Don't delay – UHD Covid booster vaccinations end soon

An incredible one in four UHD staff are now further protected against both Covid-19 and flu this winter, after just three weekends of vaccination clinics.

The weekend winter wellness clinics began offering the vaccinations earlier this month. In addition to these clinics, many staff are also choosing to have their Covid-19 booster vaccination away from UHD through pharmacies and GPs. Just under a quarter of all vaccinated staff have received their booster elsewhere.

In recognition of this, we will be bringing forward the end of our own clinics by two weeks – the last Covid-19 booster vaccinations through our hospitals will be available on 6 and 7 November.

If you have an appointment after this date, please go to the online booking portal and cancel and rebook your appointment for a clinic in the next few weekends – there are spaces available on all available days.

If you are unable to do so, e.g. because it has not been six months between your second vaccination and the booster, or because you are not 28 days clear after a Covid-19 infection, don't worry. Just follow the instructions on the NHS website here.

Thanks to all who have taken the trouble to provide positive feedback on the clinic service and experience – your comments are greatly appreciated by the project team and vaccinators.

• Flu: dedicated weekday drop-in flu clinics for staff who wish to have their vaccinations separately, or who do not want to have a Covid-19 booster, began this week – for full details see the intranet.

Ask Aly – with Dr Matt Thomas this Thursday

Join us at 1pm on Thursday (21 October) for the latest Ask Aly event, hosted this month by our deputy chief medical officer, Dr Matt Thomas. 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.

HealthRoster upgrade is coming

Allocate HealthRoster is upgrading to HealthRoster 11 on the 8 November.

The functionality of the service will remain the same but the user interface has changed, familiarise yourself with the new layout.

You can see a preview of the upgrade and user guides on the workforce systems page on the RBCH intranet.

Speak up using our @UHD app

It's Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) month - did you know that you can speak up using our @UHD app?

The app brings useful information and resources about speaking up to your fingertips, wherever you are, from your mobile and you can use it to make referrals direct to the FTSU team.

These referrals can be made anonymously, although we always prefer to speak to you directly in a confidential and safe environment.

Click here for more information on how to download the @UHD app free to your smartphone.

Our new site guides

With more and more of us working away from our 'usual' hospital site, we've designed site guides for RBH and Poole to help you on your way.

The guides are a one-stop-shop a range of, including: refreshments and shops, meeting rooms and other facilities, IT and digital technology, parking, safety and security and useful contacts.

The guides can be downloaded here and can also be found on the UHD app. The Christchurch Hospital guide is coming soon.

Your voice is more important than ever...

We know everyone is extremely busy in the workplace. Life has changed a lot over the past year and thinking back to 2019 or even the beginning of 2020 seems like a long old time ago, so your voice is even more important right now.

This year's national NHS Staff Survey is being run by Quality Health (external company) and includes questions on areas that really matter to us such as what our working lives have been like for this past year, what our home/work life balance has been like and also our health and wellbeing.

We are really keen to hear your answers, your opinions, your voice. There's no denying this past year or so has been one like no other and so we want to hear your experience, your story. We want our staff to help us to build a future that we all care about and together we can make possible...

Please have your say and complete your Staff Survey. If you have any questions please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: Parking at Littledown Centre

Please may all colleagues parking at Littledown Centre display their Littledown parking permit and park only in the designated bays. There have been cars parked outside of bays blocking the road through the car park recently.

There is parking in two areas of the Littledown Centre car park for UHD permit holders, so please ensure you check the second further area if the first car park if it is full.

Please see the map for the UHD-allocated parking zones.

POOLE: Use Internet Explorer to access EPMA via EPR

Following the upgrade of EPMA, the link to access it through EPR currently only works in Internet Explorer. It will not work when EPR is accessed via Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

We are working with the software suppliers to try and overcome this, but in the meantime please ensure all colleagues know to only use Internet Explorer to access EPMA via EPR. We will ensure that staff are informed when the issue is resolved.

POOLE: Thank you to Kath

A friendly and familiar face to staff and visitors at Poole Hospital retires next month after nearly three decades service.

Kath Raines, receptionist at the main entrance, is retiring on 1 November after 29 years at the hospital. Her reception colleagues have paid this tribute:

"Kath has worked at Poole Hospital for 29 years and has guided, assisted, supported, empathised and laughed with many grateful patients, visitors and colleagues in her role.

"She is a much loved, valued and respected colleague who has constantly been there for the team. She has been a font of all knowledge over the years, if Kath doesn't know, nobody does. She has worked tirelessly to make sure shifts are covered to enable the reception desk to stay manned. Kath is going to be sorely missed.

