More than 2,500 staff vaccinations given at weekend

Thanks to everyone who came in for their Covid-19 and/or flu vaccination at RBH this weekend. More than 2,500 individual vaccination doses were given. Apologies to those who experienced delays on Saturday, caused by IT problems out of our control. Thank you for your patience.

The vaccination clinics move to Poole Hospital's outpatients department this weekend (15-16 October). Saturday's clinics are now full, but there is availability on Sunday. We are again offering the chance for staff to just walk-in without booking between 8am-3pm for their vaccinations on the Sunday – please bring your UHD ID badge. If you would like to book a slot, please do so through the online portal here.

Now is the time to protect yourself and those around you from these illnesses as we see cases increasing in the community and in our hospitals.

If you can't make our weekend clinics, NHS staff registered with a GP can book the Covid booster - or any of the preceding doses – for free via the national Covid-19 vaccination booking portal here, or search 'NHS Covid vaccinations' online. Please contact your GP practice to find out if you are also able to have your flu vaccination there, also free for NHS staff. Find out more in the latest news on the intranet, including how to tell us if you have had your jabs elsewhere.

Ask Aly becomes Ask Me...

Join us at 12.30pm this Thursday 13 October for Ask Me, hosted by our acting chief medical officer, Dr Ruth Williamson. Originally established as 'Ask Aly' it's a great opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns or share your views about all things UHD with leaders from across our trust in a really informal setting.

You can join the meeting here and if you'd like to send any questions in advance, send them through to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can ask on your behalf.

Last chance to join our day of health talks tomorrow

We will be holding our first face to face Understanding Health talks tomorrow (12 October) at St Mary's Longfleet Church Centre, opposite Poole Hospital.

The three free talks will also be live streamed via Teams and will take place throughout the day covering the below topics:

• Understanding Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Children – Dr Mark Tighe, consultant paediatrician at 10am
• Understanding how to take care of yourself while pregnant - Kerry Taylor, head of midwifery at UHD at 1.30pm
• Understanding patient flow in our hospitals - Alex Lister, group director of operations at 3.30pm

Spread the word and book your place via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Speak up for civility

We're continuing to celebrate Freedom to Speak Up this month, with week two focusing on being kind to colleagues, as well as not forgetting to be kind to ourselves. The organisation 'Civility Saves Lives' say that “almost all excellence in healthcare is dependent on teams, and teams work best when all members feel safe and have a voice.” Please use this week to connect with colleagues. Make time to listen to each other, and feel empowered to be honest with one another.

Cardiology service manager, Cheryl Richardson, shared her story about civility in the workplace - watch it here.

Don't forget to wear green this Wednesday to show your visible support for Speak Up month!

Win with the NHS Staff Survey

This year, everyone who completes the NHS Staff Survey will be entered into a prize draw. Our survey provider, IQVIA, will draw the names of 20 lucky winners who will win £20. There will also be a £200 award for the team with the most improved response rate.

The prize draw will not affect confidentiality. Winners will be contacted by IQVIA and asked to get in touch with the organisational development team to claim their prize. The NHS Staff Survey is your chance to speak up and spark change. Have your say by 25 November to be in with a chance of winning one of our prizes!

If you have already returned your survey you will have been entered into the prize draw. If you haven't yet received your survey, look out for your personal invitation by email or post. If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: Littledown car parking

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) has been introduced at the Littledown Centre. This is to protect this area from unauthorised parking, to keep parking spaces free for UHD permit holders.

This change has caused significant issues for some members of staff as Parking Charge Notices (PCNs), otherwise known as fines, have been issued. These have been for a variety of reasons. We have raised our concerns repeatedly with BHLive and their carparking company, Horizon. We have not had the speed of resolution we would expect. We are very sorry for staff who have had the worry of dealing with parking fines and then a drawn-out process to resolve these. It has been agreed that any fines issued to UHD staff who had valid permits before the 1st September will be removed, to offer a clean slate.

Below are a series of actions that will stop you getting a PCN fine in the future:

• Ensure you have a valid permit for the Littledown site, and it is displayed on your windscreen or dashboard. It will have Littledown printed on it.
• Keep your parking permit information up to date, make any changes or updates by logging into your current application through www.staffparkingatuhd.co.uk and following the renewal/changes section. You will be notified when your application has been updated, and the new permit can be collected.
• Make sure that the vehicle you park has the registration number linked against your permit at UHD. These details can be checked as they are printed on your round UHD parking permit. You can have multiple registrations on one permit – if in doubt you can register up to three vehicles that you may drive to work.
• Do not park any vehicle at Littledown that does not have the registration on your Littledown permit.
• If you have a temporary or loan vehicle such as a courtesy car you will need to add it to the permit information in advance or park for the day in public car park C (subject to space availability) & then visit the CP+ office to advise the parking staff(the car park office is situated in a portacabin outside the jigsaw building).
• Finally, park considerately in the designated areas. These are patrolled twice daily to ensure that we do not have unknown parking in our staff areas and that we do not impede others in the use of the car parks.

Remember: If your car isn't registered on the Horizon system it is not possible for UHD to resolve issues and avoid automatic generation of PCNs. Following the above advice should remove this risk, and allow you to park, confident it will be hassle free.

