Covid-19: Changes to guidance for household contacts

If you live in the same house as someone who has Covid-19, or are a close contact of a friend or relative, you can now continue to work as normal if you do not have symptoms and feel well.

You do not need to have a PCR test in order to return to work and a formal risk assessment is no longer required. However managers should consider the area in which the colleague is returning and ensure a risk-based approach to reduce contact with people who, in spite of vaccination, are at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19.

You must continue to test twice weekly and report through the gov.uk portal.

Have symptoms? Take a lateral flow test and only return to work when you are feeling better. If positive, self-isolate and repeat your LFT on day 5 and 6 if you are well, before returning to work.

Symptoms: Please be aware NHS England has updated the list of Covid-19 symptoms, which can be viewed here.

Asymptomatic: Asymptomatic staff should continue to take LFTs twice a week. You can order your tests here.

Our HR guidance is being updated to reflect this.

Discharge services admin support

Effective from next week (11 April) until the end of the month, the admin teams across both sites will work 8am-4pm Monday to Friday. Weekend cover remains in place and the hours are unchanged, 8am-4pm.

If you require further information, please 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..

RBH: Palliative care team reduced service this weekend

Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no RBH palliative care cover this Sunday (10 April).

For urgent concerns, 24 hour advice is available from the Macmillan Unit. Please call ext. 5470 option 1 between the hours of 8am-5pm and option 3 between the hours of 5pm-8am.

For non-urgent queries, please leave a message on ext. 6021.

Microsoft office

Support for Microsoft Office 2010 ended in October 2020. From 1 May, outlook 2010 will no longer be able to connect to Exchange Online so your emails within the Outlook 2010 app will stop working.

Outlook web can be accessed via the staff intranet or clicking this link. Contact the IT service desk if you have any questions.

Important reminder: intravenous administration

Under no circumstances should trainee nurse associates, registered nurse associates and registered nurse degree apprentices be involved in any type of intravenous administration. This includes intravenous fluids, intravenous medication and involvement in intravenous preparation.

For any enquiries please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

Bowel cancer is a common type of cancer in both men and women. About 1 in 20 people will get it during their lifetime. April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and our bowel cancer screening team will be answering your questions in the Dome on Monday (11 April) and the Atrium at RBH on 19 April.

Paperless at Poole and Christchurch

From 1 June, the outpatient physiotherapy teams at Poole and Christchurch will no longer accept paper referrals or blue cards. This move will enable referrals to be processed in a more timely manner and reduce the scope for error and lost referrals. Any paper referrals received after this point will be returned to sender and may potentially delay triaging.

Referrals can be completed online via EPR under the create documents new request tab. Select ‘adult physio referral form'. IPT forms and referrals from outside the trust should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Christchurch, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Poole.

POOLE: Return your patient-controlled analgesia pumps

Please check your area and return any patient-controlled analgesia pumps that are not in use to the recovery team as soon as possible. These are essential for our patients, and we must ensure that our stock is returned and accessible.

RBH: Free bike tagging

On 12 April, our local police cadets will be in the marquee from 9am-3.30pm to offer bike tagging. Bikes can be left with the teams throughout the day or be collected from the bike shed. Please contact Julia Bassil, cadets coordinator, on 07912 898684 to arrange pick up.

RBH: Portable cabin removal

This Saturday (9 April) car park B will be temporarily closed while a small portable cabin is removed from site. Another portable cabin will also be picked up in the morning of 16 April close to car park F. This may cause a slight disruption in traffic. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

LGBTQ+ rainbow badges – it's time for phase two

Did you know that 23% of LGBT people have witnessed anti-LGBT remarks made by healthcare staff, and almost a quarter of healthcare staff have witnessed colleagues behaving in a way that could be considered homo, bi or trans-phobic? At UHD, we are one of 150 trusts enrolled in the rainbow badge scheme. We're now moving into phase two where we will be assessed and accredited for our commitment to support the LGBTQ+ community.

