Tackling our waiting lists: We need to hear from you

We are calling patients as part our work to tackle the large waiting lists caused by the pandemic.

Over the last two years, many non-emergency operations and procedures across the NHS had to be cancelled or postponed because of Covid-19. We are working hard to prioritise its lists and will now be contacting patients waiting for appointments at the Royal Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch hospitals via phone call to obtain further details.

A number of text messages and letters have already been sent out as part of the campaign, with calls now going to patients who have yet to respond.

If you receive a call or letter, please respond so we can help you with your care. We would like to assure you that:

• our communication will only ever ask questions relating to your care
• we will never ask for bank details or reference to money or payment
• we will never ask you for your name or address, however you will be able to update your details if they are not correct
• for security reasons, we’ll ask you to confirm your date of birth

Dr Ruth Williamson, consultant radiologist and deputy chief medical officer, said: “We appreciate some of you have been waiting a long time for treatment and we’re trying our best to catch up from the treatment that was delayed during Covid. If you hear from us via phone, letter or text message, please do respond as we’re trying to arrange your healthcare as soon as we can."

Governors for University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) are holding a listening event on Tuesday 10 May at ‘Gather’, the events hub, in Poole Dolphin Centre opposite Beales.

Members of the public are invited to come along between 10am and 4pm to hear the latest on the exciting developments taking place across the Royal Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch hospitals. The governors will support with questions, offer out information sheets and will also have details of up and coming health events. They will also gather feedback which can help contribute to improvements at the trust.

No booking is required for this event, just drop by.

‘Understanding Little Ears’ health talk - available to watch NOW

University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) recently held a free virtual Understanding Health talk around ‘Understanding Little Ears’.

Mr Steven Frampton,consultant ENT surgeonat UHD, talked about a range of conditions that affect childrens’ ears, including glue ear and recurring ear infections.

The free event ran via Microsoft Teams and was open to everyone. 

To watch a recording of the event, please click here.

‘Join us for lunch, go home with a career’

University Hospitals Dorset nursing recruitment event will offer permanent roles

 “Join us for lunch, go home with a career.” That’s the offer UHD is making to nurses who are due to qualify in September and are looking for the perfect start in the profession and attend a special recruitment event on Saturday 21 May.

The event will highlight the wide range of nursing opportunities at Poole, the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals, and offers a chance to find out what it’s like to work for University Hospitals Dorset. Cathy Cocorachio, matron for trauma and orthopaedics said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to tour the hospital and meet other members of the nursing team, learn about our values and what we can offer in their nursing career.”

The day includes presentations from matrons, information on our bespoke training and development programmes offered by our nationally-recognised education team and a talk from a newly qualified nurse a year into her nusing career with the hospitals.

This is an exciting time to join UHD, with £250m development plans taking place across our sites, which includes developing Royal Bournemouth Hospital as the major emergency hospital for east Dorset, and Poole Hospital as the major planned care hospital, together with ambitious plans for Christchurch to support on-going patient treatment.

Sue Davies, senior matron for trauma and orthopaedics, added: “We’re very excited to show off our wonderful facilities. We have vacancies in a number of areas, so there’s something for everyone”.

Those wishing to attend the day, which will be held in the education centre at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, should apply before 7 May.

Prospective attendees will need to make an application for a nursing role at UHD here. The application will then be reviewed and our recruitment team will be in touch about the event.

Attendees who meet the criteria will be offered provisional job offers on the day.