Second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospitals Dorset

All second dose appointments for staff who have had their first dose through our hospitals must be made via our online self-service system, which opens again on Wednesday (24 February). Regrettably, second dose appointments booked during the initial roll out of the vaccine here have been cancelled, in order for these appointments to be made by staff using our electronic system. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Our electronic system works with the national vaccination service database to ensure a robust record of who has received which vaccination, and when, is stored. It also ensures that as far as possible, every member of staff can book their second dose in line with the Government's current recommendations of between 10-12 weeks.

Staff who are yet to have their first vaccination should click here for information on how to arrange this.

Covid and PPE posters for ward and department use

Click here to see a PDF with national posters which can be used in ward areas. Staff are encouraged to print and laminate copies and place them near PPE stations in your wards and departments.

Values Week launching next week

Next week we'll be starting our new trust values during Values Week 2021 and we'd love you to get involved.

Throughout the week we'll be sharing a new values video featuring colleagues, and sharing examples of how the values are already being played out at UHD. We'll be inviting you to share your examples of how you try to live the values or where you've seen them done well too.

We'll also be sharing information about how you can use the new values design and how you can start applying them in appraisals. Our values are key to our culture at UHD. We invite you all to get involved and inspired how you and your colleagues can help bring them to life. Keep an eye out for more information next week via the intranet latest news, Tuesday's (23 February) Staff Bulletin, screensavers and social media on the @UHD_NHS Twitter page.

POOLE - staff parking: extension of multi-storey availability

Parking remains free for UHD staff parking in line with their permit allocation. Currently, if you hold a permit for offsite parking and work a shift that finishes after 9pm or anytime at weekends, you can park for free in the multi-storey car park at Poole Hospital. You will need to validate your entry ticket at the car park office before leaving. This ensures that parking facilities are used fairly and distributed equally.

From Monday 22 February, we will be extending the multi-storey facility to offsite permit holding staff whose shifts end at or after 7pm, on a trial basis. You must remember to validate your ticket at the car parking office to qualify for free parking in this way. This will make the multi-storey car park available to more staff. We will assess the impact this may have on availability and will be amended if demand exceeds capacity.

Parking charges remain in place if you have a permit and are parking outside of your allocated zone or the above criteria.

Thanks to all who 'Asked Aly'

Thank you to all of those who attended our 'Ask Aly' Teams forum on Wednesday. For those of you who could not attend click here to watch via Teams.

The next 'Ask Aly' forum will be on 24 March, 12-1pm. A link to the Teams event will be provided nearer the time.

If you do not hold a permit, free weekly multi-storey car park passes can be arranged through the car park office. These tickets can be obtained a week in advance, ie collect this week for next week, and are on a first come basis with limited numbers available.

We have also arranged additional parking at Barclay's and Bournemouth and Poole College – please contact the car park office if you would like to find out more about these options.

Tributes paid to "wonderful" Krzysztof

Tributes have been paid to a "wonderful man" and much-loved colleague, Krzysztof Gogolewski, who died earlier this week.

Krzysztof joined Poole Hospital in 2009 as a maternity porter at St Mary's maternity unit, where he quickly became a popular and integral part of the team.

Claire White, matron for outpatients and community maternity services, described Krzysztof as a kind and much loved colleague.

"We are all so very sad to hear that our lovely porter, Krzysztof, has passed away," she said. "He was a wonderful man who was much loved by us all. His midwifery colleagues describe him as kind, fun, hard-working, genuine and overall a true gentleman - we will miss him hugely.

"Our love and condolences go out to his lovely wife, Margaret, and all his family and friends."

Steven Lee, Krzysztof's manager in the portering service, said he was an asset to the team.

"Krzysztof would always go the extra mile – nothing was too much trouble," he said. "He was very funny, and always friendly and approachable - everyone he met couldn't help but like him.

"He was a hugely popular and valued member of the wider portering team, and our thoughts are with his friends and family."

A book of condolence has been opened in the chapel for anyone wishing to pay their respects to Krzysztof.

Accidental inputting of password information in Teams

IT has been informed of occurrences of passwords or parts of passwords being input into Teams channels. This is easily done as by default Teams is set up to automatically open when a PC is first logged on. Please ensure you take care when first logging onto PCs and make sure you are inputting password information into the correct fields.