We want to hear your views and experiences so we can create a better and more inclusive healthcare setting for all LGBT+ colleagues and patients. Whether or not you are a member of the LGBT+ community, please fill out this anonymous 5-minute survey.

Click here to view the full programme details.

Take part in the Stress Awareness Challenge

April is Stress Awareness Month and you're invited to take part in a 30 day challenge that encourages you to pick one action each for your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing to carry out every day. Try and add actions for your social and spiritual wellness too. See this page for more details.

OPM Journal Club

The OPM Journal Club takes place in the glass room of the Library at RBH next Tuesday (12 April) between 1-2pm.

We will be discussing the paper "Decision-making capacity assessment for confused patients in a regional hospital: A before and after study". If you would like to come along or find out more about it, please 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.. You can also join via Teams.

Consent training

There are still spaces available for consent training and updates with our education team at RBH. The training will be face to face in our education centre on 25 and 27 April. Book via ESR or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Health and Safety Audit Tool is open for completion

It's time to complete your department's submission for the annual health and safety audit.

The reporting year runs from April to March, and data is collected in the first quarter, April to June each year. Department and service managers can access the form and further information on the intranet.

To see the trust's performance last year please see the >intranet pages. For further support please contact your local health and safety advisor.

Social media photograph reminder

If uploading pictures taken in the workplace to social media, please ensure people are adhering to our infection control measures, including wearing masks. If you are unsure of what photos we are able to share, please contact the communications team for advice on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

POOLE: Advance notice of travel disruption on Wimborne Road

Wimborne Road in Poole is going to be receiving a series of walking, cycling and bus improvements between Denmark Lane and the New Inn junction. These improvement form part of a 7km sustainable travel route between Poole town centre and Merley, Poole.

Work is due to commence later in spring, and may cause some disruptions and diversions that will affect patients and staff travelling to our hospital.

You can find out more information on the work taking place on the BCP council website. We will keep you updated with any further news as work commences.

Car parking at Littledown

Please be wary of leaving valuables on show when parking your car. There have been reports of cars being broken into in the Littledown car park and valuables being stolen.

Job of the week – fundraising officer

Our charity team is seeking an enthusiastic and driven individual who has a sound understanding of fundraising to join their team. Our charity works to enhance the care and treatment of patients accessing NHS services at our hospitals by fundraising to provide enhanced facilities, state of the art equipment and support NHS staff health, wellbeing and development. Take a look at the exciting opportunity here.

Have you lost your hand sanitiser?

Bottles of 520l of OrcaGel, hand sanitiser in 5l containers has been left in cages outside of the pathology flammable stores and general store room at Poole for a number of weeks. If this belongs to your department please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Free adult cycle training

BCP's Bikeability instructors are offering free cycle training for anyone over the age of 18 who lives, works or studies in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. To read more about this offer, please click here.

Tickets from the Regent Centre, Christchurch

Our friends at the Regent Centre are offering us a 2-4-1 offer on 'Hello Again... A tribute to Neil Diamond'. Click here for tickets and enter 241OFFER at the checkout.

Update on Covid-19 testing – patients and staff

NHS England has released new guidance outlining a number of changes in Covid-19 testing practices for staff as well as patients.

We are working to understand the detail underpinning the document, particularly around implementing changes to patient testing and on staff in non-patient facing roles, and the details of these will be shared urgently once agreed.

Patient-facing staff will see little change. Staff in these roles will continue to be able to order free lateral flow device (LFD) tests using the national ordering system, and should continue to be undertaken twice a week. Results, however, should now be reported via the national reporting system here.

For any staff member with symptoms, LFDs will also continue to be available through the national ordering system for free.

The impact of the new guidance on staff in non-patient-facing roles is currently being worked through, and will be shared with you as soon as possible.

Please continue to adhere to current testing practice, with the exception of using the national LFD reporting system instead of our own, until the UHD guidance is shared.

LFD ordering link in full: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

LFD reporting link in full: https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

First ever UHD staff survey results published

The results from our first national NHS Staff Survey as University Hospitals Dorset were published on Wednesday (30 March). This is the first UHD NHS Staff Survey and so gives an important baseline position for our new organisation.

