UHD nurses recognised by Royal College of Emergency Medicine
Two nurses from University Hospitals Dorset are some of the first in the country to receive ‘credentialing’ from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine for Advanced Practice.
This means Liz Hurdidge and Julia Mullally are now emergency care advanced clinical practitioners, working as a part of the multidisciplinary team in the emergency department. They will be making an important contribution to the delivery of care, education, service improvement and research.
To achieve the credentialing, Liz and Julia, who are both based at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, completed three years of study alongside their full time roles, clocking up around 4,000 hours of clinical study and more than 1,000 consultant assessments throughout their course.
The award means they are able to look after patients with a wide range of conditions and have expertise in resuscitation, trauma and practical procedures.
Liz said: “I am so proud of how hard we have worked to receive the Royal College of Emergency Medicine credentialing. Our roles are a benefit to the team as they complement the existing medical workforce within the emergency department, ensuring patients continue to receive timely and appropriate care.
“Studying throughout Covid-19 has been really difficult, however the support from our nursing and medical teams has been incredible. To get to this point in our careers, we have studied for nine years. We are so happy we are able to lead clinical teams to care for our patients in a quick and efficient way.”
Major changes to RBH road layout from 17 September 2021
New access arrangements will be put into place later this month at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital as part of the major construction project to create the new maternity, children's, emergency, and critical care centre on the site.
From 17 September there will be a number of changes to the road layout at the site:
- a new one-way traffic system will operate, with drop off parking outside the West Entrance
- all public vehicles will follow a clockwise route around the site, exiting the site at the Deansleigh Road junction opposite the Village Hotel
- the current access from the Deansleigh Road junction will remain in place however vehicles will only be able to travel anti clockwise around the site as far as car park B where they will have to turn and follow the same route to exit
- there will also be changes to the flow of traffic around car park C with a one-way system coming into effect.
- car park C will be extended, and new exit barriers will be installed alongside the multi storey car park
The updated site map showing the changes in operation from 17 September is here.
UHD Annual Members’ Meeting
University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) will hold its Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM) virtually on 11 September at 10.30am.
The event will be live streamed via Microsoft Teams and will include presentations from chief executive, Debbie Fleming, and chief finance officer, Pete Papworth, on the 2020/21 Annual Report and Accounts. Sharon Collett, deputy lead governor for UHD, will also give a presentation on the council of governors.
The AMM will be part of the trust's virtual open day which is open to all members of the trust and the public. The link to the AMM can be accessed by visiting www.uhd.nhs.uk/openday2021. Please note the event will not start until 10.30am on the day.
To submit a question at the AMM please email the company secretariat team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Wednesday 8 September so a response can be compiled and answered at the meeting.
Therapy team delivers innovative ‘Think Therapy’ training
Therapy teams from University Hospitals Dorset have launched an innovative ‘Think Therapy’ training programme to give healthcare support workers the skills to support patient rehabilitation.
The project is based on the idea that every member of clinical and support staff a patient comes across while in hospital should have a positive impact on their treatment. By teaching healthcare support workers basic physical, mental and cognitive therapy methods, this allows them to support patients outside of their more formal therapy sessions, to aid their recovery and prevent deterioration.
Thanks to the success of the project, further opportunities have been developed to enable student nurses to shadow therapy assistants, physiotherapists and occupational therapists at work giving patients even more access to therapy during their journey in the hospital.
Therapy assistant Emma Sessa is leading the project. She said, “‘Think Therapy’ means ‘think holistically’. If every person a patient comes into contact with assisted with basic rehabilitation, it gives our patients the confidence they need to develop new habits, be independent and speed their recovery along.
UHD to hold first virtual Open Day
University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) will host its first virtual open day for the public on Saturday 11 September 2021 with a host of online talks, tours and activities for all.
The virtual event will go live at 10am with virtual behind the scenes tours of different departments, including a prerecorded maternity tour and a look round theatres, as well as videos showing how facial prosthesis are made and the journey of a prescription. There will also be a series of workshops for children and adults including an introduction to British Sign Language, an introduction to yoga and some mini exercise classes to keep you moving.
The trust’s Annual Members’ Meeting will start the live events at 10.30am followed by a series of health talks via Microsoft Teams, with the day finishing at 4.30pm.
Anyone who visits online is encouraged to post a photo of themselves at the virtual event on social media, with the hash tag #UHDHERO. If you’re dressed up as a hospital hero in the photo that’s even better, and your photo could win a prize.
The virtual Open Day is open to all and a schedule of live talks is available now at www.uhd.nhs.uk/openday2021. All other sections and activities will be available on the day, including the Teams links to the series of talks:
- 11.30am: Asthma, allergies and the upcoming winter in children?
- 12.30pm: Radiotherapy - past, present and future
- 1.30pm: Investing in our hospitals
- 2.30pm: UHD A great place to work
- 3.30pm: Childbirth – a variety of stories
Debbie Fleming, chief executive for UHD, said: “We know how important it is for the public to see what we are doing across our hospitals so while it’s disappointing not to be able to throw open our doors for the open day this year, I’m delighted we’ll be bringing it to you online.
“There is a great range of activities, from tours of theatres and our maternity unit to health talks on asthma, there really is something for everyone so I do hope you will encourage friends and families to join us.”
In-person open days at both the Royal Bournemouth (RBH) and Christchurch hospitals and Poole Hospital have always been extremely popular events, with the 2019 event at RBH attracting more than 3,000 visitors in five hours. It is hoped the open day will return to a face to face format next year.
