Carers Week next week - making caring visible and valued

A carer is anyone, including a child, who looks after a family member, partner or friend. They give unpaid care to those close to them who cannot cope on their own because of illness, frailty, disability, mental health difficulties or problems with addiction.

UHD is committed to supporting carers and we want to welcome, involve and support them whilst they, or the person they care for, is in hospital.

Examples of how UHD have supported carers not only in hospital but also financially by joint working with the local carers charity, the Leonardo Trust, can be seen on pages 8 and 9 of the latest edition of Caring Matters which can be found here.

During the initial phase of Covid-19 all carer leads across the system, including acute hospitals, DHUFT, BCP and Dorset Councils, third sector partners and voluntary organisations, the CCG and NHS England, came together to ensure Dorset carers were supported during the lockdown period. Unpaid carers can meet these organisations at a virtual drop-in on Monday 7 June between 11.00am and 12.30pm.

For further information call Karen Uphill, carer support adviser, on ext 8714 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Report published following focused inspection

The Care Quality Commission has today published a report following a focused inspection looking at leadership, culture, governance, information management and learning at University Hospitals Dorset. The report was complementary about our strong safety culture and leadership across the trust, but also made recommendations about how governance can be improved.

Many of these recommendations addressed areas we were aware needed strengthening, and improvements are already underway, or have been completed. This includes the introduction of our new patient administration system (PAS), which is due to go live in the autumn, and re-tightening access to some IT systems made more readily available to some staff to support our response to Covid-19. Elsewhere, we have improved our ability to monitor patients on cancer pathways to ensure treatments are scheduled and delivered appropriately.

Inspectors also said all staff were committed to continually learning and improving services and noted significant developments in patients information systems and data security.

The inspection took place in April this year, not long after our merger at the end of 2020 and while we were still very much focussing our efforts on providing safe patient care as we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Alyson O'Donnell, our chief medical officer, said: "We're grateful to the Care Quality Commission for their report, which identifies a strong leadership and safety culture, and a desire from all staff to learn and improve.

"It also highlights areas where we can do better, and we will continue our focus on all of the areas the report addresses and where improvements are needed, including developing and embedding further robust governance and oversight structures."

The report can be read here.

RBH: No hospital palliative care team cover this weekend

If there are any specialist palliative care concerns over the weekend please call the Macmillan Unit on 5470.

National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) survey live

Staff who play any part in end-of-life care are strongly encouraged to take part in the NACEL survey. Whether you work in a clinical or non-clinical role, your opinion matters.

"End of life care is everyone's responsibility, and we only have one chance to get it right," said Vanessa Barents, end of life care nurse specialist at UHD.

"We need your support and participation in the NACEL staff survey to enhance and achieve outstanding end of life care across UHD."

This year's survey also reflects on the impact of Covid-19 on end-of-life care.

RBH: click here to submit your survey
Poole: click here to submit your survey.

Last chance to get involved in Bike Week 2021

It's the last day of Bike Week, don't forget to send in your best bike commute selfie using the hashtag #DoGUHD on Twitter for the chance to win prizes.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far!

We are currently growing UHD's Bicycle User Group (BUG) - click here if you'd like to join.

Poole: Asbestos inspection next week

The annual asbestos inspection is starting next week. A team from Healthy Buildings International will be on site checking the condition of all asbestos containing materials.

If you have any questions contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0300 019 8460.

RBH: Return of the lakeside marquee

The trust has purchased a new marquee for all staff to use as an area to relax, away from their place of work.

The opening hours are 8am to 6pm every day. We ask for those eating to take their trays and rubbish back to the main restaurant. Please observe all social distancing guidance. We hope that all enjoy this facility.

Ensure accuracy when adding and amending GP details in eCaMIS

It is important to check both GP and practice details are correct, when adding or amending GP details in eCaMIS. Some information for merged practices and practices in close proximity is being recorded inaccurately which leads to information being sent to the wrong practice.

Farmhouse Surgery and Christchurch Medical Practice are particularly affected. Despite having the same postal address Christchurch Medical Practice (J81056) is the merged practice of Orchard, Barn, Burton and Bransgore surgeries, while Farmhouse Surgery (J81057) is not part of Christchurch Medical Practice.

Free cinema tickets for NHS staff

Poole Lighthouse has 100 free seats for selected films for UHD staff:

Moulin Rouge (9 June), Into the Woods (16 June) and Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away Thursday (8 July).