Our results show that, alongside merger, we were continuing to perform well alongside other comparable trusts and doing better than other trusts in some areas. The results also largely reflect the informal feedback that you have shared with us over the past few months, and we have already begun to look closely at the areas we need to celebrate, and those where we can make changes to improve staff experience at UHD.

We want to improve on these results by involving and encouraging teams in departments to understand their local results in the heat maps reports and take action on areas that matter through local staff survey action plans.

Read more, including links to the report, on the staff survey page of the UHD intranet.

Reminder: updated guidance on patients with incidental Covid-19

New guidance outlines how best to manage patients with Covid-19 in our hospitals, including those patients whose Covid-19 infection is not the primary reason for admission (known as incidental Covid).

The guidance includes updates on:

• admissions pathways
• bay and ward closures
• contact management
• good practice on wards open to admissions
• terminal cleans for ward/bay closures

The guidance can be read here or accessed via the 'IPC and Covid-19' tile on the intranet front page. It will continue to be reviewed and updated.

A fond farewell to Debbie Fleming

Yesterday (31 March) we said a fond farewell and thanks to our chief executive, Debbie Fleming OBE, who retired after 38 years of dedicated service to the NHS. Speaking at the event, Debbie said, “It's a good end – I'm very happy and proud of my time in the NHS and wish you all the success for the future”. Professor Paula Shobbrook, acting chief executive, added that Debbie had always focussed on patients and their care - “it runs through you like a stick of rock.”

Let us know what you think with the People Pulse survey

The staff survey and our quarterly People Pulse survey work together to keep us improving our staff experience throughout the year, identifying problems and celebrating successes as they arise. It is incredibly important that you take these opportunities to raise your voice to help us to make the changes you need in your area. Let us know how you are feeling in April's national quarterly People Pulse survey and help us continue to make changes across our hospitals. Click here to take the survey.

Together, for our staff - latest edition out now

The spring edition of the UHD magazine Together is now out, with features on staff wellbeing initiatives, VIP visits and a round-up of our ambitious buildings programme. You can also find out how the pandemic pushed public governor Michele Whitehurst to do more to support her local hospitals, and how our fundraising team's efforts are supporting patients and staff – and how you can be involved.

Click here to read this edition, while printed copies have also been sent to all wards and departments.

Help us to be considerate neighbours

Please help us to be considerate neighbours if you're a smoker, by avoiding congregating outside nearby homes and businesses, as well as disposing of your cigarette litter responsibly.

Staff are encouraged to use the allocated smoking areas on our sites wherever possible.

Reduced palliative care service at Bournemouth and Poole

Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no RBH hospital palliative care cover on Sunday (3 April).

For urgent concerns, 24 hour advice is available from the Macmillan Unit via ext 5470 and choose option 1 between 8am-5pm, and option 3 between the hours of 5pm-8am.

For non-urgent queries, please leave a message on ext 6021 (HPCT) and a staff member will pick these up on Monday (4 April).

There will also be no routine hospital palliative care or end of life service at Poole on Tuesday (5 April).

If you need any urgent specialist palliative care or end of life care advice please contact ext 8115.

UHD PAS programme gathers pace – find out the latest

The latest update on the UHD PAS project, bringing a single shared patient administration system to the trust for the first time, is now available to read here.

With all outpatient clinics now built in the system and all theatre codes added, the project is gearing up to meet the aim to move the trust to one system by 17 May this year. This edition includes news on how medical secretaries can offer support during go live, and how to log into Poole's eCaMIS PAS and UHD PAS at the same time.

Find out more in the first edition of the update if you missed it, including the need to avoid booking patients onto Poole's eCaMIS beyond 16 May.

Staff car parking policy approved

Earlier this week (30 March) our Board approved the decision to reinstate staff car park charges from 1 April as the government's funding to enable free car parking for NHS staff during the pandemic has come to an end.

