Planned relocation of haematology inpatient services

In the ongoing transformation efforts of University Hospitals Dorset, we are pleased to announce the relocation of the Poole inpatient haematology ward (Durlston), to Ward 7R at the Royal Bournemouth site, effective from the week commencing 29 April 2024

This strategic move is designed to centralise our haematology inpatient beds onto a single hospital site, thereby streamlining resources and fostering the development of a unified, highly skilled team.

We anticipate significant benefits for our haematology patients, including the establishment of a sustainable specialist service, aimed at ensuring the delivery of optimal treatment outcomes.

We wish to reassure you that this relocation is not expected to impact your cancer care treatment, aside from the change in the location for inpatient admissions, which will now be facilitated at the Bournemouth site from the w/c 29 April 2024

We appreciate this matter may raise some questions and hope these FAQs are helpful.

If you have any further questions, please contact our patient experience team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Back the BEACH Appeal to help transform care across Dorset

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity has launched a £1.5million fundraising appeal to take the Royal Bournemouth Hospital into the future.

The BEACH Appeal is the charity’s biggest ever fundraising appeal to provide additional items for the new six-storey building at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital to help transform healthcare across Dorset.

The new building is the size of 115 tennis courts and known as the ‘BEACH’ for Birth, Emergency And Critical Care and Children’s Health. This building will provide new purpose-built maternity and children’s units, an improved major emergency department and one of the biggest critical care units in the country.

The BEACH Appeal follows the work started in 2021 to reconfigure the services at University Hospitals Dorset to improve the way care is provided for the hundreds of thousands of patients that are cared for each year. As a result, Poole Hospital will be focused on planned care with the investment of the new theatres we fitted last year and our construction teams have been flat-out building the BEACH Building at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, ready for spring 2025.

Chief executive officer at University Hospitals Dorset, Siobhan Harrington said: “There couldn’t be a bigger milestone in the history of our hospitals where we see such investment on this scale. Over £500million has already been invested to reconfigure healthcare across Dorset, and now, our hospital’s charity will be raising funds to provide a variety of invaluable items that will ensure the new BEACH building has everything it needs to take our healthcare into the future – above and beyond what the NHS will fund.”

“By supporting the BEACH Appeal, the public will be helping to make long-lasting differences to the experience of every patient, staff member and hospital visitor who comes through those doors. We can together ensure our BEACH building is one-of-a-kind and meets the needs of everybody that depends on our services in the ways we have imagined.”

One of many fundraising items includes an additional state-of-the-art CT scanner to enable double the number of patients to be scanned, diagnosed and treated within critical timeframes.

Funds will go towards a new wellbeing garden adjacent to the new Critical Care Unit to provide a tranquil outdoor space for patients, visitors and staff. And new indoor and outdoor play areas in the new children’s health department to give children joy and a break away from clinical areas.

If the fundraising target is not achieved, these meaningful items cannot be provided which is why University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity is calling everybody in the local community to come together, to back the BEACH Appeal and help make this vision a reality.

Dr Isabel Smith, medical director for strategy and transformation said: “The separation of planned and emergency care within our new and existing buildings will enable us to transform our services with shorter wait times and fewer cancellations for planned procedures at Poole Hospital and the right staff available for timely emergency care at Bournemouth.”

“However, to provide a better patient experience in each of the new departments, we would love to have the additional equipment and facilities mentioned to enhance the care of our patients during their time with us - not just now, but for generations to come. The additional CT scanner and children’s play areas are great examples of this.”

“Staff will also benefit as we can offer facilities to further support their wellbeing while fulfilling demanding roles. We can also attract more medical professionals to join the UHD Team to work in our exemplary facilities.”

Already backing The BEACH Appeal is Hot Radio who continue to support our local hospitals. Commercial Director, Alan Smith said: "Our local NHS is here to care for us all and is absolutely vital to us all in our local community. It's great to see what these future services will bring and how these additional items will make a difference to so many people that will use them. Why wouldn't we get behind it!"

Head of Charity, Debbie Anderson said: “Over the next few years, we will be calling everybody across Dorset to come together to help raise funds to enhance our hospitals more than ever before. To help make The BEACH Appeal a success, we’re hoping to team up with charitable trusts, local businesses and community groups who have a shared vision to invest in the area we live in and the hospitals we rely on. We can also support anybody who is willing to take on their own fundraising challenges or activities to support us in their own way.”

