Second dose Covid-19 vaccinations

Our programme of second doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is well underway, with Poole clinics joining those running at the Royal Bournemouth from Tuesday.

A small number of staff who have had their first dose at UHD are yet to book their second dose. Please do so without delay – if you have experienced problems making the booking please try again as extra capacity has been added and improvements made to the IT system.

Make your booking online here.

Please remember to bring you NHS ID and NHS number with you when you attend your appointment.

No further vaccinations are planned to be offered after 16 April - please take this opportunity for easy access to your second dose.

We have been assured that supplies of the Pfizer vaccine will continue as anticipated, and are unaffected by restrictions in the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as widely reported in the media.

REFRESH campaign

Supporting our REFRESH campaign, NHS England and NHS Improvement has created this video as part of a set of resources for the 'Every action counts' campaign, promoting excellence in infection prevention and control. The vide explains from a staff members point of view the importance of maintaining social distancing.

You can find out more about the REFRESH campaign here.

Good infection prevention practice: using ultrasound gel

Contaminated ultrasound gel has been associated with outbreaks of infection in various settings and identified as a potential vector for infection.

Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) is an important nosocomial pathogen in hospitalised patients. BCC causes infections that include bacteraemia, urinary tract infection, septic arthritis, peritonitis and respiratory tract infection. Due to high intrinsic resistance, these infections can prove very difficult to treat and, in some cases, result in death.

Patients with cystic fibrosis and those with chronic granulomatous disease are predisposed to infection by BCC bacteria. Outbreaks and pseudo-outbreaks of BCC septicaemia have been documented in intensive care units, oncology units and renal failure patients.

Please refer to the IPCT guidance here and ensure guidelines are being adhered to. Please highlight any potential risks to your manager and your infection prevention and control team.

SAVE THE DATE: Covid-19 Service of reflection

We will be holding special services of reflection and remembrance across our hospitals next Tuesday 23 March to mark the anniversary of the first Covid lockdown and to remember those who have died.

The simultaneous services at Christchurch, Poole and the Royal Bournemouth will be led by our chaplains and include readings by members of staff as well as the observation of a national minute's silence at noon.

The services start at 11.45am and will be live streamed on our social media channels so you can watch from home or from your department. You can also join the services in person, but please maintain social distancing:

• Christchurch: at the front of Christchurch Hospital near the memorial display
• Poole: on the lawn behind Churchfield House
• RBH: by the lake

Ribbons: At the start of the day, we will hang yellow ribbons on trees and railings to remember our patients who have died. After the minute's silence, colleagues of our staff members who have died will tie a ribbon in their memory, followed by representatives from our wards and Covid areas.

After the service, you will all be invited to tie your own ribbon at any point throughout the week, for your own personal reasons. Ribbons will be available to collect after the services or in the marquees at RBH and Poole, and from the Dermatology and Macmillan Unit receptions at Christchurch.

Purple ribbons will also be dedicated to colleagues who have been shielding throughout the pandemic. If you have been shielding and would like a purple ribbon to be hung on your behalf, please ask a colleague to collect one on the day or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will hang one for you.

FIT testing

All FIT testing dates and times can be found on the intranet. If you would like to book, please call ext. 8474 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. after 5pm and on weekends. If you are unable to make your appointment, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call ext. 8474.

Many staff have not attending their booked appointment and these appointments could have been offered to others on the waiting list

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

HealthROSTER, SafeCARE, BankSTAFF and EmployeeONLINE are unavailable until Friday 26 March, we appreciate this is a significant period of time but unfortunately this is an essential requirement and we apologise 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.

Getting our patients 'safely home for Easter'

Thank you for all the hard work and dedicated care you continue to provide our patients. In the lead up to Easter, we value your support to ensure as many patients as possible benefit from being discharged 'safely home for Easter'.

