Operational pressures across UHD – how you can help

We recognise that many areas are under sustained pressure and are grateful for all the great teamwork supporting the care of our patients

Demand for urgent and emergency care remains extremely high across our sites, but this is more than just a challenge for the emergency department. In order to support the emergency department and assessment units we need to work together to ensure that any patients who no longer require hospital care are discharged as soon as possible.

Our partners are working hard to support us with discharges with increasing numbers of more complex discharges leaving hospital. Work to create capacity in community hospitals has been successful and we are seeing more capacity available.

Some things that all wards and departments can do now to support our patient flow:

• Ensure patients who are ready for discharge have everything in place that they need e.g. discharge medications
• Placements in community hospitals are coming through regularly, please make sure patients referred to these have in-date swabs
• Ensure early medical review of any patients who may be medically fit for discharge. Wards/departments should highlight these to their medical teams
• Ensure referrals for on-going care and support are proportionate to the patients needs, discuss with the discharge teams if there may be alternatives for patients not requiring large packages of care
• Consider if patients with packages of care starting tomorrow can be supported by family to be discharged today
• Ensure transport is booked as soon as a discharge is identified, it is easier to amend or cancel than it is to fulfil late in the day
• Ensure Health of the Ward is always kept up to date with planned discharge dates

Reminder: UHD Covid-19 booster clinics close soon

If you haven't booked your Covid-19 booster yet, and would like it with UHD, please don't delay your booking as our weekend winter wellness clinics will end on 7 November.

If you have already made an appointment that falls after this date, please go to the online booking portal and cancel and rebook your appointment for sooner, if possible. There are currently appointments available at Poole on 30-31 October, and Royal Bournemouth on 6-7 November.

If you are unable to rebook, eg 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. You may not be able to make your booking on the national system until six months after your second initial dose.

The NHS App: please note that the NHS app does not currently show booster vaccinations. This will not affect your NHS Covid Pass, available from the app.

Flu jabs: 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, are underway, including new clinics at Christchurch – for full details see the intranet under latest news.

RBH: Advanced notice of roadworks starting on Deansleigh Road next week

As part of the construction work on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site there will be extensive roadworks on the Deansleigh Road roundabout, outside the Village Hotel.

The preparations start next week (w/c 25 October) with the overall project lasting for five weeks, resulting in potentially significant traffic issues. While this disruption is ongoing, please give yourself more time for your journey and consider using public transport or car sharing if possible.

We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your co-operation during this time.

Visit our Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) teams today

It's IPC week and our teams will be holding displays in the dome at Poole Hospital and atrium RBH today from 11am-2.30pm.

They will be showcasing a quality improvement project commencing on two wards across both sites in November and providing information about becoming an IPC champion. The fit test team will also be on hand to answer questions relating to changes in guidance for FFP3 respirators.

Come and chat or leave a question in the box on our stands.

Finalise your bank time sheets on time to avoid delayed payments

All worked bank duties must be finalised by 8am every Wednesday. If you have any queries or need support with bank duty finalisation you should call the temporary staffing office by 3pm on the Tuesday before finalisation is due.

Any duties not finalised by this deadline may not be included in the weekly submission and may result in a delayed payment to you.

Please ensure your department has a suitable contingency plan in the instance of annual leave and unexpected absences to ensure time sheets are filed on time.

If you have any questions please contact:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext 4219 for RBH
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext 2183 for Poole.

RBH: A new way to reach the pharmacy team at weekends and bank holidays

From November wards needing to reach the pharmacy team should send an email to the pharmacy Teams channel on weekends and bank holidays. This method of communication will replace the current HAN bleep.

Please provide: ward and location (e.g. bay, bed), patient's initials (no names), the prescription needed and how urgent.

If you are in:

• wards 1-5, the eye unit, Derwent department or the haematology/oncology day unit email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• surgery, wards 11, 14 or at the Bournemouth Private Clinic email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• in the East Wing please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For a status on your TTA, please use the pharmacy tracker

POOLE: Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) upgrade complete...

EPMA was upgraded on Sunday (17 October) and Poole is now running on the latest version of the software.