To help prevent the accident inputting of passwords you can set Teams to open in the background at first log on by following the below:

1. open Teams
2. click on your picture or initials in the top right hand corner
3. click on 'settings'
4. under 'general' tick the 'open application in background' option.

On your next log on, Teams will start and you will be logged in. Your colleagues will still be able to see your status and will still be able to contact you via chat and audio or video call but the Teams window won't open.

To open the Teams application if it is running in the background you can open it as usual through the 'start button' and then Microsoft Teams or from the system tray using the up arrow next to the time in bottom right corner of your desktop and then click in the Teams icon as shown below.

Flu vaccinations

There's still time to have your flu jab. Find your nearest peer vaccinator – trained staff able to provide the jab to colleagues in their clinical area on the intranet.

LGBTQ+ History Month: pronouns lunch and learn

Join us this month in celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month. Next week we will be holding the following virtual event:

• 25 February, 1-2pm - Pronouns – lunch and learn

The event will be hosted by Lucy Hart, business improvement manager, and everyone is welcome to join

During February look out for the rainbow flag at our hospitals and check out of social media on Twitter and Facebook.

To join the LGBTQ+ staff network or become an ally email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Pro Ability staff network Teams drop-in session

The Pro Ability staff network is holding an informal drop-in session via Teams on Wednesday 24 February, 1–2pm.

Network members and allies are welcome to join us for an informal catch up especially if you are working from home. The network are here for you to listen and aim to brighten your day.

Click here to join.

Care First webinars

Care First, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

• Friday 19 February, 12-12.30pm – Mental health
• Monday 22 February, 12-12.30pm – Care First
• Tuesday 23 February, 12-12.30pm – Care First lifestyle
• Wednesday 24 February, 12-12.30pm – Wellbeing
• Thursday 25 February, 12-12.30pm – Covid-19 and business
• Friday 26 February, 12-12.30pm – Keeping optimistic

Roadworks

Click here for a list of the current roadworks taking place.

Update on second vaccination doses

Our online booking platform will open again on 24 February to enable staff who have already had the first dose of the vaccine in our hospitals to book their second.

Our clinics will begin providing these second doses 10-12 weeks after staff received their first at both Poole and the Royal Bournemouth hospitals from mid-March.

Time for a REFRESH - getting the basics right

Making sure we all get the basics right when it comes to infection control sounds easy - but we know it can be hard to do consistently.

Busy wards, staffing issues, operational pressures, changing guidance… all of these can compete with our focus on getting it right, every time.

REFRESH aims to keep those key infection control messages front and centre in all our minds, with a simple set of reminders that we can all use, every day.

REFRESH includes everything from ensuring good ventilation and keeping areas clutter-free, to taking breaks safely and having the confidence to question when something doesn't look right. By working together, and following the guidance, we can all make a difference in protecting ourselves, our patients and our colleagues.

You'll see lots more about REFRESH around our hospitals and in our regular communications in the coming weeks.

Focus on our values - your February edition of The Brief is out now!

Included in this edition:

• our UHD values, what they mean and a look ahead to Values Week
• an update on our hospitals from Debbie Fleming
• all staff briefing today – see below
• REFRESH – a focus on infection prevention and control
• documenting the pandemic – photo special
• one team through Covid – thank you #TeamUHD
• transformation update – what's happening when
• our two charities to become one
• meet your staff governors
• freedom to speak up
• You Matter – emotional and wellbeing support

Click here to read it and please share the key messages with your colleagues.

Ask Aly...

Join us for a virtual drop-in session with our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell, and guests, on 17 February, 12.30-1.30pm. Click here to join.

All staff are welcome and we encourage you to ask questions, raise issues or share your experiences via the 'raised hand' function or chat bar in Teams.

New UHD intranet

We are currently working on bringing together our two intranets into one site for UHD. While a number of departments have already brought their pages together, there are still many that have two separate pages, so please speak to each other and see how the content can be joined up. Your joined up content can then be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With the new intranet expected to launch in April, any requests for new pages and sections will be created for the new UHD intranet only, so please be patient.

Once the new intranet is established, we will start the process of training superusers to update content.

