Pick up your ice lollies today

We recognise the heat many of us are working in and would like to offer a free ice lolly to staff working today (17 June).

Lollies must be picked up between 2-2.45pm today at the Dolphin restaurant at Poole and the Shelley restaurant in RBH. Christchurch staff will receive theirs directly. To reduce the number of people visiting our catering departments, please can all wards and departments allocate one member of staff to collect lollies for the whole team where possible.

Teams working offsite and at Alderney are welcome to collect their lollies from Poole or RBH, with free parking available in the Lloyd Adams car park at Poole (by the education centre) and in the spaces behind the catering block at RBH. Alternative pick up times for these teams (avoiding 12-2pm) can be arranged by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you to our University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity for funding the lollies.

'Out of area' patients: book transport early to support our wards

As we enter the summer months, more patients will be admitted to our hospitals having become unwell whilst on holiday. At least 48 hours' notice is required when requesting patient transport for those registered with a GP outside of Dorset or Hampshire.

Without this, discharge can be significantly delayed and wards may even be invoiced for the costs of arranging private ambulance transport

Contacting the swabbing team

Following the closure of the Poole swabbing pod last week, we now have a single swabbing coordinator based in the Village Hotel car park at RBH. To contact them for advice or arrange swabbing please call 07919496770. Or to bleep the team, bleep 2911 and then dial the following:

RBCH: 701-2911-XXXX (the last four digits on your extension number)

POOLE: 780-701-2911- XXXX (the last four digits on your extension number)

Next week is Learning Disability Awareness Week (20-26 June)

"Around 1,200 patients in the NHS with a learning disability die every year due to not being able to access appropriate health care and treatment. We need to make every effort to make sure the number is reduced, going above and beyond to improve our provision of person centred care." Naomi Rees, learning disability liaison nurse for UHD

We must ensure that we make reasonable adjustments and fill in the e-form for every patient with learning disabilities, use the Paid Carer's Agreement form, read the hospital passport, and listen to family and carers.

Our revised policy for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism is being ratified and will soon be available on the intranet. You will be able to check the policy and see the specific pathways for different areas.

Link Nurses and support workers are also being recruited from all wards and departments and will be offered specific training this July. This will help us improve our communication and give more consistent guidance for staff on how they can best support this extremely vulnerable patient cohort.

Join us for Ask Aly on Thursday

Join us at 1pm on Thursday (23 June) for Ask Aly, this month hosted by our deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ruth Williamson.

It's a great opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns or share your views. You can join the meeting here and if you'd like to send any questions in 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. We hope to see you there.

Be Active @ Bournemouth Heart Club (BHC)

In your National NHS Staff Survey you told us that on-site exercise facilities would improve your wellbeing. We listened to this feedback and are working with BHC to offer an initial 60 subsidised memberships to UHD staff for the on-site gym at RBH.

The cost to staff will be £50 for 20 sessions, with UHD subsiding the additional £50 cost per member. Membership includes a pre- and post-health assessment, exercise classes, a personal exercise programme and open gym sessions.

We will be reviewing application forms from next Friday (24 June) to ensure everyone has the opportunity to apply, and in the case that we receive more than 60 applications we will select applicants at random. Following 17 June we will award memberships on a first come, first served basis. Please visit the new intranet pages (under 'B' for Be Active) for further information, class timetables and FAQs.

Complete your National Audit of Care at the End of Life (NACEL) staff survey

Many of us play a role in providing end of life care, whether we work on the wards, in the catering department, or volunteers - the welcome we offer, a smile, small acts of kindness can make a huge difference.

We want the views of all staff who come into contact with patients approaching end-of-life. Your opinion matters. Please take a minute to complete the survey so we can listen to you, celebrate the outstanding care you already provide, and learn how to improve this important part of our service.

RBCH: click here to submit your survey

Poole: click here to submit your survey

Are you unable to attend your training?

If you cannot attend your clinical skills training, please notify the teams asap so your space can be used by someone else who requires training in these skills. Over the course of five months, unfortunately there have been 60 staff who have not attended without giving any notification.

You can call the education and training department at Poole on ext. 2556 or RBH on ext. 4267.