There were some challenges during the upgrade window, none of which impacted patient safety, but one that did impact EPMA access via EPR; this can currently only be done via Internet Explorer – please do not access via Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge as it will not work.

On a positive note, the upgrade has introduced new features, such as 'quick charting' for nursing administration and a 'right-click' menu for prescribers. You might have already seen members of the EPMA team on the wards this week promoting the benefits of the upgrade... if you haven't then keep an eye out as they will be visiting you soon.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or have experienced any difficulties with the new version, then please call the EPMA team on 2984 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you missed Ask Aly...

Thank you to all those who joined Ask Aly yesterday with our deputy chief medical officer, Dr Matt Thomas. There were lots of questions asked and topics discussed, from operational pressures and the importance of being civil, to parking, Think Big, the staff survey and plastic cups! You can catch up on the meeting here.

Why complete the national NHS Staff Survey?... because together we can improve…

We know the Staff Survey is not the most exciting document and is seen as time consuming. You may even feel "what's the point" but if you can take 15-20 minutes out of your day to play your part and complete it, then you would know you have actively helped UHD's future, as together we can always keep improving.

This year has been one of a kind, and not one anyone is likely to want to repeat, but now being one team and one trust, we can work together to shape the future of UHD and always improve through the national NHS staff survey.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Tributes to Debbie Thompson

It is with deep sadness that we have to inform you that Debbie Thompson, who worked in the Urgent Treatment Centre as an ECP, passed away on Monday 18 October with her family present.

Debbie was a well-liked and very much loved paramedic who worked in the NHS for over 30 years. She worked in the Urgent Treatment Centre and SWAST for many years and she was a privilege to work alongside. She will be sadly missed by all her family, friends and colleagues.

A book of condolence will be placed in the chapel at Royal Bournemouth Hospital for anyone who wishes to share their memories of Debbie.

POOLE: Nuclear medicine welcome Marie and Pierre Curie to the team

On Monday we celebrated the opening of two new SPECT/CT scanners at Poole in the nuclear medicine department. These new machines allow for 'fusion imaging', meaning the images can be overlaid or viewed together to give a better picture than both images being looked at separately, faster scanning, smaller radiation doses and more accurate diagnostic information.

Dr Kat Dixon, head of nuclear medicine, said: "We are so excited to learn how to use these machines to their full potential and take on new projects. We named the machines after Marie and Pierre Curie for their pioneering work in nuclear medicine and we are so proud we can now help our patients quicker and more efficiently".

With thanks to Dr Kat Dixon, Paul Vaughan and the team from Siemens Healthcare, the trustees and donors from the Poole Hospital Cancer Treatment Trust charity and its fantastic patron, actor Guy Henry, for cutting the ribbon. Special thanks to the incredible staff who kept the service running smoothly throughout the nine months of building work.

Tribute to Rex Symons CBE from our chief executive Debbie Fleming

We were sad to learn of the death of a former chairman of Poole Hospital, Rex Symons CBE. He was the hospital trust's first chairman and held the role between 1991-2000.

Rex was a strong proponent of all things Dorset and worked hard to improve every aspect of healthcare in the region. His long and notable career included chairmanship of East Dorset Health Authority from 1989-1991, Poole Hospital NHS Trust from 1991-2000 as well as first chair of the newly established Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust between 2000-2006.

He also had a wide range of roles across industry and the arts sector including chairman of the CBI's Health and Safety Committee, chairman of Dorset Training and Enterprise Council for six years until 1998, deputy chairman of Merck Holdings from 1989-91 and managing director of BDH Chemicals Ltd (formerly British Drug Houses Ltd) from 1980-89. He was also a member of a number of employment tribunals as well as governor of the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design.

We would like to send our deepest condolences to Rex's family, including son, Paul, and daughter-in-law, Melanie. Our thoughts are with them at this sad time.

His funeral service will be at St Luke's in Winton at 12.30pm on 28 October followed by interment at Wimborne Road Cemetery.

Share your views on Home First and supported discharge work

Dorset's Home First programme has been running over a year now, working with local health and social care partners to move patients out of hospital as quickly as possible and support them to recover at home.

