Hospital trust helps young adults KickStart their careers 

A government scheme to help under 25s back into work has led to a permanent role for one participant at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH).

Joseph Nabney, 20, began working with the hospital’s logistics team in December as part of the ‘KickStart’ scheme. The scheme offers placements to young adults on universal credit, allowing them to develop their skills and help them back into employment.

In September last year, hospital logistics manager Steve Curtis visited Bournemouth Job Centre to see how the trust could get involved and was able to offer Joseph a placement. Six months down the line, and Joseph has now been offered a full time position.

Steve said: “Since Joseph first started his placement, he has excelled. Joseph is extremely hard working and very quick to learn new skills.”

Joseph is based in the linen room at RBH and his duties include included ordering, printing, picking and packing as well as delivering linen to the different wards and departments.

Joseph said: “I really enjoy my role, it’s so interesting learning about the hospital and my colleagues are all very friendly. It’s great to be working somewhere that looks after their staff so well. Steve has been an amazing mentor to me.”

Steve added: “I would like to congratulate Joseph on his success and personally thank all the staff behind the scenes who helped with KickStart. It is fantastic we are able to offer Joseph a chance at full time employment with us.”

You can explore our current vacancies here

New Keep Well Hub at the Bournemouth Heart Club is keeping more people healthy

The Bournemouth Heart Club (BHC), located at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, is widening its membership to any adults at higher risk of heart disease and other health conditions including diabetes, stroke and long Covid.

All instructors at BHC have the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Level 4 accreditation and there is lifesaving equipment located in the gym should it ever be needed, giving BHC members the reassurance that they can exercise safely.

Before the Covid pandemic, membership was solely available to those undergoing rehabilitation following cardiac events or procedures, or patients who were referred by their GP because they were at risk of heart disease and other health conditions. Now the Heart Club is offering adults of all ages the ability to self-refer through the Keep Well Hub.  

Any new member will have an initial assessment and be given a personalized programme of exercise over an initial 10 week period, as long as they exercise twice a week. This could include classes, open gym sessions, group or circuit classes, and seated and assisted classes for those that need them. Members can also bring a friend or partner to support them

Mary Slade from West Moors, recently joined the Keep Well prevention scheme and said: “I looked in the mirror on my 70th birthday and told myself that if I wanted to reach my 90th, I needed to lose weight but wanted to be safe while I was exercising. I now have my own bespoke exercise programme and work out three times a week.”

Sam Panton, exercise duty manager, said: “The Heart Club has been on a mission to save hearts since its launch over 25 years ago, but there are other health conditions, which follow the same disease process and have the same risk factors as cardiovascular disease, and this is why we want to widen our membership and encourage others to join.”

To find out more about the new self–referral Keep Well Hub, please call the Bournemouth Heart Club on 0300 019 4522 or visit www.bournemouth-heart-club.org.uk 

Bournemouth Heart Club has two purpose built, fully equipped gyms, a members lounge and tea bar, and its own car park. The Bournemouth Heart Club is one of only a few such places in the UK.

Photo caption:  Mary Slade and Sam Panton, exercise duty manager at Bournemouth Heart Club, in the gym. 

HRH visits the Royal Bournemouth Hospital

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited the Royal Bournemouth Hospital today to recognise all that NHS staff and patients have been through during the past two years.

During his visit, The Prince of Wales met staff from across University Hospitals Dorset and visited the new operating theatre that will help with the backlog of patients requiring elective operations since the pandemic. He then officially opened the hospital’s new Lavender Garden, dedicated to the memory of colleagues who have died and a special area for staff to rest, reflect and recharge.

The new operating theatre was built in a matter of months and will open its doors to patients next week. It forms part of The Derwent, normally used for elective operations and after care. However during the Covid pandemic, elective work was paused and the Derwent became a palliative care unit.

Clinical director of trauma and orthopaedics, Mr Paul Pavlou, said: “It’s fantastic to get the recognition from The Prince of Wales of all the hard work we’ve put in over Covid and the tremendous effort to recover from the pandemic. We need bold initiatives and investment into theatres like this to make sure we don’t have long waiting lists for years, and it’s a privilege to be able to show him this today.”

After a tour of the theatre, HRH then spoke to members of staff from across the hospital trust who went above and beyond during the Covid pandemic. They included members of the operating theatres team who went to work in intensive care to support the numbers of sick patients, staff who moved out of their homes during Covid so they could continue to work on the front line, and UHD colleagues who were in intensive care with Covid but returned to work as soon as they could once they recovered.