Commenting on the policy, Richard Renaut, UHD's chief strategy and transformation officer said, "The policy and charges have been designed with the input of our staff partnership forum, making sure our limited parking spaces are allocated fairly and transparently, whilst supporting our wider Green Plan by reducing single occupant and peak time car trips - staff will still be able to park for free overnight as well as at weekends. Our parking policy is designed to do the best for our staff, patients and visitors – balancing a range of factors to support travel to and from our hospitals." You can find out more information including a background briefing, FAQs and how to contact the team on the intranet.

Get your tickets for our 2022 Revue - Pandemonium

Our UHD Revue crew are working hard in rehearsals for our production of 'Pandemonium'. The show is by our staff, for our staff, and will be an evening of sketches, songs and laughter. This is a great opportunity for us all to come together with our colleagues, take a lighter look at life in the NHS and support our UHD Charity through ticket sales.

You can watch the show on 25 and 26 May at Talbot Heath School in the STEAM hub auditorium. Doors will open at 7pm, with the show starting at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 (plus booking fee) and include an interval drink during the show. You can buy tickets here.

Digitising elective care: our care coordination system (CCS) is here

Patient prioritisation and waiting list cleansing is already taking place as part of the NHS's COVID-19 recovery plan. During the pandemic, elective waiting lists grew to 6 million patients in the UK. It is essential that we use digital technology in the optimum way to ensure the right patients receive elective surgery as quickly as possible. The solution will improve the trust's ability to coordinate patient care, cutting waiting times for the highest priority patients and reducing surgery cancellations.

UHD has deployed the CCS solution and is pioneering the adoption of the tool for the south west of England.

The system will provide clinicians, schedulers, and operational staff with new tools for direct cleansing of elective surgery waiting list data across specialties, re-prioritising patients awaiting treatment, and optimising theatre capacity.

Commenting on the project, Louise McGraw, UHD's CCS delivery manager, said, "The tool essentially enables clinicians, schedulers and ops staff to directly cleanse the waiting list, where appropriate and have the ability to manage the theatre schedule by using a 'shared source of truth', maximising our capacity.""

Head to the designated CCS tool Intranet page to learn more about the benefits of the tool, implementation progress and the CCS rollout at UHD.

Watch out for more updates, where we will communicate some of the benefits of the system.

Celebrating Ramadan

This month is Ramadan, which for our Muslim community is a time for prayer, spiritual reflection, meals with extended family and friends to break daily fasts.

Your colleagues and patients may be participating in daily fasting during Ramadan starting at sunrise and finishing at sunset over April. This means abstaining from food, drink (including water) and smoking. While fasting is an important part of Ramadan, it is also a time of self-reflection and self-evaluation for Muslims.

If you have any questions about support during Ramadan, whether that be for you, your colleagues or your patients please contact our chaplains, human resources, or our BAME network. More information is available on the intranet.

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month

It's Bowel Cancer Awareness month and our team of bowel cancer screening nurses are going to be using this time to share information and advice with our community.

The team will visit Poole Dolphin Centre Eco Hub on the 5 and 6 April, Bournemouth Asda on 14 April and Weymouth Asda on 22 and 28 April from 9am-5pm to give our community up to date information on the screening programme and advice on healthy lifestyle for good bowel health and cancer prevention.

You can also catch the team in the dome at Poole on Monday 11 April to find out more and ask your questions.

Reminder - recruitment team has moved to Yeomans House

A reminder that the recruitment team has recently relocated to Yeomans House and we no longer have a regular onsite presence at RBH or Poole. If a manager or new recruit needs to meet face to face with a member of the team, please call or email in advance so that a time can be booked in.

The contact details moving forward for recruitment are:

General recruitment 0300 019 (4426) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Medical recruitment 0300 019 (4460) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alternatively you can Teams any member of the team or call or email them directly.

Please don't send hard copy interview notes. From now on following interview please email copies of the interview paperwork to the member of the recruitment team who has been managing your recruitment. Please make sure the 'Trac ID' number is included.

