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University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Staff Bulletin 16 March 2021

Second dose Covid-19 vaccinations start today

Second doses of the Covid-19 vaccination for UHD staff begin today.

Starting at the Royal Bournemouth this week, vaccinations will also be offered from Poole Hospital from next week.

You may still make a booking for either site if you have had your first dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccination with us already. Click here to make your booking.

The second dose is required in order for staff to derive maximum protection from the vaccine, which is given in two stages.

There are a small number of staff who have not yet had a first dose of any available Covid-19 vaccination. If you wish to do so now, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details on how this can be arranged this.

We're running a simple online survey for staff to help us understand why some are reluctant to have the vaccination. You can find the survey as a pop-up window when you launch either the Poole or Royal Bournemouth intranets, or through this link. We'll share the results with you next week.

HealthROSTER, EmployeeONLINE and BankSTAFF downtime from Wednesday (17 March)

HealthROSTER, SafeCARE, BankSTAFF and EmployeeONLINE will be unavailable from Wednesday 17 March until Friday 26 March, we appreciate this is a significant period of time but unfortunately this is an essential requirement and we apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please ensure you print your rosters off for the period of the 17-28 March (to include contingency for any unforeseen delays in restoring the systems).

For queries, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for RBCH or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Poole.

Temporary staffing

Our temporary staffing offices will be operating as usual, and will hold limited daily visibility of live roster data and will be available to support you with your daily staffing needs.

Please provide clear communication of any staffing requirements or changes in a timely manner to avoid issues with rostering and pay.

For queries, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for RBCH, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for Poole.

Ask Aly...

The next 'Ask Aly' event with our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell, will be on Wednesday 24 March, 12-1pm. It's a great opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and share your views. You can join the meeting here and if you'd like to send any questions in an advance, pop 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.

Health and wellbeing day – managers guidance

In light of the extraordinary efforts made by staff throughout the pandemic the trust board has approved the provision of a "wellbeing day" for every substantive employee of the trust.

This additional day away from work is provided to allow employees to take the time to do something that will support their health and wellbeing as a "thank you" for each individual's contribution to the Covid-19 response.

Managers will need to be aware of the following in allocating this wellbeing day:

  • All substantive employees, regardless of whether they have been shielding, working from home, absent due to sickness, maternity leave or for any other reason will be entitled to this day off work on full pay. This includes substantive employees on fixed term contracts who were employed on 25 February 2021.
  • We acknowledge the essential contribution made by our Bank Staff throughout this period and by now all should have received their vouchers and values goodies. Many of our Bank staff also have substantive contracts and so will qualify for the Wellbeing day.
  • However, due to the way the bank operates with flexibility and choice of when to be in work, bank only staff are not eligible for the wellbeing day. However (as always is the case) we would be happy to explore how they can join the permanent workforce if this is attractive to them.
  • The day off will be a full day for each employee regardless of the number of hours that they work in that day (for example if a shift is 7.5 hours, 12 hours or 5 hours long this is the amount of time that the employee will take off).
  • The day can be taken any time between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 with the agreement of the manager. Consideration will need to be made with regard to staffing levels in each department to ensure that adequate cover is available.
  • Staff who leave the trust before 31 March 2022 will need to take their wellbeing day prior to them leaving the trust. Any employee joining after 25 February 2021 will not be eligible for a wellbeing day.
  • To book their wellbeing day, staff should contact their line manager directly, giving the relevant notice for any rosters or shift patterns to be covered.
  • Line managers should use their discretion about when staff can take their day, and how many staff can be released at one time.
  • On Health Roster, one day has been attached to each substantive employee as a wellbeing day option to be taken before 31 March 2022.
  • For any non-rostered areas, line managers should record the day in ESR using "Special Increasing Bal- Other".

POOLE: Underpass closure

The underpass for deliveries will be closed from Saturday 20 March, 3pm until Monday 22 March, 6am to all traffic. This is to allow for essential works associated with the new theatres build. Standard regular weekend deliveries have been rearranged and notified. Please advise of any ad-hoc deliveries. Contact Stuart Mondon in estates on ext. 8036 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any queries.

CHRISTCHURCH: Electricity and gas supply work

Works to install electricity and gas supplies form the main plant room at Christchurch plus a small amount of demolition works in preparation for start on the new Macmillan caring locally unit have begun.