If people can go home safely without support, please encourage them and their representatives to do this at the earliest point. If people need support to leave hospital each of these patients, carers or their family, will your need help in planning ahead. Click here [link] for more information including the key questions that need to be considered as well as the relevant contact details.

If we're going to get a record number of patients safely home for Easter, there are several key questions to which every patient (or carer) should know the answer to:

1. What is going to happen now, later today and tomorrow to get me safely home?
2. What things do I need to be able to do to get home (especially over Easter week)?
3. When should I expect to be going home?
4. What will happen when I get home (especially information and advice when they are home if they are worried or get poorly again)?

If you anticipate a delay in the care required for our patients to return home safely, please consider the following:

1. Can family members support the patient's care needs at home over Easter until the support is in place?
2. If there was existing support (formal or informal) is this set up for the Easter period?
3. Consider all alternatives which might not be ideal but would allow people to safely leave hospital
4. If people need formal care and support to leave hospital you will need to contact the discharge team in the hospital

Your directorate and discharge team will be providing designated support to you across the hospital. If you need any help to progress timely discharge plans over the Easter period then please get in touch with the discharge team (ext. 4321):

Contact numbers for the Easter Weekend:

• Good Friday 08:00-16:00
• Poole – 0300-019-8083 / Mob: 07733404044
• Bournemouth – 0300-019-4321 / Mob: 07436 092160

• Saturday 08:00-16:00
• Bournemouth – 0300-019-4321 / Mob: 07436 092160

• Sunday 08:00-16:00
• Bournemouth – 0300-019-4321 / Mob: 074336091355

• Easter Monday 08:00-16:00
• Poole – 0300-019-8398 / MOB: 07741036244
• Bournemouth – 0300-019-4321/ Mob: 074336091355

Best wishes for Easter and thank you for all your exceptional support during 2021.

- The discharge team

RBH: Car parking changes reminder

Thank you for bearing with us as we settle in the new car parking arrangements. These are essential for the building works. We have worked very hard to find alternatives and welcome further feedback and suggestions as we monitor the changes.

The travel team can help with sustainable travel alternatives, which could help reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and individual health. Further details available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Key changes to car parking at RBH include:

• Car park A has closed.
• Car park B is for use by blue badge holders only.
• Car park H has closed. Staff will have to make use of other spaces on site, or request a Littledown parking permit from the travel team to park there instead. Please note that these permits are exclusively for 'H' permit holders at this time. We will review levels of usage in the coming weeks.
• 'H' permit holders who have been issued a Littledown parking permit may now park in the demarcated areas for UHD staff at Littledown. As a reminder, Littledown is open between 6am-10pm on weekdays and 8am-6pm on Saturdays. Littledown have agreed a grace period of 15 minutes at closing time to allow staff to return to the site and collect their cars. There is currently no provision for parking at Littledown on Sundays. Therefore H permit holders can park at RBH at weekends and overnight.
• Staff who don't have UHD issued permits, but have taken up the Covid-only period BCP issued permits can still park in Littledown, in the general spaces. We do not know yet when this scheme will end. However the Littledown will be re-opening shortly as a Leisure Centre.
• The occasional car park near the Eye Unit has been closed for staff and the remaining spaces allocated to patients and visitors. If you previously parked here, please make use of the multi storey car park (MSCP) or alternative staff spaces on site.
• New arrangements for occasional car park users will be identified over the next three months. Staff are expected to keep complying with the maximum 12 uses per calendar month limit in place for these permit types.
• The drop-off location near to the main entrance will remain available for drop offs until about September (when the main entrance closes due to the building works). Alternative drop off locations will be made available avoiding the main entrance.
• Consultants working 'on call' whom require urgent access to the back of the Hospital during out of hours / weekends can request a permit from the travel team to make use of designated parking spaces outside the education centre. These are strictly for use between 6.30pm-8am during weekdays, or any time at weekends and a permit must be shown.
• For electric car users the Trust has installed two 13amp sockets in at the back of the multi storey car park ground floor. Staff with electric cars who find themselves short of power may make use of these for a maximum of four hours at any time. Staff may also make use of the adjacent 'electric buggy' charging bays, but these must be vacated by 4.30pm. People who need routine charging can find EV charging points in the local vicinity at this link: https://www.zap-map.com/live/
• Cycling facilities will be improved as a result of the new builds. At RBH the cycle sheds near the main entrance will be moved and over time the number of secure cycle spaces, and changing facilities are set to be increased.

