Changes to visiting guidance

To reflect the latest national advice and the positive benefits visitors have on patients, our guidance for the public has been updated. The key points are:

• A maximum of two visitors are now allowed at any one time, and may stay longer than one hour. Patients may have more than one such visit per day, which can be by different visitors. Visits should continue to be pre-arranged with the ward
• Anyone showing any signs of Covid-19, or who are unwell, should not visit
• Visitor PPE requirements remain unchanged
• Compassionate visiting and ward/clinical team discretion must be balanced with the related IPC risks, and must focus on the patient's/visitor's wellbeing
• Patients in our emergency departments may be accompanied by one other person at the discretion of the department (including one parent if the patient is a child)
• The guidance will be kept under regular review.

Our website, social media channels and posters around the hospitals will be updated to reflect this new guidance from Monday.

Automated text message error

On Monday (7 March) an automated text message was set up to be sent to new patients added to a hospital service waiting list. Unfortunately, there was an issue with our data processing which led to the text message being sent to 5,360 patients who had previously been referred for an appointment to this service. These patients were contacted and asked to fill in the form, as well as those who were the intended recipients of the message.

This error was identified and stopped by a member of our team, and while we fully investigate the issue, additional safeguards have been implemented to prevent this happening again. There has not been a breach of data and for those who filled in the form who were not an intended recipient any information inputted will be removed from our systems.

If you are contacted by patients or their carers concerned by these messages, please do reassure them that there hasn't been a breach of their data and that they should delete the message. Please do apologise on our behalf. For any further enquiries, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Continuing need to self-isolate if symptomatic and seek PCR test if unwell

Covid-19 can easily spread, leading to significant impacts on staffing and patient safety. It remains vital that any member of staff who experiences Covid-19 symptoms should remain off work and arrange a PCR test. If your result is positive, you may return to work only after a period of self-isolation including two consecutive days of negative lateral flow tests after day six.

Key signs of Covid-19 include:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
• Covid-19 may also appear as cold-like symptoms. Please remember to continue to routinely take a lateral flow test twice a week while asymptomatic.
• If you are in any doubt, ring your line manager and seek a test.

Car parking charges to be reinstated

The government's funding to enable free car parking for NHS staff during the pandemic is coming to an end, meaning staff car park charges need to be reinstated from 1 April.

As well as the reinstatement of charges we will also introduce a single car parking policy for all of UHD, subject to board approval in March. There will also be more proactive traffic management on all hospital sites to make sure spaces are available for those who are eligible.

Richard Renaut, chief strategy and transformation officer, said: "The new policy on parking is designed to balance the four below objectives and do the best for our staff, patients and visitors. Help and guidance will also be available from our dedicated car parking team and via the intranet."

The policy has been designed with the input of UHD's staff partnership forum and focuses on four key themes:

• making getting to/from work as hassle free as we can – doing our best to provide a parking space when you need one, in addition to identifying journey options other than by car
• with parking spaces numbers set by the Council, making sure they are allocated fairly and transparently
• supporting the wider UHD Green Plan by reducing single occupant and peak time car trips - with incentives for public transport and active commuting
• ensuring that any surplus income generated is reinvested into our services and facilities, as there is no profit taken out

You can find out more information about the planned changes, and how to contact the team, in the Q&As here.

Cardiology requests on EPR goes live on 14 March

We are excited to announce the arrival of Cardiology requesting on EPR. ICE Cardiology enables instant requesting of cardiac diagnostics, including the ability to see if the request has already been made or if previous test results are available. Users will also be able to see the date and time when the test has been booked and when a result has been sent to EPR.

Be part of service improvement for unpaid carers and the Discharge 2 Assess process

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.

If you would be interested in further supporting this work please contact Karen Uphill, carer support advisor on ext. 8714 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

POOLE: No medical photographer next week

There will be no medical photographer on site next week (14-18 March). In addition there will also be no service on 30-31 March.

A standby camera will be available for appropriate use, provided by the equipment library.

RBH: Limited palliative care cover

Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no palliative care cover this weekend (12-13 March). For urgent concerns, 24 hour advice is available from the Macmillan Unit, please call ext. 5470 and option 1 between the hours of 8am to 5pm and option 3 between the hours of 5pm to 8am.

For non-urgent queries, please leave a message on ext 6021 (HPCT) and a staff member will pick these up on 14 March (Monday).

RBH: No homeless care team next week

The homeless care team is not running from 14-18 March. Please contact the hospital housing advice team for support and queries on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

An important update for March for Men participants

UHD charity has been made aware of an event in support of the crisis in Ukraine which will also be taking place at 10am on Sunday (13 March) at Bournemouth Pier Approach. We fully support the Sandbanks Walk for Ukraine and are working with the organisers to ensure both events can go ahead as planned. As a result there will be a few changes to March for Men 2022.