Mini Schwartz Round in your department

The last year has been extremely challenging and the pressure and demand on NHS staff physically, mentally and emotionally has been relentless. The Schwartz Round team are running a series of mini Schwartz Rounds (MSR) throughout 2021 to give departments and teams the opportunity to talk about the emotions of what we do and discuss the social and emotional issues we face in caring for patients and their families.

MSR focus on specific themes from a particular department which are then discussed in a supportive environment and are only open to staff directly involved with the department where the MSR is taking place.

The first UHD MSR for 2021 is maternity 'We were just doing our job' on 25 February at1pm. Any member of staff from the maternity departments at RBH and Poole are welcome to join the meeting and either just listen in or be actively involved in the discussions.

Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the link or to request a mini round for your own team or department. Find out more about Schwartz Rounds on the intranet.

Flu vaccinations

There's still time to have your flu jab, ensuring you leave seven days between it and the Covid-19 vaccination. Likewise, if you have had the Covid-19 vaccination recently, you will need to wait at least seven days before your flu jab. Find your nearest peer vaccinator – trained staff able to provide the jab to colleagues in their clinical area on the intranet.

Volunteer update

Following recent recruitment, we have a number of new volunteers joining UHD on our Poole and Bournemouth sites. They are new to the trust and will be, alongside our long standing volunteers, undertaking tasks to help staff and patients outside of the ward environment.

We understand many of you would like to welcome volunteers back onto the wards, but at present the decision remains that for their safety and safety of others that they can only volunteer in non-clinical roles.

New volunteers will be identified by a pink lanyard. This is so the volunteer staff can easily identify who may need additional support. The volunteers will have undertaken normal recruitment checks and training for a non-clinical role.

The roles that the volunteers will undertake include:

• PPE- meet and greet in main entrances, ensuring IPC practices are adhered to
• vaccination clinic – marshalling during operational hours
• Covid safety guardian - helping to reduce transmission of the virus by keeping corridors clear of clutter, reporting faults and wiping high touch surfaces.

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

Staff volunteer appeal

Several staff who don't normally work on the wards have volunteered their time on weekends. They have been helping in busy areas, answering phones, helping with meal service and helping patients communicate with their loved ones.

If you don't normally work on the wards and feel you can help clinical staff email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and you will receive additional training and need to complete a risk assessment.

Advanced notice of car park closures and relocation

In order to start important enabling work for the build of the MCEC and main entrance works, car park H (the consultants car park) is closing and car park A is closing and relocating to the rear of car park C. Staff with existing permits will have access to additional car parking at the Littledown Centre, details of how to gain access will be published shortly. The car parks will cease to be in operation from close of play on 24 February.

The lockable staff bike shelter will also not be accessible. Additional bike shelters will be available once the building work is completed at the west entrance (Eye Unit and Jigsaw Building Entrance).

RBH - staff lottery bid application now open

The Staff Lottery Fund annual bid is now open. Teams need to write a proposal as to what they would like to purchase, with actual or approximate costs; this year a 'bid form' is available for use so that submissions are received in the same format.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept bids from Poole colleagues until next year when the lottery will have merged. We have been unable to do this until both sites are under the same payroll provider, which is from April 2021. Check the staff lottery pages on the RBCH intranet for more information.

The committee will meet at the beginning of April and review all of the bid requests and teams will be notified as to whether there bid has been successful.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Cross-site ID badge activation

Any RBCH staff wishing to activate their RBCH card for use at Poole must complete an ID application to bring with them to the ID office.

The same is required for Poole staff wishing to get RBCH access.

#LookOut4TheLight

#LookOut4TheLight, supported by our end of life teams, has been set up to support those who have lost loved ones.

The idea is for each Wednesday at 8pm, a candle is lit or an LED light shone at a window.

Click here to hear from Dr Saskie Dorman, consultant in palliative medicine, about what the initiative means, and why it matters to her.

Saskie is encouraging individuals across the trust to join in, so that you know that you are not grieving alone. She also invites anyone who has lost a loved one during the Covid pandemic, whatever the cause of death, to record their stories and share it using the #LookOut4TheLight hashtag.

LGBTQ+ History Month

Join us this month in celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month. This month we will be holding the following virtual events:

• 12 February, 12–1pm - Pronouns – lunch and learn
• 23 February, 3.30-4.30pm - Film premiere: 'Any Other Business'

During the month look out for the rainbow flag at our hospitals and check out of social media on Twitter and Facebook.