If you have queries please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: free bike tagging

On 12 April our local police cadets will be in the marquee from 9am-3.30pm to tag our bikes. Bikes can be left with the teams throughout the day or collected from the bike shed. Please contact Julia Bassil, cadets coordinator on 07912898684 to arrange pick up.

New trial launching from our difficult intravenous access (DIVA) team

From Monday next week we are starting an initial two-week trial for patients with difficult vascular access.

To be referred to the DIVA team during the trial your patient must:

1. have a genuine need for IV access

2. have had two failed attempts at cannulation by a skilled professional at ward level or have no veins palpable or visible on peripheral vein assessment.

If your patient meets these criteria during the trial period, please contact the DIVA team on:

• Poole: bleep 0139
• RBH: bleep 2727 Monday-Friday 8.30am-5.30pm, or Hospital at Night (H@N) 'DIVA request' out of hours.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

The health and safety audit tool (HASAT) is open for completion

The HASAT reporting year runs from April to March and data is collected in quarter 1 April to June each year. Department and service managers can access the form and further information here.

The purpose is to:

• provide evidence of a systematic audit in each department.
• provide a natural signpost towards required risk assessments, depending on department's needs.
• provide evidence that legal health and safety requirements are being met throughout the Trust in accordance with current legislation.
• provide an opportunity for audit input by Associate Operational Managers and Risk Managers if necessary.

For further support please contact your local health and safety advisor.

POOLE: drop-in moving and handling session

Our moving and handling team is hosting a drop-in session for individuals and teams. This is your opportunity to, meet the moving and handling team, update your training and discuss any moving and handling concerns

The session will take place in the clinical skills suite in the education centre from 1pm until 4pm on 13 April.

Don't miss your chance to apply for the NHS Regional Clinical Leadership Fellow Scheme

NHS England and NHS Improvement, in partnership with the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM), is launching the second cohort of the NHS Regional Clinical Leadership Fellow Scheme. The scheme expands the opportunities and support to talented clinical leaders and to strengthen clinical leadership capability in the NHS.

Key information:

• Clinical fellows are based in a regional NHS team for 12 months from 1 September 2022.
• Posts are available as less than full time (0.6FTE) secondments and will be hosted by NHS England and NHS Improvement.
• The scheme is open to doctors in training, dentists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, nurses, midwives and healthcare scientists who can demonstrate experience at team leader level, equivalent to an NHS Band 7 role.
• Clinical fellows will lead key projects that contribute to regional and national priorities supporting recovery, reset and the implementation of learning from the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Clinical fellows will develop a range of skills in leadership, management, strategy, healthcare policy, commissioning, workforce and more, and will have access to a supported alumni scheme upon completion for on-going support, development and to act as a resource for the NHS to draw on.

Applications close on Wednesday (6 April) at 5pm. Click here for more information or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: missing ECG machine

The ECG machine from the orthopaedic outpatients pre assessment has gone missing and it needs it to be returned as quickly as possible. The machine has OOPD marked on the back of the machine in black pen. If you find it, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Job of the week - healthcare support worker educator

Are you passionate about supporting HCSWs and other non-registered staff from the start and throughout their time with us? Are you keen to help develop our support workforce and help them progress in their careers? A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join the education team and lead on HCSW induction and training, career development and the care certificate. This post is open to any member of staff and details can be found on NHS jobs. For further information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications close next Tuesday (5 April).

Join the fight at Teddy Rocks festival with a special offer for UHD staff

Teddy Rocks is a charity festival held in Blandford, Dorset raising money to fight children's cancer. With headliners like The Fratellis, Newton Faulkner and The Wurzels the event runs from 29 April to 1 May. The team is offering NHS staff free day tickets for 750 staff members, or 15 per cent off all weekend camping tickets with the code NHS15.

Click here to book your free ticket or click here to book your camping ticket.