We apologise for the disruption and inconvenience during these construction works. If you have any questions or issues relating to car parking at RBH, please email the travel team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBCH: Fire extinguisher replacement

Fire extinguishers at RBCH only (for now) are being replaced by one size fits all extinguishers from next Wednesday (24 March).

Where there were previously three fire extinguishers there will now only be one that can be used on all fires. No additional training will be required. If you have any queries contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

POOLE: Resuscitation training

Fifty-eight per cent of Poole Hospital staff are currently up-to-date with their resuscitation training, meaning over 40% are out-of-date.

Completing training is simple:

1. Watch the on-line resuscitation training video - this can be done from anywhere with Internet access
2. Complete this quiz
3. Book onto a half an hour practical session in the resuscitation training room:
   • Check for dates
   • Book a place
4. Once completed your BEAT brain will get a bit greener.

If you have any questions contact the resuscitation department (purple zone – level 1) on ext. 8421 or 2010.

POOLE: Remembering Louise Obern

The therapy services department is sad to announce the death of Louise Obern, physiotherapist, on 10 March.

Lou was part of the respiratory/acute inpatient team for seven years and latterly part of the Dorchester's oncology team.

She bravely fought breast cancer over the last year and had returned to work, enjoying running and raised almost £2,000 for the PINK and STEEL cancer rehabilitation foundation charity which focus on rehabilitation in cancer which Lou was passionate about.

Those who worked with her will remember her for her drive and determination to provide better treatment for her patients, particularly in oncology services; her passion for her job and huge support for her colleagues. Not only was she a colleague but a close friend to many of the therapy staff.

Her funeral will be held on Friday 26 March,12.30pm, in Somerset and will be broadcast live. Please contact Suzie Jupp ext. 2582 or Marcus Ashton ext. 8654 for details if you wish to attend.

Functional skills in English and maths

The vocational educational team at Poole Hospital is delivering functional skills in English and maths, level 1 and 2. If you need these qualifications to support your career development, the team is holding skills scan assessments on 23 March, 1 April, 22 June, 21 September and 14 December. If you would like to attend email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Career development sessions

If you would like some advice regarding your career development, please attend one of our weekly drop-in sessions held in the education centre, Poole Hospital. Dates and times are on the intranet. If you would like to attend contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A heart felt thank you from the Gogolewski family

"My name is Margaret, with my daughter Marta and my sons Bartosz, Dominik and Lukasz we want to say a few words.

We know that words do not express what we feel, but we want to thank everyone, all hospital staff, each person separately; to all who participated in Krzysztof my husband, our dad, grandfather and a friend's funeral.

It was our pleasure and honour to see you all there. What you have done means than the wealth of the world to us.

Krzysztof loved his job and the people he worked with. He loved going to the hospital and spending time with his friends. He valued every person and respected everyone. He loved to joke, but also share stories and banter.

Thanks to you, his memory will never be lost and thank you for being with us and with our 'busy porter Krzysztof'."

BAME Network – join the open forum on 30 April

It has been a year since the first lockdown due to the pandemic.

The UHD BAME Network will hold an open forum on 30 April , 3-4.30pm via Teams, where we can all reflect on what has transpired from March 2020-March 2021.

This is an opportunity for staff to share lived experiences of the pandemic from March 2020 until March this year, when are finally seeing the ray of light at the end of the tunnel.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive the Team's link if you would like to join.