To join the LGBTQ+ staff network or become an ally email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH – ward 14 missing hoist scales

Ward 14 has had their hoist scale go missing. The ward urgently requires the scales.

They may still say 'ward 24' on them due to a ward move. There is a serial number for them which can be checked.

The car benefit scheme is now open

About the car benefit scheme:

Your car benefit scheme from Tusker is the smarter way to run a car. A fixed monthly amount is taken directly from your gross salary and in return, you get the use of a brand-new car – Tusker sort everything else out at no extra cost.

Not only is a brand-new car included, there is:

• maintenance of the vehicle including all servicing, batteries and tyres
• fully comprehensive motor insurance including all business travel for you
• annual road tax
• contactless doorstep delivery
• roadside assistance (homestart and recovery UK and European cover)
• relief car for when your car is off the road (if selected)

All of this and no deposits.

Access the scheme today:

To get a quote and see the range of cars available simply reset your password via tuskercars.com and log into your account to access the Car Benefit Scheme.

If you need a hand with the site, or you want to chat to Tusker about ordering a car, you can get in contact through 'live chat', an online instant messaging service that will put you in touch with one of the team, who will guide you through the process. You can also get in touch by phone: 0333 400 7431 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Leadership development events

A great opportunity to allow leaders to focus on leadership practice. Our Dorset is offering an opportunity for all leaders to attend a series of 90-minute virtual webinars provided by guest speakers:

• Professor Michael West, 30 March, 9.30-11am, will speak about compassionate leadership
• Myron Rogers, 20 April, 9.30-11am, will speak about leadership of living systems: changing the way we change
• Mitzi Wyman,10 May, 10-11.30am, will speak about inclusive leadership

These events are free to access. There are no limits on the number of places from across the Dorset health and care system.

For more information and to sign up to one or more of these events click here.

'Time for you' virtual sessions

The NHS South West Health and wellbeing team have been developed 'time for you' sessions to support colleagues' wellbeing.

The sessions are light hearted and fun that let staff to take time away from the day job to rejuvenate themselves.

Future sessions include:

• 17 February, laughtercise, 2-3pm
• 24 February, emotional logic, 2-3pm
• 3 March, story telling, 2-3pm
• 10 March, Emotional Logic, 2-3pm
• 17 March, laughtercise, 2-3pm
• 24 March, motivational session, 2-3pm
• 31 March, Mrs Bun the baker, 2-3pm

The programme invites will come from our generic inbox This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. asking you to place a hold in your calendar. An updated invitation will follow once the session is finalised.

Care First webinars

Care First, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

• Friday 12 February, 12- 12.30pm – Domestic abuse
• Monday 15 February, 12- 12.30pm – Care First
• Tuesday 16 February, 12- 12.30pm – Supporting colleagues
• Wednesday 17 February, 12- 12.30pm - Kindness
• Thursday 18 February, 12- 12.30pm – Avoiding eye strain
• Friday 19 February, 12- 12.30pm – Mental health

Staff offers

We have a range of offers available for staff from take away to a newly added virtual 'self-care' session from Ambas Yoga taking place this weekend. Check the intranet to see all offers.

Roadworks

Click here for a list of the current roadworks taking place.

First dose Covid-19 vaccinations – updated booking process

Staff who have not yet had the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination should now do so through the national booking system. Please disregard any external booking links issued in previous updates.

First doses for UHD staff are now offered only from the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), in Bournemouth, operated by Dorset HealthCare. Oxford/AstraZeneca is being provided at this site.

You must book your first and second dose at the same site, therefore please book both as you go through the booking process.

Click here for the booking link and more information.

Second doses at University Hospitals Dorset

Our own internal booking platform will open again on 24 February to enable staff who have already had the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in our hospitals to book their second.

Our clinics at both Poole and the Royal Bournemouth hospitals will begin providing these second doses from mid-March, 10-12 weeks after staff received their first.

Lateral flow kits – restock

We are now starting to distribute the second round of Covid self-testing kits to all staff at UHD, starting with those who are due to run out of tests first.

Each box contains a 12-week supply and will be distributed to wards and departments from our stores on the regular PPE run, and will need to be signed for.