Poole: 243 Wessex Field Hospital and 6 rifles recruiting event

243 Field Hospital and 6 Rifles Reserve Forces are holding a recruiting event in the Dome at Poole Hospital next Thursday (6 April) between 11-2pm. If you would like to find out more about the Reserve Forces and the positive impact being a member of can have on your NHS career pop down to the dome for an informal chat.

Update on Covid-19 testing for our staff and patients

NHS England has released new guidance outlining a number of changes in Covid-19 testing practices for staff as well as patients.

Currently, we are advising all staff to continue to order free lateral flow device (LFD) tests using the national ordering system. These should continue to be undertaken twice a week, as well as when Covid-19 symptoms are displayed.

Results, however, should now be reported via the national reporting system here.

Please continue to adhere to current testing practice, with the exception of using the national LFD reporting system instead of our own.

We are reviewing the NHS England guidance for patient testing and are planning to implement changes at UHD, which we will share once the changes have been agreed. Any changes made to our current testing practice will continue to allow us to keep our patients and staff safe while in our hospitals.

LFD ordering link in full: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

LFD reporting link in full: https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result.

#YouMatter - Help us keep improving with the People Pulse survey

By sharing your views, you'll ensure your voice is heard across our organisation and we can act and respond on your concerns and help improve the support that we provide to you.

Click now or scan the QR code to tell us how you feel. When you access the survey, select University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust as your organisation.

If you have any questions please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Executive team update

Last week we said goodbye to our chief executive Debbie Fleming and chairman David Moss. Professor Paula Shobbrook will now be acting chief executive officer and Philip Green will be acting chairman. Our new chief executive Siobhan Harrington will be joining us on 1 June 2022.

Talk with Unison

Unison is hosting recruitment and information stalls across the trust – starting at Poole today in the Dome, and outside the restaurant and by the lake at RBH on 14 April from 10am-2pm.

RBH: stoma care reduced service

The stoma care service will be closed this Thursday (7 April) for a team training day. The service will also not be running over Easter bank holiday weekend (15-18 April). Please ensure patients are referred before 14 April.

We need your help to update our clinic letter eForms

The trust is looking at improving the process of how outpatient clinic letters are created and sent to GPs and patients.

Currently the majority of the clinic letters are produced by staff on the eCaMIS module of clinical support system. However, clinicians are increasingly using a variety of electronic and eForms to create clinic letters. The old system also makes it difficult to send letters to GPs electronically for the same reasons. We therefore want to develop electronic clinic templates in EPR which can capture and send out clinic letters.

To ensure we get the design right, share your feedback here.

Celebrating Karen at the Women of the Year luncheon

Senior matron of our children's unit, Karen Fernley was nominated to attend the Women of the Year luncheon, where this year women of the NHS were honoured. The prestigious Women of Achievement award celebrates women who have shown extraordinary courage in extraordinary circumstances, as well as making a contribution to society.

Karen said: "It's really humbling to have been nominated and then to be lucky enough to have been selected to attend. I am really excited to hear of the other areas of excellence that will be celebrated. As individuals we strive to provide excellence. I believe we achieve this but more than that - as a collective female healthcare workforce we are simply outstanding."

The health and safety audit tool is open for completion

It's time to complete your department's submission for the annual HASAT.

The HASAT reporting year runs from April to March, and data is collected in quarter one from April to June each year. Department and service managers can access the form and further information here.

To see the trust's performance last year please see the HASAT intranet pages. For further support please contact your local health and safety advisor.

Library service updates

The library at Poole will reopen from today (5 April). Due to low staffing, the sites may not be staffed at all the time, however you can still access the service online or borrow books.

You can still book a room, register for NHS OpenAthens, recommend a book, request an evidence search, or request articles or training all online.

If you have any questions contact the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ext. 4270 or 2101.

Meet Claire, our new lead cancer nurse

Meet Claire Smith, our new lead cancer nurse. Her role is to provide professional nurse leadership for specialist cancer nursing in the trust. She will be responsible for delivering the nursing strategic objectives and will strive to champion cancer nursing care, including the development of nursing roles in cancer care delivery, the development of nurse-led diagnostic and treatment pathways for cancer, and workforce development across the cancer alliance. She will also be an advocate for our patients, leading patient and public engagement forums and ensuring that patient experience and feedback remains central to our care.