Once again, we are sorry for the problems associated with the ANPR being introduced by BHLive at Littledown. We will keep you updated as to any further information. If you want to reach travelwise then please contact us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Are you feeling overwhelmed by emails?

Feeling overwhelmed by the number of emails flooding our inbox is something we all struggle with.

Let's consider three key questions before we send an email:

• Why are you emailing? Think about what you are hoping to achieve and whether you are sending it to avoid a difficult face to face conversation.
• What are you emailing? Best practice emails have a descriptive subject line including an action and timescale with a clearly stated purpose.
• Who are you emailing? Check you are sending the email to the most appropriate people.

Before replying to an email, consider whether it is necessary. Tip: if it takes less than two minutes... do it! If it needs more time, think about scheduling time to action the email if you can't take action immediately or delegating the email to a more appropriate member of your team. Want to learn more? Visit Improvement Hub » The Productive Leader (england.nhs.uk) for the full guide.

'Loved and never forgotten'

To mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, a series of events will be taking place over the next few days for those who have experienced the loss of a baby.

• RBH: a remembrance service will take place at the Chapel of St Luke on Thursday 13 October at 7pm. Led by Reverend Duncan Ridgeon, with support from the hospital's specialist nurses and local charity 'Our Angel Bears', the service is an opportunity for bereaved parents, as well as their friends and families, to commemorate the lives of lost little ones.
• RBH: This Friday 14 October our UHD Women's Network will be hosting an event at RBH in the marquee by the lake from 12:30-2pm.
• POOLE: SPRING will be taking part in the International Wave of Light where people around the world light a candle at 7pm in memory of the baby or babies they have lost, to create a wave of light across the globe. Our chaplaincy team will gather together to read some poems and light a candle at 7pm to remember the babies who lit up our lives. It will take place at St Mary's Catholic Church, Wimborne Road, Poole at 6.30pm on Saturday 15 October.

Those of all faiths or none are welcome to attend.

World Mental Health Day 2022

Yesterday (Monday 10 October) we celebrated World Mental Health Day. Please check out our wellbeing pages on the intranet to see what support is available for all of us, including urgent mental health support, mindfulness and financial wellbeing support. You can also download a useful summary of what's on offer here.

As well as protecting and improving our own wellbeing it is important to remember to consider others as well. Use this day to connect with a colleague by sparking a conversation - ask someone how they are and give your undivided attention to the answer. Giving one another the time and space to talk about how we're feeling is a vital part of being #TeamUHD.

Have you signed up to become a Liftshare super commuter?

With over 100 colleagues already registered, why don't you sign up to NHS Liftshare - a car sharing portal designed to help you to save money on your commute and reduce pollution.

You can be a super commuter too: register now and either offer someone a lift or look for someone to give you a lift. By using Liftshare you can save money, have access to priority parking spaces and help reduce the number of cars on the roads, reducing congestion and air pollution.

Click here for more information about the scheme.

Health of the Ward update

From Thursday (13 October) Health of the Ward will be updated to include the option to 'refer' to the falls and moving and handling teams. The ward allocation list will also be updated to include all inpatient wards across our three sites.

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

RBH: Management suite moves

As part of the wider transformation project, the first phase of moves from the management suite will begin on Friday (14 October). The following teams will be relocated to the first floor of the education centre:

• Communications/ UHD Charity (back office)/ trust secretaries
• Litigation/ safeguarding
• Medical care group
• Surgical care group
• Operations and David Mills

Coaching conversations workshops

These workshops are designed to provide participants with the skills and knowledge to effectively use a coaching style when working with individuals. They will provide an opportunity for participants to develop their coaching style and confidence through practice.

To book a place, visit our intranet page and complete a booking form. If you have any questions, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Leading your team through integration workshops

Are you managing teams that you need to bring together in support of the wider integration work? Or are you managing a team that needs to work more effectively together following the merger?

We have launched a new workshop and toolkit to support you to design a team session to start you on this journey. You will be expected to complete some pre-course learning and come to the workshop with ideas about the event you wish to develop. Click here to request a space.

Lunch and Learn this Thursday

This week's Lunch and Learn is about academic writing. Come and see us at 1pm on Thursday (13 October) in the library at either RBH or Poole and find out some useful tips for writing your assignments. No need to book just come on down and please feel free to bring your lunch. If you would like any more info or to find out what other sessions we will be running please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

UHD Charity: Sign up for a challenge of a lifetime

Sign up to join us on 22-29 April for a 100km charity trek through rural and coastal northern Spain. The challenge includes seven nights hotel accommodation, breakfasts, luggage transfers and more. Download your information pack, including full terms and conditions here and for further information, get in touch with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

UHD Charity: Join us on Saturday 3 December for Elf Dash 2022

Join 'Crackers' the elf for a day of festive family fun, all in aid of raising money for some very important projects in our hospitals this Christmas.

We return to the stunning seaside venue of Branksome Dene Chine, ideally located for our community to come together in support of our hospitals. The family friendly 2km 'dash' is along the prom, you can run, walk, skip or dance your way along the promenade route. Suitable for the whole family this event is buggy, wheelchair and dog friendly with plenty of parking available.

After the dash, a hot drink and refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Rapid Relief Team. All children's tickets include a visit to Father Christmas in his grotto and a very special festive gift. Register now by clicking here.