As Home First's leaders look to the future, they would like to hear from staff involved in this work to better understand their experiences of Home First and what they would like to see going forward.

A new survey, open until Friday 29 October, provides an opportunity to share your views. The survey is anonymous and takes roughly eight minutes. If wish to discuss any aspect of the survey further contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the independent organisation helping develop the next phase of the project.

XCH: 'Unknown Tommy' dedication to mark the start of this year's Poppy Appeal

The mayor of Christchurch has kindly donated an 'Unknown Tommy' silhouette to Christchurch Hospital. The silhouette is going to be placed in the hospital's memory garden.

The chaplains and the Armed Forces Support Group are holding a short dedication service at 11am next Thursday (28 October) all are welcome to attend.

The dedication service will mark the start of this year's Poppy Appeal in UHD.

Welcome to our new east Dorset library service lead

A warm welcome to Dr Affra Al Shamsi, the new lead for the NHS East Dorset Library and Knowledge Services. Affra comes to us from Kent, where she was the lead for Medway NHS Foundation Trust Knowledge and Library Services.

She is passionate about communication, sharing knowledge and quality improvement, and since joining the NHS has qualified as a QI and evidence and knowledge mobilisation coach, is a QSIR practitioner, part of the Q Community and a Fab Ambassador for the South East.

Last chance to showcase your improvements

Time is running out for you to share your poster at our Qi Celebration event on 24 November.

We're looking for examples on how you've tried out quality improvements in your team to inspire others to do the same. The deadline is midnight on 25 October 2021 but please let the Qi team know if you need some extra time and/or help to complete your submission.

More details are on the quality improvement section of the intranet here.

Trust-wide overpayment policy

We now have approved and implemented a trust-wide policy for recovering overpayments of wages and expenses. The aim of this policy is to provide a fair and consistent approach in dealing with the recovery of overpayments.

Occasionally, overpayment of wages and expenses can happen, and this policy explains the procedure for recovering overpayments.

If you are a member of staff and you have received an overpayment, or if you are a manager dealing with the recovery of overpayments, this policy explains the correct actions for you to take.

Keep our patient folders clean and green

Green plastic patient folders are recycled, but this cannot be done if stickers are attached to the front of the folders.

Do not stick patient ID demographic labels onto folder covers, as not only is this a breach of patient confidentiality but the labels are difficult to remove and leads to folders being thrown away.

Please think green, stop waste and reduce the workload for your colleagues.

Sign up to Elf Dash – our first UHD Charity Christmas event!

Join us at Branksome Dene Beach on 4 December and take on a sponsored run, walk, skip or dance along a 2km promenade route in support of your hospitals this Christmas.

Bring along family and friends and end the year with some festive cheer – children will also be able to meet Santa in his grotto!

Tickets are £10 for adults (16+), £6 per child and include a tasty lunch, elf hat and medal as well as a Christmas gift for children.

Sign up here.

Planning for your retirement?

A pre-retirement seminar is taking place on Wednesday 27 October 9am –12.30pm in the lecture theatre at Poole Hospital.

The seminar will provide information to support informed choices and decisions regarding retirement, and is aimed at all staff planning to retire in the next ten years.

Oak Tree Financial Training, an independent training consultancy, will present the seminar. Information will include: state pensions, income tax and the self-assessment tax regime, the NHS pension scheme, company pension/personal pension schemes, savings and investments, credit history, mortgages and re-mortgages, wealth preservation including wills and inheritance tax and how to get the best financial advice to suit your individual needs.

Places are limited to 30 and staff from across UHD are welcome. Further courses will be held at RBH, with dates to be confirmed.

To book a place contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext. 2786.

It's Stammering Awareness Day

Today is International Stammering Awareness Day (ISAD). Did you know the NHS Stammering Network has been created by NHS staff who have lived experience of stammering?

The network provides NHS staff with support and information on stammering, including easy access to useful resources and we offer recommendations on how to support staff who stammer in the workplace.

Your wellbeing weekly

Don't forget to check out our wellbeing pages on the staff intranet. You can find out about exercise activities across UHD, upcoming menopause workshops and the next living well in retirement session on 26 October...