Claire said: "It is an exciting time to join the trust. The merger provides huge opportunities and benefits to the way we deliver patient care in the future and will lead to better outcomes, improved quality and more efficient service delivery."

If you could like to get in contact with Claire for a chat please contact her on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Huge congratulations to Sam Murray

Sam has been nominated and shortlisted for a national award the APTUK secondary care pharmacy technician of the year award. An accolade to the incredible dedication and commitment Sam shows to the pharmacy service and wider trust. Well done Sam! Find out more here.

Fundamentals of innovation adoption training

Join the Dorset Innovation Hub team from 10am-4pm on 26 May to further understand the challenges of innovation adoption, develop skills and build knowledge to be better equipped to successfully adopt innovations into practice.

During the session we will:

• learn about the key steps when taking forwards an innovation project
• explore the definition of innovation and the challenges of innovation adoption
• develop skills in using supportive frameworks and tools

Click here to book a place or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further.

Job of the week – healthcare support worker mentors

We are looking for experienced healthcare and clinical based support workers to join the education team providing support to new HCSWs joining the trust. This exciting new post will involve supporting new staff in the clinical setting, support the care certificate and providing pastoral care. This will suit anyone who is passionate about ensuring new staff are welcomed to the trust and those who want to help support staff at the start of their healthcare journey.

For further details please 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. or apply via vacancies on the intranet. The advert closes on 14 April.

Join the South West NHS Military Challenge

243 (Wessex) Field Hospital are pleased to announce the South West NHS Military Challenge will be taking place in Salisbury on the weekend of 16-18 September. 20 teams of eight will compete over two days for the coveted SW NHS Challenge Trophy.

We want to enter a team from all departments of the trust. If you would like to represent UHD and have a fun filled exciting weekend, please 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. to register your interest.

Updated guidance - management of patients with Covid-19 to promote better flow and patient safety

New guidance is available which outlines how best to manage patients with Covid-19 in our hospitals, including those patients whose Covid-19 infection is not the primary reason for admission (known as incidental Covid).

The guidance includes updates on:

• admissions pathways
• bay and ward closures
• contact management
• good practice on wards open to admissions
• terminal cleans for ward/bay closures

The guidance can be read here or accessed via the 'IPC and Covid-19' tile on the intranet front page. It will continue to be reviewed and updated.

Wellbeing support is there for everyone

Staffing remains very pressured so a huge thank you to everyone who is working tirelessly to support our patients and colleagues. Remember that wellbeing support is available to all of us. Please take a look on our dedicated intranet pages and share the information with your teams. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please talk to your line manager, and remember that our wellbeing support services and staff networks are also available to support staff at these times.

'Goodbye, and thank you' from Debbie Fleming

In her final video update before she retires this week, Debbie Fleming OBE, our chief executive, reflects on what our trust has been through over the last two years. She also looks ahead to the future and thanks all those who have supported her during her 38 year long career in the NHS. You can watch Debbie's video here. Debbie is looking forward to saying goodbye to as many staff in person as possible this week.

Whilst it is recognised that this represents a significant change for our organisation, with both Debbie and our chair, David Moss, retiring, arrangements have been put in place to manage the transition and maintain strong leadership within the organisation. Professor Paula Shobbrook, our chief nursing officer and deputy chief executive will be acting chief executive until Siobhan Harrington takes up her post from 1 June 2022, with Philip Green, our vice chair and chair of the Audit Committee, acting as chair until the new chair takes up his/her post later in the year.

Help us improve our emergency departments

If you work in our emergency departments you can find out more about a simple way to put forward improvement suggestions, complete useful surveys or let the clinical and non-clinical management team know how you're feeling.

Our ED nursing, medical and non-clinical managers, as well as the team behind the ImproveWell app, will be on hand to talk about how to use it effectively, and how it can help improve both staff and patient experience.

