Staff Bulletin 20 September 2022
Dr Alyson O'Donnell stepping down
Dr Alyson O'Donnell has stepped down from her role as chief medical officer. She is currently on extended leave, but will return to the trust in a different role in the future. Dr Ruth Williamson, our deputy chief medical officer has been acting up to this role in Alyson's absence and will be continuing with this while we go out to recruitment.
Siobhan Harrington, chief executive, said: "Alyson was our first chief medical officer and played a pivotal role with the merger of the two old trusts and guiding our organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic. I am very grateful for the welcome she gave me when I joined the trust as chief executive and for all she has accomplished in her role. I am also very pleased that she will still be part of our trust in the future and look forward to working with her then."
Dr Alyson O'Donnell said: "It has been a great honour to have been the first chief medical officer. Stepping down from this role was an incredibly hard decision for me, but I know that this is best both for me and for the Trust. I would like to thank all colleagues who have supported me in my role and while I have been off. The last few years have been very challenging for all in the NHS but I am very proud of all that we have achieved together. I am looking forward to working with you all in the future in a different capacity."
Update to Covid-19 swabbing for patients
Due to reduced activity, over the next few weeks we anticipate a further reduction in our opening hours leading to the eventual closure.
With this in mind the authorisation process has been reviewed and a decision to trial a no authorisation process for Covid-19 swabbing has been agreed.
The changes will commence on 26 September. During this two week period wards and departments will not be required to bleep the swabbing team to request authorisation and will continue to collect the swab from the appropriate area as before. Please ensure that you know which swab you are collecting. Please continue to only swab your patients for urgent/clinical reasons.
Falls awareness week 19-23 September
Have you had a conversation with someone today about how to reduce the risk of falling? Talking about falls prevention is one of the best ways to educate and raise awareness. Keep an eye out for the falls team as they visit the wards to educate how to prevent falls for our patients in hospital and at home.
The team will be at Poole on 19 September visiting the wards between 11-12pm and 1-3pm and in the Dome on 20 September 10.30am-2.30pm. They will be at Christchurch on 21 September visiting outpatients in the am and the canteen in the pm. Their final visit will be to RBH on 22 September, visiting the wards between 11am-12pm and 1–3pm and by the marquee on 23 September at 10.30am–2.30pm.
RBH: No stoma service tomorrow (21 September)
Due to staff training there will be no stoma service tomorrow and service will resume on Thursday (22 September).
Coaching professional apprenticeship
Are you interested in training to be a coach and supporting others throughout the trust? The next level five coaching professional apprenticeship will be starting in January 2023 with an application deadline of November 2022. Information regarding this programme can be found here and manager approval is required. If you would like to apply please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LERN conference
Join a LERN conference on the 3 November in the lecture theatre at RBH. This is available for all staff to attend but particularly useful for clinical and medical staff. The day covers a range of topics from claims, medical examiners, learning from events, learning culture and an interactive simulation activity. It is available to book on ESR by searching 153 UHD LERN conference.
Goodbye to the crane at Poole
We had a busy weekend at Poole as the 50m crane that supported the construction of our new theatres complex was removed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused, this new facility is part of our plans to develop the site as the major planned care centre for the region. You can see time-lapse footage of the site preparations here.
Join the IHP quiz night to support our Robotic Tilting Table Appeal
IHP, our main contractor for our transformation projects, has offered us an open invite to join their quiz night to raise funds for their nominated charity, our charity's Robotic Tilting Table Appeal. The night will start from 6pm at Village Hotel, Deansleigh Road, on 12 October. Please confirm and register your team by email with This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 30 September, using the registration form here.
Grief and Her Majesty's death
To help us discuss and process feelings of grief, there will be a Teams meeting open to all staff on Wednesday afternoon (21 September), hosted by professional leads from across Dorset NHS. It will also provide an informal setting to discuss our own reactions to Her Majesty's death and our own personal grief. The event will take place from 2.15-3.30pm on Wednesday. Click here to join the meeting.
Physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term health conditions training
Free training of one to three hours either face to face or via teams. Sessions at a time to suit your team, run by an expert physical activity clinical champion. If your team is interested in receiving training, or would like to find out more please email your local physical activity clinical champion This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
RBH: Removal of CT scanners
As part of works to replace one of the CT scanners, a lorry will be brought up the fire road and parked in one of the bays at the back of the hospital (outside medical physics) at 1pm on Friday (23 September) for eight hours. This will potentially have some impact on deliveries and any waste pickups from waste store.