Internet explorer is retiring

From 28 June, after an update on our computers, we will be automatically directed to use Microsoft Edge. The IT service desk will be available to answer any questions during this process and a specific form has been created on the IT self service portal here.

POOLE: Become the next junior doctor chair

Applications are now open for the role of junior and senior junior doctor forum chair for 2022-2023.

These roles are open to all grades below consultant level. The junior chair position is suited to a foundation doctor; the senior chair to any grade above foundation and below consultant. Find out more about the incredibly rewarding role; working alongside a great team of people to help make a difference to the junior doctor body. Please outline your reasons for application in no more than 300 words and email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The deadline for applications is end of the day on 1 July.

Carers Week – a great success!

The carer support team were involved in a number of events during Carers Week which proved to be a great success. The team ran a competition and found the top five referring wards to the service are A5, RACE, and Brownsea at Poole, and ward 22 and ward 9 at RBH. These wards received gift bags from the Leonardo Trust, together with other goodies. Thanks to the Leonardo Trust, UHD Charity, Poundland and organisational development for their support.

Catch up on the Carers Week webinar here, with a presentation from Val Horn, discharge manager. Also look out for the team on the wards in their new purple carer support uniform and continue to refer unpaid carers to the service via EPR, by phone on ext. 8714 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cellular pathology reports

Due to the manner in which supplementary cellular pathology reports are completed in the new pathology LIMS (Winpath Enterprise) and transmitted to EPR, older versions of the report will not display when looking at the patient summary. In order to view the initial cellular pathology report as well as updates to the report it is necessary to use the patient record option in EPR, reports in this section will be filled based on date requested with updates on top and older versions of the report underneath. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

POOLE: Bereavement service moving

The bereavement service has been relocated to the cash office in the main entrance. Staff and relatives will now have a one stop service for bereavement contacts, booking viewing of those who have died, patient property, lost property, cash services and travel claims.

The office is open Monday to Friday. Contact the office on 0300 019 2673.

OPM Journal Club

The next OPM Journal Club will be on 24 June between 1-2pm. We will be discussing the paper “Decision making capacity assessment for confused patients in a regional hospital: A before and after study”. If you would like to come along or find out more, 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 meeting will take part in the glass room at RBH library or you can join us via Teams.

Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day is next Saturday (25 June), and our Armed Forces Community Advocate, Rob Hornby, would like to remind us of the confidential support available to staff who have been in the armed forces, family members, friends and the wider armed forces community.

"Our Armed Forces Support Group meetings are an opportunity to connect with others who understand the challenges of being a part of this important community. While we are a visible network, we are also here for those who may not wish to discuss their connection or history with the Armed Forces publicly – and those individuals are always welcome to contact me directly for a chat."

The 243 (Wessex) Field Hospital will be in the dome on 21 June and in the atrium on 22 June for Reserve forces recruitment events, and Rob will be in the Atrium on 24 June - pop down to have a chat, find out more about the network and how you can get involved.

Be a considerate smoker

There have been a considerable number of reports of staff, contractors, patients and visitors smoking in non-designated smoking areas across trust, as well as leaving cigarette butts on the paths and roads.

We would like to remind all staff smoking is only allowed in designated smoking shelters on sites. Vaping is allowed in the grounds but must not be close to staff rest areas and openings into the building such as windows, doors and ventilation intakes/extracts.

Parking in the Littledown

If anyone notices any problems with the Littledown car park, for example issues with accessing spaces or broken glass, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can escalate it with the Littledown team as soon as possible.

South Western Railway rail strikes next week

It has been announced that rail strikes will take place on 21, 23 and 25 June. Strikes will also be taking place on most other train operating companies and at Network Rail on these dates. South Western Railway services will be significantly affected as a result.

Check here for latest updates.

Developing ideas into new services and products

Find out the latest on innovation across Dorset, and the help available to our innovators, through the Dorset Innovation Hub's first newsletter here. The team are one of four hubs funded by the Health Foundation (HF) and is made up of partner organisations from across the Dorset Integrated Care System (ICS).

241 tickets from the Lighthouse Poole

Ahead of International Reggae Day, our friends from the Lighthouse have given us 241 tickets to 'Absolute Reggae', a high energy show including a three piece horn section to take us on a trip down memory lane. Book your tickets here and enter code AR2FOR1 at checkout after 1 July.