Just a typical piece of feedback from a grateful visitor: "You were really helpful, lovely and I wish there were more people like you in the world".

We all wish Kath good luck, health and happiness for her retirement."

Congratulations on your retirement, Kath!

POOLE: Lifting operations and equipment inspections (LOLER) in November

Zurich Insurance with be on site from 1 November for two weeks to carry out LOLER inspections.

Please can all areas check for lifting equipment, slings and hoists and make them available in your department for inspection. All equipment must be cleaned and sanitised during the visit and prior to inspection.

All overhead patient hoists should also be docked and fully charged ready for inspection.

If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: No alcohol care and treatment service cover on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 October

Clinical information can be found on the alcohol intranet page.

If you need an urgent clinical opinion contact Poole ACTS bleep 0561, otherwise leave a patient referral on ext 5329 and they will be seen later that week.

National pension banding reassessment process

A new national payroll process has been added to ESR to automatically reassess new starters and assignments with certain pay-affecting changes, to ensure they are allocated to the appropriate pension per cent band.

Pensionable pay includes, but is not restricted to, basic pay, enhancements such as unsocial hours (night duty/weekend payments), on calls, clinical excellence awards, it is not overtime above whole time, or expenses.

This process will use all pensionable pay in the period of change to estimate pensionable pay for the assignment for the whole year.

Events that trigger the new assessment process on an assignment are as follows:

• new starter, including a new or secondary assignment for an existing person
• a change to the assignment grade step which is pay affecting
• assignments affected by a pay award.
• Where the reassessment process finds that a new pension band is required the new pension per cent rate will be updated from the start date of the change in pay, either on the 1 of the following month, or backdated from the date of change in pay.

Sending COP26 a clear message on climate change

In the run up to the UN COP26 Climate Conference in November and one year on from the launch of the NHS Net Zero Carbon commitments, the health community around the world is coming together to send a message calling for real action to address the climate crisis.

You can help by adding your name to 'The Healthy Climate Prescription letter'.

Read an update from Stuart Lane, sustainability and carbon manager, on the context around climate change and the determinants of health, and sign the letter here.

Time is running out to sign up for the randomised coffee trials

Randomised coffee trials are a way to meet colleagues from around the trust to share ideas and get to know each other.

The closing date to sign up for the next trials is 31 October – don't miss out on your chance to meet new colleagues.

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more.

Allied Health Professionals (AHP) day quiz winners!

Congratulations to Kris Knudsen, Caroline Caton and Lisa Drury the winner and joint runners up of the AHP day quiz.

We hope they enjoyed their AHP goody box containing almonds, after eights, apples, hula hoops, hershey's, hob nobs, peanuts, pears, plums and pistachios.

We would also like to say a huge congratulations to Chris Efford from our musculoskeletal outpatients therapy team who was shortlisted for the 2021 Chief Allied Health Professions Officer AHP awards, this is a fantastic achievement – well done Chris!

Late applications to the EU settlement scheme

If you are a member of staff from the EU and you missed the deadline for the EU settlement scheme, you can still contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make a late application.

Mini Schwartz Round for UHD palliative care team

The next mini Schwartz Round will take place via Teams on 19 October between 2-3pm. The meeting will focus on 'when patients make choices that we find challenging' and is open to the UHD palliative care team only.

If you are part of this team and would like to join the meeting please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Forest Holme) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Mac Unit) for the link.

To find out about Schwartz Rounds and how your team/department can be part of a mini round, please go to the Schwartz Rounds pages on the intranet.

POOLE: Don't miss your chance to win the staff lottery

Poole is joining RBH for the UHD staff lottery. Lottery players can choose to between one and five numbers at the cost of £1 per number.

There are 17 prizes each month and a range of prizes across the year ranging from £25 to £500 each month, and then quarterly additional bonus prizes of £750 all the way to £1,000.

As well as monthly prizes we have a yearly lottery fund where teams can bid for money to buy goods to benefit staff such as materials for wellbeing spaces, pictures to enhance staff rooms and staff physio sessions. This will be launched in January each year with awards being made in the April.

To join complete this form and for more information visit the staff lottery page on the intranet.

Your wellbeing weekly

Don't forget to check out our wellbeing pages on the staff intranet. You can find out more about Tranquil Tuesday Pilates, Wellbeing Wednesday sessions on physical and mental wellbeing, Thriving Thursday yoga and much more...

Free Piede Pilates Session this afternoon

Tired feet? Give them a little love with a session filled with exercises to mobilise, stretch and strengthen your feet at the Poole Hospital physiotherapy gym.

The session takes place today (Tuesday 19 October) at 5.15pm and participants will need to bring their own tennis ball, or spiky massage ball.

Spaces are limited, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to book.