Trust email address tick list

Staff have had their new @uhd email address for six months now and should have:

1. updated their email signature
2. advised all contacts of their @uhd email address
3. ensured the new email address is associated with any systems they access or mailing lists to which they belong.

Also... don't forget to call:

All extensions are now prefixed 0300 019 xxxx – where xxxx is the four digit extension number.

All the old direct dial numbers will stop working from 1 April:

• 01202 44 2xxx
• 01202 26 3xxx
• 01202 70 4xxx
• 01202 70 5xxx
• 01202 72 6xxx
• 01202 44 8xxx

The three main numbers below remain unchanged:

• Poole – 01202 665511
• Bournemouth – 01202 303626
• Christchurch – 01202 486361

RBCH: Clinical skills competency forms

Please remember those all-important ticks on the completion notices. Clinical skills has received a large number of forms with ticks missing.

Please ensure the completion notices are fully completed and clear to enable This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to process and award the competencies.

Discounted Morebus tickets

Morebus is offering discounted tickets for UHD staff.

To obtain the discount, you will need to download the 'Clickit2Ride' app, which is available from all major app stores. You must use your UHD email address when creating an account in order to receive discounted fares.

You will need to select the bus company, which will be Morebus. From here you'll need to select your ticket zone, followed by your ticket (i.e. 7-day, 30-day). The discount is available on all tickets above seven days.

After selecting your ticket, your basket will show. It will ask for a promo code, which is 'DHT21YEAR'. You should now see the discount added, and can proceed with purchasing your ticket which will be stored in the wallet of the app. You can then scan your phone under the ticket machine when boarding the bus to travel.

If you have any issues with the app or retrieving your discount, please contact Morebus.

OPM Journal Club

The library at RBH will be holding an OPM Journal club on 9 April, 1.30-2.30pm in the library's glass room.

The paper we will be discussing is 'Effects of exercise interventions on the functional status of acutely hospitalised older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis'.

If you would like to come along or join us on Teams contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. There is a limited amount of space for those wishing to join face-to-face.

Attend Anywhere drop-in sessions

Based on your feedback, the outpatients transformation team is pleased to offer a series of virtual drop in sessions on Teams.

These will be informal sessions to support you with any queries regarding the use of the Attend Anywhere platform.

One or more of the team will be available to address any queries you may have eg

• set-up and accessing your waiting area
• troubleshooting
• sharing your screen
• adding multiple users to a call

If you have any queries contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or book your place here.

Care first webinars

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

• Friday 19 March, 12-12.30pm – Sleep anxiety for World Sleep Day
• Monday 22 March, 12-12.30pm – World Happiness Day
• Tuesday 23 March, 12-12.30pm – Stress and finding ways through it
• Wednesday 24 March, 12-12.30pm – Separation anxiety
• Thursday 25 March, 12-12.30pm – How Care first can support you
• Friday 26 March, 12-12.30pm – Planning for summer holiday

Health and wellbeing online sessions

During these challenging times, supporting your health and wellbeing is more important than ever before. The South West Health and Wellbeing Team have developed sessions for colleagues in the South West to support wellbeing, which has been entitled 'Time for You' (T4U). Click here to see the online classes available.

April Flix Drive In discount

Flix Drive In is back this April screening this year's biggest new film releases and is offering staff a 20% discount.

April's drive-ins will take place from 13-18 April, Bournemouth Events Field, Bournemouth Airport, Parley Lane, Christchurch, Bournemouth Dorset, BH23 6SE

The drive-ins combine some of this year's brand new, anticipated blockbuster releases with street food, live DJ's sets and outstanding entertainment. Their Dorset location is one of the select few places chosen in the UK to exclusively show nine of these big film releases all taking place from the safety of your very own car!

Twenty per cent off tickets for NHS staff. Quote NHS20 when you book at www.flixdrivein.co.uk

Terms and conditions

A 6.5% booking fee is applicable. A Covid refund guarantee means you will be issued a refund should the event be cancelled due to Covid-19.

Roadworks

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