Use code NSH0621 when booking, the code is limited to two free seats per person.

Click here for more information.

Contribute to research into rehabilitation and life after stroke

Clinical Research Network Wessex is hosting a meeting on accelerating post-acute stroke research in Wessex on 15 July from 9am-12pm. Join the meeting to help frame a research strategy to accelerate post-acute stroke research across the region and be a part of local collaboration opportunities through breakout sessions.

To register your interest please click here and to join the meeting click here.

Men's health survey: going 'beyond the banter' with Light On campaign

Public Health Dorset, the NHS, Bournemouth University and a network of local businesses and charities are coming together to tackle men's mental health. The campaign team is asking men over the age of 18 to take part in a survey, discussing their feelings towards mental health, seeking support, and helping others.

Click here to access the survey.

Care first wellbeing sessions next week - all at 12pm, click the link to join:

• Monday 14, How care first can support you.
• Tuesday 15, Men's health awareness.
• Wednesday 16, How to identify if someone in the workplace is struggling with their mental health.
• Thursday 17, Ways to avoid feeling isolated while contuinuing to work from home.
• Friday 18, The possible emergence of a mental health pandemic.

PPE and pathways

Ensuring you recognise which pathway a patient is on, and crucially, what risk is attached to each pathway, is vital in supporting good infection prevention and control practices.

Our infection control teams have created this handy assessment tool to help you recognise whether a patient is on a low, medium or high risk pathway. Knowing this allows the right precautions to be taken, particularly around PPE. You can find out which PPE is right for each pathway, as well as some example scenarios, in the latest news on the intranet.

"Bike Week is an excellent initiative, and I encourage all staff to get involved if they can"

Josh Naylor, clinical scientist at Poole Hospital, is one of the growing members of staff using their bike both for commuting and for leisure. With Bike Week returning next week (30 May - 5 June) we're using the event to promote cycling in a number of different ways, including:

• a chance to win a free bike service
• details on a range of informative webinars to get you back in the saddle
• prizes for your best bike selfie
• giving you a chance to be part of the 'World's Biggest Bike Ride'!

Find out more about Bike Week and all the opportunities to get involved on the sustainability pages on the intranet.

Updated heatwave plan is now available on the intranet

The updated Heatwave Plan is now available on the intranet. Please read this and distribute to your teams; we do expect heatwave conditions at some point this summer and it is important that we are aware of actions and mitigations to be taken.

RBH - Missing radios from the CSMT office

Radios are essential to keeping the hospital safe when phones are out of action, and radios 5,7,8,9 are missing from the CMST office at RBH.

Please return these radios to the CSMT office as it is vital we have them charged and ready for any incidences that may arise.

RBH 80 car parking permits still available for the Littledown Centre

The Trust has secured designated car parking spaces at Littledown for UHD staff and have 80 permits available. These spaces can be accessed between 6am-10:15pm on weekdays, or 8am-6pm on Saturdays. They cannot be accessed on a Sunday.

Staff whose typical working patterns are within these hours can request a Littledown permit from the Travel Team. These permits are available for staff regardless of job role, although staff must be on-site at RBH at least four days per week and must be a current full permit holder to be eligible to request a permit. If eligible, your current permit will be exchanged for a Littledown permit.

These permits will be allocated on a on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like to request one, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

QI now on UHD app

Did you know that you can now access the Quality Improvement (QI) portal on the UHD app? If you haven't done so already you can download the app here. You can also access the portal via the staff intranet here for QI training, tools, guidance, and support, including how to join the QI network forum.

Recall of Clinell Universal wipes

Some batches of Clinell Universal wipes have been urgently withdrawn from use after contamination issues were identified by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. While

UHD does not routinely stock these wipes, it is possible that they may be in use in a small number of areas where items have been purchased independently.

Please check store cupboards for Clinell Universal wipes with the following lot numbers: UBV1033020A, UBV2033020A, UBV3033020A, UBV4033020A or UBV6032920A. If found, please cease their use immediately and contact the materials management team on your site to arrange collection and to identify an alternative replacement product. The lot number is printed in black on the top edge of the pack, above the expiry date. For cartons, the lot number is printed on a label on the side of the box. Affected lots were manufactured in July 2020 and distributed from September to December 2020.

Tea Bar and Purbeck Rise reopen

Tea Bar at RBH and Purbeck Rise at PH are now open and can't wait to welcome customers back!