Supplies of kits are limited, so please ensure you only take one for personal use and remember to pick up one of the yellow stickers for your kit - these direct you straight to the results portal.

For non-clinical areas, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Poole) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (RBCH) when your team needs their second box.

A new spreadsheet is available on Teams for managers to log the second boxes for staff.

Please note: If you are symptomatic, please arrange for a PCR swab from our swabbing teams - 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.

For more information, including FAQs, videos, and how to upload your results, see our self testing intranet pages.

REFRESH on the intranet

Our REFRESH infection prevention and control has a new home on the intranet.

REFRESH aims to keep key infection control messages front and centre in all our minds, with a simple set of reminders that we can all use, every day. It includes everything from ensuring good ventilation and keeping areas clutter-free, to taking breaks safely and having the confidence to question when something doesn't look right.

Find out more about the campaign, why it matters and download resources for your area all in one place on the intranet.

Ask Aly...

Join us for a virtual drop-in session with our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell, and guests, on 17 February, 12.30-1.30pm. Click here to join.

All staff are welcome and we encourage you to ask questions, raise issues or share your experiences via the 'raised hand' function or chat bar in Teams.

February's joint staff briefing now available

The joint staff briefing from 10 February, presented by David Moss, chairman, and Debbie Fleming, chief executive, as well as fellow executives, is now available to view.

Topics covered included managing the Covid-19 pandemic, an operational update and development plans for the year ahead can be watched here or you can view the slides here and the development plan slides here.

Values Week launching February 22

Next week we'll be starting our new trust values during Values Week 2020 and we'd love you to get involved.

Throughout the week we'll be sharing a new values video featuring colleagues, and sharing examples of how the values are already being played out at UHD. We'll be inviting you to share your examples of how you try to live the values or where you've seen them done well too.

We'll also be sharing information about how you can use the new values design and how you can start applying them in appraisals. Our values are key to our culture at UHD. We invite you all to get involved and inspired how you and your colleagues can help bring them to life.

POOLE – employee self service

Employee self service (ESS) on the electronic staff records (ESR) system is being rolled out to all staff at Poole, current and new users of ESR, one department at a time.

Some of the things you will be able to do are to view/change some personal details, view your TRS statement for benefit and pension purposes and receive your payslips electronically.

Workforce has been adding access to smart cards and creating usernames and passwords for staff. Log in details and instructions on how to access and use the service will be emailed to your trust email address shortly.

If you have a smartcard, you will be able to access ESS using the card at work (or at home if you have a trust laptop). If you do not have a smartcard or you would like to log in from home from a non-trust PC or phone you will need a username and password.

You will continue to receive paper payslips until you have received log in details from one of the team, only at this point will you then transfer to online payslips.

Our two charities to become one

Following the trust's charity fundraising committee earlier this month, our two charities – Poole Hospital Charity and Bournemouth Hospital Charity - are set to come together to create a new charity, to be named, 'University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity'.

The newly formed charity, which will be officially launched on 1 April 2021, will have a new logo and branding but retain the same commitment – to fund care and provisions above and beyond what the NHS can offer.

The new branding has been created by Southampton based creative agency, NHS Creative, who have experience of working with many NHS organisations and charities. The new logo creates a fresh, distinctive strong 'parent brand' for the successor charity as well as refreshed logos for Bournemouth Hospital Charity, Poole Hospital Charity and Christchurch Hospital Charity as sub brands.

Speaking about the news, Debbie Anderson, head of charity, University Hospitals Dorset, said:

"Everyone from both charities is very excited about joining forces and in creating our new brands.

"The newly formed charity will enable us to support a wider range of fundraising and provide even more support across all three hospital sites.

"We urge our wonderful supporters of both Poole Hospital Charity and Bournemouth Hospital Charity to continue to support us in our new partnership so that between us all we can do even more to improve patient welfare as well as staff wellbeing and support.

"In recognition of the relationship our supporters and the community have to the individual hospitals, we will still be supporting the individual hospitals through specific fundraising events, campaigns and appeals."

The charity will support all areas of work at the University Hospitals Dorset with supporters still being able to donate to a ward, department, or hospital of their choice across Poole, Royal Bournemouth, or Christchurch Hospitals.

