Be a part of Nurses' Week

This year we will be celebrating Nurses' Day (12 May) with a week of news, views, stories and events from across our care groups. We will be showcasing the incredible work of our nurses and the difference they make to patients' lives, driven by this year's theme #BestOfNursing.

We would like you to share your pictures and video clips with us, celebrating what makes the #bestofnursing at UHD. You can also download this sign to print and customise with a few words about what you think shows the best of nursing in our hospitals.

If you would like to celebrate the nursing colleagues in your area please email your pictures to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send your videos on Facebook Messenger to the University Hospitals Dorset's main page, all content must be submitted by Monday 2 May. If you would prefer to send content by WhatsApp, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be provided with the mobile number.

Keep an eye out on our bulletins over the next few weeks to find out more about Nurses' Week 2022 or keep up-to-date by following #bestofnursing #nursesday #uhdnurses2022

ED teams promoting 'right care, right place'

Our emergency departments (EDs) are piloting a range of initiatives aimed at ensuring patients receive the most appropriate care and that our departments only see those most in need of their specialised services.

This week, teams at both EDs will be reinforcing the message that EDs are for the most serious and life threatening illness and injury only, and signposting alternative and appropriate support elsewhere, including GPs, urgent treatment centres (UTCs), pharmacies and NHS 111, to attendees who do not require care in the department.

From today (26 April), the ED team at Royal Bournemouth is making further changes. The streaming nurse, will now be based in the UTC reception desk at the hospital, instead of in ED. This will help ensure that only those patients who need to be in ED arrive there, helping to ensure staff are better able to support and monitor those in the ED waiting area.

The streaming and triage roles are being swapped in terms of seniority of nurse. This will support the navigation of patients to more appropriate care settings. This week sees those functions swap over, to enable more senior support to patients who will now no longer be seen in ED.

To streamline the new approach, all self attending patients – those who have made their own way to ED – will now arrive at the UTC entrance. The current ED drop off point and road access is for ambulances only.

Next week, Poole's ED will see changes to the rapid access to treatment (RAT) area, in which a consultant provides early reviews to patients who have usually arrived by ambulance in order to fast track their onward care.

For more information contact Daniel Murray, transformation manager for emergency care, via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Datix system outage tomorrow

A upgrade will be made to the trust wide Datix system tomorrow (27 April). The system is expected to be unavailable from 10am-4pm.

#YouMatter - last chance to have your say in the People Pulse survey

This week is your last chance to take part in the quarterly national NHS People Pulse survey. Please take five minutes to tell us about your experiences at work. By sharing your views, you'll ensure your voice is heard across our organisation.

It's one of our trust values to listen to understand, so that we can act and respond on your concerns and help improve the support that we provide to you.

Click here to tell us how you feel by Saturday (30 April). When you access the survey, select University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust as your organisation.

“Speak up, have your say, help yourself and others. Be part of the bigger picture. Your experience really counts, please tell us about it” said Hilary Fenton-Harris, Poole Africa Link co-ordinator, RCN steward.

Issues accessing the Trac recruitment system

We have now identified the cause of the issue affecting the Trac recruitment management software. We have addressed the problem and access to the Trac websites have been restored. Some delays may be experienced as the change can take time to come into effect.

Taking care of your feet on Foot Health Week

It's Foot Health Week and this year's theme asks us to think about the impact our working lives have on our feet. Working in a hospital can mean walking thousands of steps every day, and taking care of our feet is incredibly important to prevent strain and injury. Joelle Baynham, our consultant podiatrist for diabetes inpatients, has shared three top tips to help us take care of our feet every day.

1. Make sure your footwear supports your work role. If you are your feet a lot, do you have a shoe that's supportive around the arch, with a shock absorbing insole, rubber sole to prevent slips and a fastening?
2. Moisturise the skin on your feet and legs daily to keep it supple and prevent cracks from opening which can become painful and infected. The massage also helps tired muscles and circulation!
3. If you notice hard skin, corns or ingrowing toenails seek help from your GP or an HCPC registered podiatrist who will assess your problems, devise a treatment plan with you, and talk to you about your foot health. The Royal College of Podiatrists has a database of local podiatrists that can help here and guidance on treating common foot problems here.

Latest single PAS newsletter is out now

All of UHD will shortly be on the same, single UHD PAS. In the run up you can learn more about the project in a regular newsletter, which is sent out to key staff and available on the intranet for all staff to read.

To view it, and read previous editions, see the PAS pages of the intranet.

Charity shop re-opens at Poole Hospital

In 2020, our charity shop at Poole Hospital had to close due to Covid-19. On yesterday (25 April) we were so pleased to be able to open the doors once again and our wonderful volunteer Jackie welcomed our first customer. The shop is located along the North entrance corridor of Poole Hospital, opening hours are on an ad-hoc basis for now but we hope to open five days a week soon.

Thank you so much to everyone involved - we can't wait to see you soon.

RBH: changes to assessments for the dementia and delirium team

From 25 May, assessments completed by the dementia and delirium team will now be on EPR and not on the usual blue form that is in the medical notes. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Map and guide working on the RBH site updated

We've updated our map and guide to working on the RBH site to reflect the most recent changes to the hospital layout. You can find both of them here together with details of the Poole and Christchurch sites.

Thank you to Ellie, consultant orthodontist

The head and neck directorate would like to wish our consultant orthodontist Ellie Thickett a very happy retirement after working at Bournemouth for an incredible 16 years.

Ellie has been a staunch advocate for improving oral health and has made an extraordinary contribution as a single-handed consultant to keep Dorset smiling. Ellie has positively impacted the lives of many children and her legacy will be seen in the confidence and smiles of children. Ellie has helped many colleagues to achieve their dreams professionally, both in the orthodontics profession and across the Trust. Ellie has always been a huge advocate for staff well-being and has made significant contributions to improve staff experience. Ellie has been a big advocate for supporting patients and staff reducing taboo around mental health and people with diverse abilities. We have no doubt that Ellie's kindness will have impacted many colleagues across the trust inside and outside of work.

From the team and your patients – thank you Ellie, we are all wishing you a long, healthy and happy retirement that brings many more smiles over the years.

If you would like to wish Ellie farewell, please come down to the orthodontics department this Thursday (28 April) between 11am-1pm to wish her well. There will be a guest book for those who cannot attend, please pop into reception from 1 May to leave your well wishes.

Planning for your retirement?

A pre-retirement seminar takes place on 19 May from 9am –12.30pm in the lecture theatre at Poole.

The aim is to provide as much information as possible prior to retirement age to support informed choices and decisions regarding retirement and is aimed at all staff planning to retire in the next five to ten years.

Find out more here or book a place with Sarah Watts, pensions officer on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: post room notice

Due to the pending Royal Mail new collection times from RBH, our post room working hour's will change to 8am-4pm Monday to Friday from 23 May.

If you require further information, please email 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..

Dynamed

Our trial of Dynamed, a point of care tool for clinical decision, is now over. If you had chance to use this resource during the last three months we would really appreciate it if you could take two minutes to fill out our quick survey to help us decide whether we should purchase it for the Trust here.