Tea Bar opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am –2.30pm.

Purbeck Rise opening hours are Monday to Friday 7.30am -2.30pm.

ESR and Health Roster manager logins

All employees across UHD requiring Manager access to ESR and Health Roster will now require training before a login is given. Please contact the IT training department to book into a training session:

RBH This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PH This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Old ID cards will no longer work from 6 June.

The UHD ID card roll out phase is now at an end. Any members of staff still holding an old style Poole or RBCH ID card should contact the ID offices at their respective hospitals.

From 6 June, all old style Poole and RBCH cards will start to be deactivated and removed from the access control system and therefore will no longer provide access levels.

For enquiries, contact:

Poole: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext. 8051
RBCH: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Agnieszka Kossakowska ext. 6638.

Beach hut ballot open to all UHD staff

There are a few spaces left in 2021 for booking the staff beach huts. Previously only available to RBH staff, these huts are now available to staff across UHD. Bookings are chosen by ballot, please see the housekeeping RBCH intranet for the booking form.

For further information contact 0300 019 4060 (8449).

Last chance to sign up for randomised coffee trials

Sign up for the randomised coffee trials closes on Monday 31 May. To get involved and meet colleagues from across the Dorset and UHD Trusts email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Care first wellbeing sessions next week

Click the link to join, all are held 12-12.30pm:

• Tuesday (1 June), Introducing the new Care first zest
• Wednesday, Coping with stress
• Thursday, How can Care first support you?
• Friday, Coping with uncertainty

It's ok to ask when something doesn't seem right

Infection prevention and control measures are there for everyone's safety, and we all benefit from them. Staying on top of good practice helps us to provide the best care possible, but it can be a challenge to ensure that we do the right thing every time. And sometimes a constructive reminder can be helpful.

Something as simple as reminding a colleague that when they have touched a patient environment with gloves on, that they will need to bin them, wash their hands and put new gloves on before moving to the next patient can help stop the spread of Covid-19 and other infectious illnesses.

As a learning organisation from the ward to the board, it's important that any member of staff can speak up when they feel something isn't right. If you see something that doesn't look right, it's vital you tell someone. This could be your colleague, a manager, team or shift leader, ward sister, clinical lead, infection control team, matron or operational manager. If you don't feel able to raise concerns in your work area, our Freedom To Speak Up guardians can help. The can offer confidential support and advice and can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on 0300 019 4220.

Poole: Parking update

As demand for parking from all who use it increases it is necessary to update our parking arrangements. Access to free parking will remain, but will only be available in the following circumstances:

• permit holders must park in their allocated car parks
• permit-holding staff allocated to offsite (stadium) parking may continue to access the multi-storey car park (MSCP) facility for the duration of shifts that end after 7pm, and at all times during weekends and bank holidays
• staff working night shifts may access the MSCP free of charge providing they exit before 9.30am
• non permit-holding staff may obtain a free weekly ticket from the car parks office (a week in advance) to access the MSCP, but numbers of these tickets are limited.

Due to the continued increase in demand, regrettably the practice of presenting Trust ID and obtaining free exit can no longer be supported. Parking outside of the above will be deemed as 'visitor access' and charges will be payable on exit.

Parking capacity remains constantly under review and allocations may change as the situation allows.

RBH: Emergency trolley equipment

All wards and departments should ensure that they are using the up-to-date checklist for emergency trollies. This must be printed from our resuscitation pages on the intranet each time a new form is required.

Please ensure the correct equipment is used when restocking. The second drawer with airway equipment requires the two part CO2 detector designed for the defibrillators only:

• CapnoTrak Airway adaptor (the longer clear cable that runs from the patients airway) This part should be colourless/clear. If it has a coloured connector it is ITU specific.
• CapnoTrak Water Filter (the shorter yellow ended connector, in which the yellow end connects in to the defibrillator when required)

Go to the resuscitation services intranet pages to download the up-to-date form.

Applications still open for employee relations case investigator training

When a staff member makes a complaint, we ensure it is investigated properly by colleagues specifically trained in employee relations.

To complete the training, it is essential that you have knowledge and/or experience of managing staff and dealing with employee relations issues on a day-to-day basis. You will need to commit to a minimum of two investigations a year. You will need skills in interviewing, report writing and presenting.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 4 June for more information.

Access to the critical care clinical information system

If access to the critical care clinical information system is required there is now a self-service request on the IT portal for both user and software requests. This can be accessed on the IT portal of the staff intranet.