“The BEACH Appeal really is a once-in-a generation opportunity for us all to be a part of something special by helping to transform care together for everybody across Dorset.”

To support the investment in where you live and your local hospitals, go to www.uhdcharity.org/beachappeal 

New ODPs to join TeamUHD

 Four BU students, in their final year studying Operating Department Practice (ODP) at Bournemouth University, will be joining TeamUHD in full time roles on completion of their degrees.

Ryan Watkins, Ellie MacDonald, Kerenza Piotrowicz and Jasmine Cossins have all secured positions as ODPs in the hospital, in part due to their performance while on placement at UHD during their studies. Their placements in theatre settings have been in surgery, anaesthetics, and recovery (post-anaesthesia care unit).

During their placements, the students have developed good working relationships with the theatres team. This is due to the structure of the course, which sees students placed between university and the hospital during their three-year degree so that their progress can be assessed in both education and practice environments.

Ryan Watkins, ODP at UHD, “I found it amazing working at UHD with all the opportunities provided. There was a real emphasis on encouraging us to meet all the different specialities we would be working with in the future.” 

Ellie Macdonald, ODP scrub at UHD, “I really enjoyed this placement and the three years of doing this course.”

Kerenza Piotrowicz, ODP at UHD, said, “I came straight from college as I knew this role was something I wanted to do. I have really enjoyed it and saw everything I needed before qualifying. I love working at UHD – it is a brilliant, friendly team.” 

Jasmine Cossins, anastatic practitioner at UHD, said, “I’ve had an amazing experience and three years training. I feel like I fit right in with the friendly team. I am looking forward to getting stuck right in with my new role. The multi-disciplinary team has a wide range of specialities and I have loved learning from them and gaining as much experience as possible.” 

Suzanne Gorman, deputy practice educator at UHD, said, “It has been profoundly rewarding to watch their journey and see their confidence grow. Going from scared year one students to registered professionals – we are so proud of them. We look forward to supporting them as newly qualified practitioners and we can’t wait to see what they do next and how their careers fly.”

Professor Anand Pandyan, executive dean of the faculty of health and social sciences at BU, said, “Well done to the ODP team and all the clinical educators for giving our students an excellent educational experience that convinced to remain local. The ODP team at BU has worked tirelessly on training graduates for the local work force.

“ODP is one of the professions where there are shortages, and I am pleased that we have been able to respond to local needs by introducing a new ODP apprentice programme to train more ODP practitioners.   We continue to serve the people of Dorset with our training and education.”

Experts to host free talk on understanding concussion in sport and practice

Expert speakers from University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) and Bournemouth University (BU) have teamed up to hold a series of free Understanding Health talks in 2024. Their second event will take place on 2 May at 4pm in BU’s Fusion Building, Talbot Campus (Share Lecture Theatre) and will focus on Understanding Concussion in Sport and Practice.

Media coverage has rightly focused on the need for safer rules around concussion in contact sports, but what does this mean in practice, and how can this spotlight help us all to understand more about sport and brain injuries? Speakers Dr Keith Parry, Head of the Department of Sport and Event Management at BU, and Dr Osman Ahmed, Senior Physiotherapist at UHD will discuss the impact their work is having on creating safe sports environments.

Dr Keith Parry said, “We are seeing increased awareness of concussion in sport at both professional and grassroots level, recognising the impact that traumatic brain injuries can have on sufferers and the wider community. I have worked with a variety of sports organisations to both improve media reporting of concussion and to improve understanding of the area. It is great to work with an expert like Dr Osman Ahmed to benefit our local community through events such as this one.”

Dr Osman Ahmed said, "Since doing my PhD on the area of concussion in sport in 2013, I have undertaken a lot of concussion-related research with international collaborators, and I was a co-author of the latest international guidelines of concussion in sport. I am keen to promote concussion education for all and I am delighted to be presenting with Dr Keith Parry at the BU-UHD Understanding Health event in May." 

This event is free and open to everyone, but booking is required to attend in person. All the information for the event, including the link to watch remotely is available on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-concussion-in-sport-and-practice-tickets-778233586607). The talks will also be recorded.

One further Understanding Health talk, Understanding Pathology: Health under the Microscope will take place on 4 June.