Researchers at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust are looking for volunteers to take part in a study looking at the use of different COVID-19 vaccines for giving a third dose. This study is being run by the Dorset Research Hub (based in Bournemouth Hospital), and is sponsored by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
You may be eligible to take part in the study if you:
The trust will provide reimbursement up to £180 – £270 for a particpant's time, inconvenience and travel (depending on what group they are enrolled in). The total study participation time is up to one year.
If you are interested in finding out more, please visit our website: www.covboost.org.uk where you can also complete the pre-screening questionnaire to see if you will be eligible.
If you would like any further information regarding the study, please contact us on:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and tel: 0300 019 6686
Bowel cancer screening in Dorset is changing. The coronavirus pandemic has put additional pressure on the whole of the NHS including bowel cancer screening services. In order to continue to provide an equitable and effective service, planned changes to the service have been brought forward.
From April 2021 all 56 years olds will now receive a home ‘poo test kit’. This is a quick and simple test that can be done at home and then mailed to the screening hub to be analysed for signs of blood. This test is already offered biannually to everyone aged 60 to 74 and is instrumental in the prevention and early diagnosis of bowel cancers.
The age extension of the programme is planned to continue over the next few years, and by 2025 aims to be testing everyone from age 50 to 74 bi annually.
This is a positive step forward in the fight against bowel cancer as we know that the sooner we can detect a cancer the easier it is to treat and the better the outcome for patients. We urge everyone to participate.
When diagnosed at its earliest stage, more than 9 in 10 (92%) people with bowel cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with 1 in 10 (10%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage. [Cancer Research UK]
The Bowel Scope screening previously offered to 55 year olds in Dorset has now been decommissioned nationally.
Commenting on the update, Rachel Tizzard, specialist screening practitioner at University Hospitals Dorset said: “We are very excited about the age extension to the bowel cancer screening programme. We see, on a daily basis, how screening can prevent bowel cancer or detect it earlier that the symptomatic service is able to, and we encourage everyone to complete their ‘poo kit’ when they receive it.”
Further information can be found at Bowel cancer screening: programme overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
A Bournemouth woman has set her sights on raising £10,000 for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity by selling vegetables and plants from her front garden.
Sharon Valler set up a ‘give and take’ stall during the first Covid pandemic lockdown in April 2020 to help staff at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Since then, the popularity of this humble stall has gone from strength to strength, raising valuable funds for her local NHS heroes.
Sharon, who runs a local gardening company called Home and Garden Medic, decided to put her knowledge and love for gardening to use and so sold the excess plants from her own garden outside her house.
She said: “Initially I thought I would raise £50 to support staff at the hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. However, after running my stall for a few weeks and advertising it on Facebook, things really snowballed and people started donating their own plants for sale. With everyone in lockdown and confined to their homes, people wanted to make their own garden look special and this was when sales really took off! We went on to raise an amazing £4,000 in 2020!
“Since starting we have grown quite a local following and have had support from a number of local companies and the local community. People are so generous knowing that all the money is going towards supporting staff in the NHS. Often people pay £20 for a pot of plants knowing that they would normally only be worth £5 or people just stop their cars outside and put money in the collection pot knowing it’s for the NHS. To me this all shows the true value people put on the NHS and its staff!”
David James, individual giving fundraiser for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity, said: “We have been blown away by the amount of money that Sharon has raised from her give and take stall. Every week we see more money coming in and we are very grateful for her continued commitment and support.
“All the money raised has gone into the charity’s staff health and wellbeing fund which continues to support our amazing NHS staff throughout the pandemic.”
Sharon has been supported by a number of local companies including, This is Eco Sustainable Solutions, Happy Sacks Rubbish Removal, A Bit of Sparkle, Sign Services UK and The Fencing Centre.
If you would like to help Sharon reach her £10,000 target you can find more information about her plant sales stall on her Facebook page - facebook.com/groups/bournemouthgiveandtake
Message from Pete Papworth, chief finance officer and UHD’s LGBTQ+ Network champion and ally
Today is international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. This is a day for raising awareness that micro-aggressions are still a reality for those identifying as LGBTQ+, including within our own organisation. It’s very much engrained in University Hospitals Dorset values that we are caring, we are one team and we are always improving to become a truly inclusive organisation. We want our Trust to be somewhere that everyone can feel safe and valued for the work they do as part of our team. Nobody should be made to feel uncomfortable as a result of the sexual or gender identity they choose; and if staff experience behaviour that makes them feel anything other than comfortable, they should know the support we have in place to listen to any concerns and to take the appropriate action. As UHD’s LGBTQ+ Network Champion and ally, I’m proud to be supporting this day and I would encourage colleagues from around our hospitals to show their support as allies too. Please help me to let everyone know that we challenge discrimination and support all our colleagues.
Thank you.
We would love you to show your support. Please do share your message of support on social media using the hashtags #UHDAlly #IDAHOBIT2021 or email any messages to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pete Papworth has also recorded a video version of the message to share here.
Robert White was an extraordinary local businessman who on his death donated his wealth to benefit NHS patients across Dorset. On what would have been Robert's 68th birthday, (11 May) we are celebrating the innovative services and projects that Robert's legacy has funded that are now benefiting people with cancer throughout Dorset.
Dr Mike Bayne, consultant oncologist at University Hospitals Dorset, said:
"Five years ago I had the enormous privilege of treating Robert White for metastatic neuroendocrine cancer.
"Robert was a strong personality and left a powerful mark on all who met him.
"Before he died he took the exceptional step of leaving most of his considerable assets to Poole Hospital as a legacy that has enabled us to set up the Robert White Legacy Fund.
"With Robert's legacy we have created the Robert White Cancer Centre in Dorchester enabling for the first time delivery of radiotherapy closer to the homes of those in the west of the county.
"We have supported the appointment of doctors and nurses to a series of posts that have enhanced research and treatment for patients in Dorset and the wider Wessex region.
"We have introduced a number of new leading edge treatments to Dorset namely a state of the art laryngology service, brachytherapy and endoscopic ultrasound."
Most recently Robert's legacy has supported the purchase of surface guided radiotherapy equipment in the radiotherapy department which will transform work flows in radiotherapy and allow a leap forward in the radiotherapy techniques we can deliver.
David Frost, head of therapy radiography at University Hospitals Dorset, said:
"Without this amazing legacy Poole Hospital would not have been able to purchase surface guided radiotherapy technology (SGRT) allowing University Hospitals Dorset to become one of the first radiotherapy centres in the south west to offer this facility."
The implementation of this treatment will enable the UHD radiotherapy department to achieve its vision and become a centre of excellence providing the best and safest treatment for the population of Dorset and beyond.
Surface guided radiotherapy is a system that tracks the patient's position before and during radiotherapy, this helps ensure accuracy of treatment delivery and streamlines workflows. Further developments will change practice so that patients don't need permanent marks and can have open faced masks which will remove some of the psychological impact of having radiotherapy.
With the generous support of Robert's legacy, the trust was also able to acquire a suite of products that include surface guided radiotherapy and automatic patient ID solution. The benefit of automatic patient ID is that it improves patient safety, ensuring that the right patient gets the right treatment with the correct treatment accessories.
If you would like to support the work of the hospitals in helping patients with cancer in the future then you can donate here: https://uhdcharity.org/index.php/donate.
We are celebrating his amazing legacy in a short film highlighting how his generosity is helping patients with cancer now and in the future - watch it here: https://youtu.be/gbu55Xvmou8.