A communications and engagement campaign will follow to highlight how supporters can continue to support all areas of our hospital as well as addressing any concerns.

Flu vaccinations

There's still time to have your flu jab. Find your nearest peer vaccinator – trained staff able to provide the jab to colleagues in their clinical area on the intranet.

Government changes to public service pension schemes

In July 2020, HM Treasury (HMT) consulted on proposals to remove the age discrimination judged to have arisen from the transitional arrangements to the reformed pension schemes across the public sector, including the NHS Pension Scheme.

Following the feedback received during the consultation process, HMT has now announced that:

• Eligible members will be given the choice at retirement about whether they would like to receive their benefits from the 1995/2008 scheme or 2015 scheme for the remedy period, between 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.
• Members will make this choice when they take their benefits on retirement.
• All members will join the 2015 scheme from 1 April 2022.
• Those who have already taken benefits from the scheme will be contacted by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) and offered a choice as soon as possible. Their choice will be applied retrospectively from the date on which the benefits were originally paid.

More information from NHS Employers can be found here or from NHSBSA here

Please note the pension departments have no further information at this time and are unable to answer any queries you may have.

Quarterly shower head replacements

Quarterly shower head replacements have now been completed and the current colour is red. If a different colour is found anywhere on site please contact the estates helpdesk on ext 8056.

Job of the week

Clinical practice is looking for a band 4 moving and handling associate practitioner to be based at Poole Hospital.

You will be responsible for:

• delivering face to face training sessions
• supporting the moving and handling risk advisor with reviewing and investigating reported incidents
• monitoring the stock levels of specialist moving and handling equipment
• assisting the moving and handling risk advisor in undertaking complex patient reviews
• supporting the development of the moving and handling champion role

Click here for the full job description and to apply.

Care First webinars

Care First, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

• Tuesday 16 February, 12-12.30pm – Supporting colleagues
• Wednesday 17 February, 12-12.30pm - Kindness
• Thursday 18 February, 12-12.30pm – Avoiding eye strain
• Friday 19 February, 12-12.30pm – Mental health

Roadworks

Click here for a list of the current roadworks taking place.

Last few days of planned first vaccine doses at UHD

Planned first doses of the Covid-19 vaccination for staff provided by the trust will end this Friday. If you are yet to have your first dose please book online now.

We will be publicising booking arrangements for staff who have been unable to have their vaccination with us later this week.

If you have had your vaccination outside of UHD, it's important that you let our occupational health service know so we can build an accurate picture of how many staff are protected. Contact them via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Infection prevention and control

Catch tomorrow's edition of The Brief for details of a new infection prevention and control campaign which aims to support staff to refresh their approach to good practice.

All-staff briefing with our chair and chief executive

The first all-staff briefing of the new year will be held tomorrow (10 February), 12.30-1.30pm. David Moss, our chairman, and Debbie Fleming, our chief executive, as well as fellow executives, will provide the latest on managing the Covid-19 pandemic, an operational update and development plans for the year ahead.

Please join us if you can, or a recording of the briefing will be available afterwards on our intranet. The Teams link is available here.

Welcome to our aspirant nurses

Welcome to the 78 third year student nurses, some of whom are pictured right with Denise Richards, deputy chief nursing officer, who have volunteered to be part of our workforce during the second Covid wave. Known as aspirant nurses, they are working across both Poole and RBCH fulfilling similar tasks and roles to our senior healthcare support workers.

Look out for them and welcome them into your teams.

There is a weekly drop-in on Fridays for students at both hospitals, 10am-12pm, in the Oasis Café at RBH for student queries.

For more information contact:

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

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

New IPC surveillance system: ICNet

UHD's new infection prevention and control (IPC) system ICNet will be available from 11 February.

It will improve surveillance of laboratory results and infection outbreaks, assisting our IPC team in detecting, preventing, and controlling these.

The system will be used by our IPC team across UHD - this will be an upgrade for our Poole site users, and an entirely new system for our RBH site users.

For further information see the ICNet page within the infection prevention and control intranet pages.

POOLE – improvements to the acute medical unit underway

The construction of three clinic rooms, a mental health assessment room and a brand-new priority assessment unit has begun in the acute medical unit. These works are likely to continue for the next 8-10 weeks.