Drop in to RBH emergency department on 6 April, between 9.30am-12pm to find out more, and pick up some goodies too. Details for a similar drop-in session at Poole will be confirmed shortly.

Want to know more? Contact Ellena Barnes via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or check out the ImproveWell page on the ED intranet.

RBH: No medical photographer

The medical photographer at RBH will be on annual leave this week until this week. In an emergency a camera is available from the site office.

Reduced consultant podiatrist support

There will be no consultant podiatrist for diabetes or general podiatry ward cover at Poole or RBH on 29, 30 and 31 March. On Friday (1 April) cover will be minimal, meaning only newly ulcerated or deteriorating patients with ulcers will be seen.

For clinical advice please contact the outpatients podiatry clinics on ext 4811 for RBH or ext 8077 for Poole.

Goodbye to Nicky from Team Ladybird

This week we say goodbye to Nicky Nicholas from the Ladybird breast team, who has worked for Poole Hospital for 30 years. Nicky originally worked in the breast clinics with Miss Abigail Evans and then supported research into lymphoedema. She then set up the prosthetics clinic for ladies who have had mastectomy. She has a fountain of knowledge and has used that to become the first cancer support worker in the breast team, in addition to the running of the prosthetic clinic.

She is handing her legacy over to Amanda Harris who will continue to oversee patient led follow up for our breast patients. Thank you for showing kindness and dedication to our patients and teams. Nicky is ready to embrace her retirement from work and enjoy her loving family and hobbies.

As a team we would like to thank Nicky for her hard work, resilience, dedication and commitment to the philosophy of our team.

Changes to passwords

To improve password security IT have implemented a change to the required criteria for Windows passwords, (logging onto your PC, access to Outlook, Teams). Known weak and common passwords such as 'password1' are now blocked and cannot be used. The the next time you change your password you may need to choose a stronger, more unique password.

For more information about password security please go to the informatics pages on the Poole intranet.

Final chance to give feedback for unpaid carers

If you're involved in discharge planning we need your help. When our patient arrives at home, we know their continued recovery is often in the hands of an unpaid carer.

We want to know how carers find the hospital experience and what is it like for them when their cared-for person arrives home. Working with NHS and charity partners across Dorset, we're collecting staff and carer views to feed into the development of Home First. –please share your views with this survey or scan the QR code.

New trial launching from our difficult intravenous access (DIVA) team

From 4 April we are starting a two-week trial for patients who are difficult to cannulate.

To be referred for the trial your patient must:

1. have a genuine need for IV access
2. have had two failed attempts at cannulation by a skilled professional at ward level or have no veins palpable or visible on peripheral vein assessment.

If your patient meets these criteria during the trial period, please contact the DIVA team on:

• Poole: bleep 0139
• RBH: bleep 2727 Monday-Friday 8.30am-5.30pm, or hospital at night (H@N) 'DIVA request' out of hours.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Cross-site clinical skills differences

Do you practise venepuncture, cannulation and/or IV therapy? Find out more about using these skills cross site at both Poole, RBH and Christchurch hospitals. To view the PDF click here, or scan the QR code.

Catch up with a cuppa

A great way to get to know people around the trust, there is still time to sign up for our Randomised Coffee Trials. A fun way to connect people at random and give them time to meet to have a coffee and talk about whatever they wish. If you would like to find out more or sign up then please contact the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – but be quick as the closing date is this Thursday (31 March).

Job of the week – clinical procurement manager

"I work in a fantastic team, full of knowledge and always willing to help each other - I look forward to coming to work and enjoy the team spirit in our office." - Carl Holdsworth, senior category manager, commercial services

Our commercial services team is looking for a clinical procurement manager to support clinical and medical procurement and lead the standardisation of all clinical consumables across UHD. This is an opportunity to join the team responsible for operational purchasing, sourcing and contracts, procurement system management and tender support for the Trust. You can watch this video to find out more.

The closing date for applications is 3 April click here to apply.