Get involved in Bike Week 2021

It's Bike Week this week and there are lots of opportunities to get involved including:

• a chance to win a free bike service
• details on a range of informative webinars to get you back in the saddle
• prizes for your best bike selfie
• giving you a chance to be part of the 'World's Biggest Bike Ride'!

Find out more on the sustainability pages of the intranet.

CCG emergency planning lead – could this be you?

NHS Dorset CCG is seeking to backfill their band 7 emergency planning lead role to cover 1 July 2021 until 30 June 2022 and want to hear from interested parties with emergency planning experience.

Key responsibilities will include leading on all aspects of emergency preparedness resilience and response for the CCG and providing emergency planning expertise and advice to CCG staff during both planning and response to incidents.

The closing date for all expressions of interests is close of business on 7 June - for more information about the role, and a copy of the expressions of interest form to complete, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Learn, discuss and share your thoughts at the OPM Journal Club

The older people's medicine (OPM) Journal club will be discussing a paper on delirium at their next meeting. You will be sent the paper beforehand and the session will include a ten minute talk on critical appraisal skills followed by a discussion of the paper.

The club will be meeting on the 11 June at 1pm either in person at the library or via Teams. If you would like to come along and please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Stay alert for phishing emails

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority would like to remind staff to be aware of phishing emails. If you receive unexpected emails with links or attachments, even when from a service you may hold an account with, always access the websites directly through a search engine never through email link. If you do inadvertently click on a link, go to the website and change your password and monitor the account for unusual behaviour.

If you are concerned about phishing emails, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Job of the week: ophthalmic technician

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join our supportive, dynamic, forward thinking team in Ophthalmology Outpatients. The successful candidate will need to develop a range of skills to enable them to cover all aspects of the care we provide to our patients. The role is for a full time equivalent ophthalmic technician on 12 month fixed term contract.

This is just some examples of the variety of work required to help support our clinicians:

• vision testing
• supporting in an aseptic environment
• using a variety of imagining equipment.

A comprehensive induction is offered to ensure you are competent in undertaking the day-to-day tasks. Click here for more information.

Care first wellbeing sessions next week

Click the link to join, all are held 12-12.30pm:

• Wednesday, Coping with stress
• Thursday, How can Care first support you?
• Friday, Coping with uncertainty.

"Keep the genie in the bottle"

It's great to see society moving towards a more normal footing in recent days as lockdown measures ease. This has been made possible through your hard work and vigilance.

But as life outside the hospital starts to look and perhaps feel different, now is the time for us all to keep a firm grip on the measures in our hospitals that have led us to this position. Our infection prevention and control measures remain, in order to continue to protect ourselves, our colleagues, our families and our patients.

This means not only things like wearing the right PPE for the environment you are in and for the patients you are caring for, using the supplied surgical face mask (not your own, unless exempt) while in our hospitals, and observing excellent hand hygiene practices, but continuing to use the lateral flow testing kits supplied to you, and importantly, logging your results.

The lateral flow test can be seen as an ‘early warning system' that can pick up Covid-19 infections even when symptoms are not present. Remember - Covid-19 can be passed on without symptoms.

Please do not travel into or out of work in your uniform, or wear it in areas like smoking shelters, as this can increase the risk of spreading the illness.

It may look and feel different in our hospitals compared to outside them, but by maintaining our vigilance, we are protecting each other and those we care for.

You can watch our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell, and our infection prevention and control lead nurse, Paul Bolton, explain why it's important to "keep the genie in the bottle" at last week's Ask Aly virtual event here.

Showing your Covid-19 vaccine status

Some of you have been asking how to demonstrate you've had one or both Covid-19 injections. This may be useful if you are planning a holiday abroad which is dependent on your vaccine status.

The Government's Covid-19 website has lots of useful information on how to do this, including fully digitally, or on paper.

One of the simplest ways is to download the NHS App (note: this is not the same as the Test and Trace app you may already have). After a few security checks, the app will display your vaccination status once that data has been uploaded by the NHS. It also offers lots more functionality beyond Covid-19 vaccination information.

For detailed information on demonstrating your vaccine status and how you may use this, click here.

Wellbeing offering for bank-only workers

To recognise the contribution of our bank only workers throughout Covid-19 Love2shop vouchers will be available from the Trust to say thank you to bank only staff who have been part of our workforce throughout the pandemic.