Whilst we will try to keep disruption to a minimum, there will be barriers/false walls around the areas under construction and some noise is expected. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Work begins on improvements to Poole Hospital's emergency department

Work begins this week on a new resuscitation area for Poole Hospital's Emergency Department (ED), providing a facility better suited to the care of ill patients with infectious diseases.

The scheme also improves and enhances the department's ambulatory care area, enabling the team to see and treat patients quicker, and in a more appropriate environment.

As part of the improvements, the current ED reception and waiting area will be demolished to make room for a new 4 bed resus area, all with isolation rooms. Currently, as most patients are seen in the hospital's Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), it is hoped that there will be minimal disruption to patient care during the period.

Other areas to note:

• during the building works there will be no pedestrian access directly into the ED
• ED will still be open for to walk-in patients who will be streamed to the appropriate area via the UTC
• all patients needing to attend the UTC are requested to use the hospitals' north entrance over this period.
• ambulance arrivals are unaffected.

Commenting on the changes, Bruce Hopkins, matron, emergency and urgent care, Poole Hospital said:

"We look forward to having the additional facilities this project will provide, which will allow us to see and treat patients quicker, and in a more appropriate environment.

"For the foreseeable future patients needing emergency assistance are encouraged to use alternative options as appropriate, particularly the NHS 111 First service, where they will be given a booked appointment.

"'Walk-ins' will still be seen, but as there will be disruption and delay during these construction works, all patients should only attend in a genuine emergency."

Building work starts on 15 February and will continue to early May.

Personal dosimetry update

Staff members can access their own radiation dosimetry history by logging onto the Landauer website:

• www.myldr.com
• Username: Pdoses (for Poole) or Bdoses (for RBCH)
• Password: Badge2021

Once logged on, type in the account number and serial number of your current dosimetry monitor. For security reasons no name or other personally identifiable information will appear on the screen.

We would like to remind staff that we are charged for late or lost dosimeters at £2.50 a time.

If you are issued with a personal dosimeter it is your legal obligation to wear it under the Health and Safety at Work Act section 7b.

For more information contact Kat Dixon, radiation protection adviser, ext. 2650 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Medical gases learning package

Due to a recent never event, staff are strongly advised to complete the relevant medical gases learning to reduce preventable events.

More information can be found on the training pages of both intranets.

Staff dealing with medical gases are reminded:

• to ensure that patients who are prescribed for oxygen are connected to oxygen and not medical air
• to ensure that cylinders are selected appropriately. These can be identified by the colour at the top of the cylinder (the shoulders) and by the label attached
• all equipment relating to oxygen is white. All equipment relating to medical air is black or black and white
• to ensure that patients' oxygen tubing is attached to the oxygen and has not become detached
• to ensure that oxygen is reconnected appropriately eg on the transfer of patients

Flu vaccinations

There's still time to have your flu jab, ensuring you leave seven days between it and the Covid-19 vaccination. Likewise, if you have had the Covid-19 vaccination recently, you will need to wait at least seven days before your flu jab. Find your nearest peer vaccinator – trained staff able to provide the jab to colleagues in their clinical area on the intranet.

Error with BNF website listing of apixaban interactions

The BNF website is not currently flagging interactions between apixaban and phenytoin or carbamazepine. The paper version of the BNF has it listed correctly.

These are clinically significant interactions and the apixaban should not be prescribed with either agent unless there is no suitable alternative and appropriate monitoring is in place.

POOLE - Book of condolence opened for Mandy Tomey

A book of condolence is now open in the chapel for any staff who wish to sign, in remembrance of Mandy Tomey, who had worked as a senior healthcare assistant for many years at Poole Hospital.

Mandy worked at Poole Hospital for many years, in older people's services and then for the past 20 years in our outpatients department. Mandy passed away on 5 January, and was a much loved and respected friend and colleague to many.

Her well known wit and sense of humour will be missed by all who had the pleasure to work with her. Mandy would always go that extra mile for the patients and everyone that she came into contact with. Her kindness and generosity was extended to all her colleagues throughout the years.

The book of condolence will be open to sign all week during the chapel's usual opening hours.

Job of the week

Our emergency department at the Royal Bournemouth is looking for a band 5 staff nurse. You will be responsible for:

• the assessment of care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care without direct supervision
• for ensuring patient care and safety are evaluated whilst on duty
• the supervision of student nurses and support workers.