Louise Pennington, lead palliative care nurse, said: “I’m unbelievably proud of all our teams and for all they did during the pandemic to ensure compassionate and safe visiting for patients at the end of their lives. We pulled together to focus on what matters most to our patients and having His Royal Highness here is great recognition of all we’ve been through.”

On his way to the Lavender Garden, Prince Charles walked alongside the hospital’s lake and spoke to members of the trust’s estate team to learn more about the benefits of green spaces to both staff and patients.

He then unveiled a plaque in the new Lavender Garden and met relatives and colleagues of hospital staff who have passed away. The garden is a peaceful oasis for staff and was funded by generous donations to our University Hospital Dorset NHS Charity.

The Lavender Garden was originally proposed by the hospital’s theatres team as a space to remember their dear friends and colleagues, Anna and Tom, who they sadly lost to cancer in 2020.

Donna Bailey, surgical first assistant, explained: “Just before Anna died, I gave her a bunch of lavender from my garden, and that’s where the idea for this special space came from. This has since grown into a garden for all staff so we can have a peaceful place to decompress during difficult shifts, to recharge after a long day inside, and to reflect on those we have lost. It’s been wonderful to see the garden celebrated by The Prince of Wales, and for the relatives and generous donors to come together on this very special day.”

HRH was accompanied on his visit by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, The Hon Mrs. Charlotte Townshend, the hospital’s acting CEO Paula Shobbrook, and acting Chairman Philip Green.

Professor Shobbrook said: “It has been an honour to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales today and have the opportunity for him to meet some of the dedicated people who go above and beyond every day to care for our patients. It has been a very challenging few years for all of us, and our teams have demonstrated remarkable resilience and compassion during difficult times. I am very proud of all they do, and I’m also grateful to our University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity for enabling us to place a special focus on staff wellbeing with our new Lavender Garden.”

BU and University Hospitals Dorset work together for climate action

Bournemouth University (BU) and University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) are working together on a range of sustainability issues. 

The BU-UHD Partnership aims to develop a culture of innovation, research and education across the workforce, and BU and UHD are working together for sustainability in multiple ways, for example: 

• Students have been invited to take part in a University Hospital Dorset placement project to explore biodiversity and opportunities for nature-based solutions across the hospital.
• BU is an active member of the UHD Sustainability Committee enabling collaboration and mutual support as UHD embeds its Green Plan.
• UHD and BU are planning research to better understand and reduce patient travel for local imaging diagnostic services.
• BU has shared the improvements it found to be most successful for encouraging active and sustainable travel directly to UHD.
• Both BU and UHD have been invited to be part of a Dorset Anchor Institutions network to work on reducing health inequalities with members from Dorset Council, BCP Council and other health organisations.
• The partnership enables Bournemouth University to build links between the BU Climate and Ecological Crisis Action Plan and UHD’s Green Plan.

Bournemouth University Sustainability Manager Lois Betts, said, “Both staff and students are working collaboratively to make University Hospitals Dorset more sustainable. We want to work closely so that students learn about how they can address the climate and ecological crisis whilst they are students, and then continue this behaviour in their careers with the NHS.

“Our strategic alignment around core issues of carbon reduction of buildings, staff engagement, sustainable travel and nature-based solutions enables us to make it easier for staff and students to make sustainable choices. Through research collaboration and placement support from the Hospital, together we can make a big difference to both our combined sustainability impacts.”

Stuart Lane who studied MSC Carbon Management at Bournemouth University is now the Sustainability and Carbon Manager at UHD. He added, “UHD’s strategic partnership with BU has paved the way for an even closer working relationship between the sustainability teams and is revealing a stream of exciting opportunities to support each other towards our sustainability goals. These will not just reduce the negative impacts of our operations but enhance our ability to provide positive impacts for our staff, wider community, the local environment and beyond.

“Most recently, staff from BU and UHD met to define a new research project which aims to better understand and reduce patient travel for local imaging diagnostic services. This is one project of many that will progress our efforts to reduce carbon footprint, air pollution and its health impacts, and provide services that are more equitable and less disruptive for patients.”

For more information about the partnership between BU and University Hospitals Dorset, visit https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/collaborate/university-hospitals-dorset or for more information about sustainability at BU, visit https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/sustainability.