As we expect Pier Approach to be very crowded, the start line and gather point has moved to the promenade outside Harry Ramsden's. Please check your travel arrangements, make alternative plans if car parks are full and use public transport where possible.

Please arrive from 9am until 9.30am to avoid crowds. March for Men will still set off at 10am but please arrive by 9.30am to ensure a smooth start. March for Men participants will be heading from the promenade towards Boscombe and Southbourne while the Sandbanks Walk for Ukraine walk will go in the other direction.

We're so excited for March for Men 2022 and want to assure you that this important fundraising event is going ahead. To stay up to date follow @UHDcharity on Facebook, instagram and twitter or keep checking our website.

NHS Charities Together Covid service

On behalf of NHS Charities Together, a remembrance event is being held today to acknowledge the ongoing sacrifices of NHS staff. For more information on how to catch up on the service, please click here.

Annual leave update

As we are coming up to the end of the financial year, please make sure to carry over or sell back any holiday. This needs to be submitted by 31 March. The adjustment forms for carrying over and selling back holiday can be found in our managed bookmarks. The old paper forms will not be accepted.

For the new annual leave year, Agenda for Change terms state you cannot accrue annual leave entitlement while sick over a bank holiday, meaning you will have annual leave deducted from your entitlement. The amount deducted is contractual weekly hours divided by five.

For the Queens Jubilee there will be an additional bank holiday in the 22/23 annual leave year, this bank holiday has been added to ESR and Health Roster.

Catch up on Ask Aly

If you missed the Ask Aly session yesterday, you didn't miss out. You can view a recording of the session here.

Thanks to all those who attended. Dr Alyson O'Donnell was joined by Richard Renaut, chief strategy and transformation officer, who gave an update on our hospitals and the reintroduction of car park charges for staff, as well as initiatives to encourage alternative travel options. Other topics covered included the pressures on our hospitals, the relaxation of Covid restrictions, vaccinations, staff wellbeing and the situation in Ukraine.

Save the date for the next session: Thursday 21 April, 1pm.

RBH: Returning our wheelchairs

A wheelchair return and collection point has been introduced at the West Entrance. This is located at the reception in the far corner by the doors to the singular lift and stairs.

Please ensure you are using this area only to store wheelchairs in the West Entrance. Please do not put the trolleys in front of the door to the enquiries desk, this is a fire risk and puts our colleagues at risk.

Mindful March

We know our colleagues are currently facing many challenges, and how when we are all under pressure it can be easy to put the wellbeing of others before our own.

As the days start getting brighter and longer, mindful March reminds us to make time to exercise, rest and eat well. Find out the latest offers from LiveWellDorset and how we can support each other on the health and wellbeing pages of the intranet.

UHD awarded for our commitment to professional development in finance

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants has recognised us for our commitment to continued professional development for our finance professionals by awarding us with premier partner status.

In partnership with Healthcare Finance Management Association (HFMA), we've developed online courses to help you understand how NHS services are paid for, and how money flows through the NHS. These courses are an asset for any of us who want to know more about how our finance systems work.

Course topics include finance, governance, budgeting, charities, commissioning and more – read the full list here. These accessible bitesize online learning courses help to demystify NHS finance and governance, boosting your knowledge so you can communicate about finances and make decisions with confidence.

Completing five of these courses, including the mandatory 'NHS finance course' counts toward your CPD hours, and you will be awarded the Introductory Award in Healthcare Finance certificate. If you are interested in finding out more about any of the courses, or would like to sign up 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..

The countdown is on - make a staff lottery bid to benefit your team

Time is running out to place your staff lottery bid for something that could benefit the wellbeing of your team or department.

This is a great opportunity to promote your team or departments wellbeing, and to think of what extra support could really benefit you and your colleagues. Bids should be made for resources that are not available for funding through any other route.

To find out more and make your bid go to the staff lottery pages on the intranet by 31 March.

Building an eco-community with 'EcoEarn'

Thanks to colleagues from Dorset and across the south west for suggestions on the name for our new sustainability engagement programme.

We received a wide range of ideas with our shortlisting panel selecting 'EcoEarn' as their preferred choice - neatly summarising the rewards that can be earn across a number of sustainability and wellbeing themes. We're grateful to Helen Price, nurse clinician at SWAST, for the idea – look out for more information on programme when it's launched this Spring.

Randomised coffee trials

Randomised Coffee Trials are great a way to meet colleagues from around the trust to share ideas or simply get to know each other. To find out more or to sign up please contact the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The closing date to sign up is 31 March.

Fraud alerts

Throughout the pandemic, there have been a few instances of fraudsters contacting individuals purporting to be from the NHS Test and Trace service in order to obtain personal and financial information. Fraudsters are also known to use this phishing technique to encourage victims to purchase Covid-19 testing kits.

Keep up to date with the latest fraud alerts on the finance pages of the intranet.