derby Hospital's accident and emergency department swapped one "front line" scenario for another as they spent a day climbing and orienteering.
More than 50 employees from the city's hospitals trust were asked to scale the Black Rocks near Cromford and tackle indoor climbing walls at Wirksworth's Anthony Gell School.
It was all part of a team-building exercise organised by senior sister Judy Berry – also an Army major who has served in Afghanistan.
She said she wanted to draw on her time in the Army to help teach accident and emergency department staff how to cope with everyday pressures.
Judy said: "All the staff in the emergency department work really hard but some new members have started and others promoted, so we wanted to encourage some unity in the team.
"So, we came up with this idea of taking the front line to the front line, using aspects of my time in the Army and drawing them into civilian life. We took the staff on the exercises over three days and taught them how to be strong and resilient by learning new skills and getting them to challenge themselves.
"So, for example, a lot of the group thought they were afraid of heights but no one failed to reach the top of the climbing wall at the school.
"The feedback has been really encouraging and we're looking to see if other emergency services might benefit from days like these."