Bank registrant must have held an active bank only assignment between March 2020 – February 2021 and have worked consistently throughout, completing minimum 384 hours or 48 duties throughout the qualifying period, a minimum 15 hours or two duties per month, and a break of no more than three months.

Qualifying staff will be contacted by Temporary Staffing to collect the vouchers. You will be allocated an in-person collection slot, please ensure to bring your UHD trust ID badge to your allocated slot.

Vouchers are to be collected by 30 September 2021 and will be valid until September 2023. If you have not received a call by Friday 25 June and believe you meet the above criteria, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (RBH) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. from Monday 28 June 2021.

Employee relations case investigator training

As part of our culture of being inclusive, open and honest, and always improving, when one of Team UHD raises a complaint, or there's an issue with conduct or behaviours, we make sure it is investigated properly by appropriate people specifically trained to carry out such investigations. We're looking for more people to become investigators – could this be you?

Those who complete the training will be placed on the trust's register of trained investigators and will be appointed to investigate complaints arising under the civility, respect and dignity at work policy, grievance policy and in some cases issues relating to conduct under the disciplinary policy. Investigations are carried out in accordance with our own policies and procedures, best practice and legislative requirements.

In order to complete the training, it is essential that you have knowledge and/or experience of managing staff and dealing with employee relations issues on a day-to-day basis. You will also need to be able to commit to a minimum of two investigations a year. You will need skills in interviewing, report writing and presenting.

Investigators work trust-wide within clear terms of reference, ensuring that all investigations are conducted impartially and objectively. They usually work in pairs and are supported by an HR business partner or advisor.

Working as an investigator for the trust gives an enhanced understanding into trust HR policies and procedures and develops knowledge and a skill set useful in other management roles.

If you are interested please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by 4 June 2021 outlining in no more than 500 words:

• the qualities that make an effective investigator
• why you would be a good investigator
• your knowledge of trust HR policies and procedures
• your experience of managing employee relations issues
• why you think it is important to investigate staff related issues

The training will take place at Bournemouth and Poole on the following dates:

• Poole - 15 June 2021 from 2-5pm
• RBH - 18 June 2021 from 8.30-11.30am

Poole: ID badge office closure

The ID badge office at Poole will close at an earlier time of 12noon on Thursday 3 June.

Get involved in Bike Week 2021

It's Bike Week next week, designed to get people thinking about cycling, talking about cycling and, most importantly of all, actually cycling. We'll be running a series of activities to support the week as well as offering a range of prizes to be won. Cycling has never been easier and we want to support existing cyclists and encourage more staff to take up this activity. Watch out for Friday's bulletin for details of how to get involved.

NHS fraud - private working in NHS time

Our local counter fraud specialists would like to remind all of us that acts of private work during NHS working hours include:

• working virtually for another company
• booking private patients in for private treatments
• conducting private appointments with patients

If you are unclear on the terms of private working speak with your line manager or HR. If you are concerned about another member of staff's conduct you can confidentially contact CFA colleagues Matt Wilson and Heather Greenhowe. To get in touch email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can call 0800 028 40 60 anonymously.

Digital and analogue telephone issues

Across the trust old analogue phone systems are being phased out and being replaced with digital systems. These new systems operate through multiple servers, therefore will be far less susceptible to problems after the trust-wide roll out.

However, during this period of transition, software upgrades and maintenance will cause disruption to analogue extensions, as experienced last week. Going forward the new digital telephones should be used for all important extensions, but in the rare case of a serious network outage (as experienced last week) the analogue extensions can still be used to provide a limited emergency service to all areas using 2222. If you have any questions, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Job of the week: staff nurse, general medical ward

Do you have the passion and knowledge to provide excellent care to acute respiratory, gastroenterology, endocrine and general medical patients? Do you place value on teamwork, communication, and excellent career development? If so come and join our Ward 2 team here at RBH.

Ward 2 takes admissions straight from AMU for gastro, endocrine, respiratory, and general medical patients. The patients admitted to Ward 2 come from a variety of medical backgrounds, giving you the opportunity to utilise and develop the skills needed to care for patients with diverse needs.

Click here for more information.

Care first wellbeing sessions this week

Click the link to join, all are held 12-12.30pm

• Wednesday, How feelings of loneliness and isolation can make it difficult to re-interact after lockdown
• Thursday, How can you tell if someone is struggling with their mental health?
• Friday, Alcohol awareness: drinking safely as lockdown eases