Click here for the full job description and to apply.

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship

We are pleased to promote the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) being offered by the Open University.

We would like expressions of interest for this apprenticeship course from anyone in a band 6 role or above.

Please email Clair Meldrum for more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In order to undertake this course you must be also be able to attend one of the below webinars, which if successful you will receive a Teams invite for.

This webinar is designed to provide information on the CMDA - what it is, how it is delivered and important information about the requirements of the apprenticeship. You will find out what the commitment and expectations are, should you start this programme of study.

• 15 February, 2-3.30pm
• 23 February, 10-11.30
• 25 February, 10-11.30am

Workshops: leading teams through change and Covid

Change can be difficult, and we all deal with it differently. The past year has been one led by change as we have transitioned through a merger as well dealt with the uncertainty of Covid. However, change is happening all of the time and we want to ensure our leaders at all levels across UHD are supported to manage on these challenges.

We now have a series of virtual Teams workshops to help. The workshops are designed to introduce leaders to tools and strategies to lead teams through change and will enable delegates to learn from one another and build networks across the organisation. The following sessions are available to book:

• Wednesday 10 March, 1-3pm
• Tuesday 16 March, 10-12am
• Tuesday 30 March, 9.30 – 11.30am
• Thursday 15 April, 9-11am

To book onto a session, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spaces are limited so they will be offered on a first come first served basis.

RBCH - National Apprenticeship Week – 8-14 February

RBCH offers a range of apprenticeships to existing staff, in both clinical and non-clinical areas across the whole organisation.

For further information look for apprenticeships on the intranet A-Z.

Contact Clair Meldrum for more information This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

See last Tuesday's (2 February) Staff Bulletin for apprenticeship week activities at Poole.

Pro Ability network meeting

This month's Pro Ability network meeting via Teams will be held on 16 February, 1-2 pm, with guest presenter Erk Gunce, positive action programmes inclusion coordinator (South West), from the South West Leadership Academy.

Erk will be giving a 25-minute presentation on:

• inclusive communication in the context of disability
• digital accessibility features in Microsoft products to improve the user experience for disabled people

The session is open to all and the network members would like to encourage anyone who is not living with a disability to join to learn more.

Click here for the Teams link.

Care First webinars

Care First, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

• Tuesday 9 February, 12-12.30pm – Relationships
• Wednesday 10 February, 12-12.30pm – Self-esteem
• Thursday 11 February, 12-12.30pm – Long Covid
• Friday 12 February, 12- 12.30pm – Domestic abuse
• Monday 15 February, 12- 12.30pm – Care First
• Tuesday 16 February, 12- 12.30pm – Supporting colleagues
• Wednesday 17 February, 12- 12.30pm - Kindness
• Thursday 18 February, 12- 12.30pm – Avoiding eye strain
• Friday 19 February, 12- 12.30pm – Mental health

Fraud – checking Outlook rules

Staff are encouraged to check the rules in their Outlook account for any they are unaware of. Fraudsters are capable of intercepting Outlook accounts to set up rules to ensure that individuals do not see their own emails.

Click here for more information.

Sign up to March for Men

We need your help raising funds for men's health projects across University Hospitals Dorset. Sign up to walk, jog or run either 1km, 5km or 10km at a location of your choice between Friday 12 and Sunday 28 March. You can register to take part in aid of Bournemouth Hospital Charity or Poole Hospital Charity.

SwapShop

Do you have office furniture that you want to get rid of or do you need office furniture? Or perhaps you have some unwanted items at home that you would like to sell.

Visit the trust's SwapShop, open to all UHD staff (link on the front of the RBCH intranet), and get swapping today!

Roadworks

Click here for a list of the current roadworks taking place.

Railway line closures

From 13-19 February, some train stations will be temporarily closing due to the Southampton freight train lengthening scheme. This will affect some staff commutes.

The line from Southampton Central to Romsey and Brockenhurst will be closed. This includes Romsey, Millbrook, Redbridge, Totton, Ashurst New Forest and Beaulieu Road stations. Anyone who commutes from these stations to UHD will have to use different stations, make use of rail replacement services, make alternate travel arrangements or work from home if possible.

More information can be found in this leaflet or here.