These will be mainly in the grass area at the back of the current unit and within the delivery area. Works will affect some pathways at times. We will also be using six car park spaces at the front of the old day hospital. We ask that staff and visitors do not use these during the works (they will be cordoned off). We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Radiology ICE ordercomms

At the end of March 2020 the ICE ordercomms for radiology was introduced at RBH at relatively short notice to help support the Covid response within the trust, by reducing paper trails, reducing the need to physically relay referrals to the radiology department, maintain social distancing, to mitigate against potentially reduced numbers of available staff because of illness and improve efficiency of the referral process to help manage potentially large numbers of unwell patients.

In response to concerns, at that time, that there had not been opportunity for training on ICE, the usual referral permissions for complex examinations (CT/MRI/PET) were temporarily relaxed such that a broader group of medical and non-medical referrers could request imaging tests. There are forthcoming changes to these permissions.

As part of the unified approach in UHD radiology there are a number of planned infrastructure changes to provide a uniform service across the sites. The Radiology Information Systems (RIS) are currently separate for RBH and Poole. On 9 March, a single unified RIS, functioning across all UHD sites was launched. Tied in with this, referral permissions for medical and non-medical referrers across the trust will be aligned but this will not occur until 1 April 2021. We will be returning to the original ICE roll out plan and pre Covid arrangements. Consultants, SpRs, middle grade doctors and already designated non-medical referrer (eg nurses on acute stroke team) only will be able to request complex imaging (CT/MRI/PET).

In the out of hours setting, when immediate imaging is required but the senior decision maker is unavailable to attend (eg operating in Theatres), there is scope for the junior doctors to 'validate' the request on ICE such that the request will be progressed. These thresholds are already in place at Poole and no changes to the current referrer arrangements at PGH and allied sites are needed.

The most recent Covid wave is slowly passing and the vaccination program has resulted in a major proportion of healthcare workers having received at least their first dose. It had been the intention to make these changes in January 2021, but it was not felt appropriate to undertake these developments at the height on the wave of Covid affecting the trust, at that time.

There will be additional communication via global email and direct communication on the ICE platform for users.

Contact Andy Pope, clinical director radiology (RBH site), at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on ext. 6125 for more information.

RBH: Overnight toilet facilities

For relatives staying with patients overnight, namely end of life care, who are not permitted to use the toilets on wards due to infection control restrictions, one set of toilets is left open overnight in the hospital. These are the ones in the Atrium, opposite the charity shop and the disabled toilet adjacent to them.

Job of the week

We are looking for a band 3 elective admissions officer.

The main responsibilities of the role are to provide an efficient and effective admission service to all patients undergoing elective in-patient and day surgery procedures, adhering to National and Trust waiting times and Admission Policies; and to provide a high standard of administrative support to the consultant and his/her team, interacting with other departments, general practitioners and patients as required.

Click here to view the full job description and to apply.

To view and apply for all our internal and external vacancies click here.

Film highlights supporting roles during Covid-19

During the Covid-19 pandemic colleagues across our trust have pulled together through the hard times we have all faced.

Some members of staff were able to experience different roles to that which they perform on a day-to-day basis.

Podfilms, which makes TV documentaries, online content and promos, has been following some of these members of staff including surgeons at RBH who have been doing the tea rounds for patients. Click here to watch the video.

Staff sickness fraud

This financial year, our counter fraud specialists have investigated 62 working whilst sick cases across their client base.

When you are off sick from the Trust, you are not able to undertake any work for yourself, or any other employers.

If you are unclear on the terms of sickness absence, speak with your line manager or HR.

If you are concerned about another member of staff undertaking work whilst off sick from the Trust, contact our counter fraud specialists at 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..

Your report will always be in confidence.

Young Carers Action Day

Young Carers Action Day, supported by the Carers Trust, is taking place today (16 March).

A young carer is someone under 18 and a young adult carer is aged 16 to 25. They help support and look after a family member or a friend due to illness, frailty, disability, mental health difficulties or problems with addiction.

UHD supports young carers and is here to listen, help and offer advice. For further information and support please contact Karen Uphill, carer support adviser, on ext. 8714 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Click here to read more and see a list of young carer support organisations.

World Sleep Day online session

Dorset HealthCare is holding a practical 'top tips for sleep' session on Teams. It will take place on Friday (19 March), 12.30-1pm. There will be time for questions after the event. Click here to join.

Care first webinars

Care first, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

Staff discounts

Various discounts are available to staff on car repairs, insurance, sport and fitness, shopping and much more. And from 12 April, the Stock Shop in Poole Hospital will be reopening offering staff a 20% discount. Please check the intranet to see all offers.

Roadworks

Click here for a list of the current roadworks taking place.

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