VIDEO: the impact of outbreaks, and how we can all REFRESH our approach to infection control

Your colleagues across UHD have been reflecting on their experiences of outbreaks and caring during the pandemic and share their compelling stories in this short video.

Please take a few minutes to listen to them and share the film with your teams. Your wellbeing and infection control is vital to us all, so take a moment to reflect and refresh your knowledge.

Importantly, if you have any concerns or there is anything you are unsure about, it's always ok to ask.

Vaccine second doses

Staff who have had the first part of the two-part Covid-19 vaccination at UHD can now book their second. Our online booking portal is open for bookings for between 10-12 weeks from your first.

If you experience issues booking your second appointment please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Staff who are yet to have their first vaccination should click here for information on how to arrange this.

Inpatient vaccinations

Inpatients in eligible criteria may now be referred by the consultant in charge of their care for a vaccination.

The referral criteria and process have been shared with consultant colleagues. Patients will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine from a member of our Covid-19 vaccination team on the ward.

Refreshments for clinical areas

With the number of patients with Covid-19 thankfully reducing in our hospitals, we hope those working in clinical areas will find it easier to keep hydrated, take their breaks and make use of the rest areas in and around our hospitals. We will continue to deliver water and snacks to blue clinical areas from March, and there will be refreshments available in the safe spaces. Please also encourage your teams to use their complimentary food and drink vouchers, being handed out as part of our Values Week.

If you would like to discuss additional support for your area, please chat to our organisational development team – just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

POOLE - FIT testing

FIT testing at Poole is being arranged through Carol Flynn and her team in the education centre.

If any wards/department at Poole Hospital have been providing fit testing to their teams please send a list of names to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – wherever possible managers are asked to include staff assignment numbers. This will enable us to add the FIT testing competency to the BEAT/VLE (green brain) across UHD.

FFP3 mask withdrawn

Supplies of 'Fang Tian'-branded FFP3 masks, marked 'FT-045', are being withdrawn from our hospitals as further tests are needed to ensure they comply with regulations. Whilst logistics has visited wards to remove these masks, please ensure that no further stock of these masks are kept.

RBH – car parking update

We appreciate how important parking is for staff, patients and visitors. A full briefing, including more information for cyclists, will be issued shortly.

Key changes include:

• The occasional car park has been closed for staff and the spaces allocated to patients following the closure of Car Park A. If you usually park here, please make use of the multi storey car park or alternative staff spaces on site. Please contact the travel team if you have any issues with your badge at the barriers.
• Car Park A has closed to the public and will be closing to staff on 27 February.
• Car Park B will only be available for use by Blue Badge holders from 1 March.
• Car Park H will be closing on 4 March. This is a staff car park and you should make use of other spaces on site after this date.
• Please use the rear entrance to enter the site and park. You can exit via either entrance.
• If you have been allocated a Littledown car parking permit by the travel team, you will be able to use designated spaces for UHD staff at Littledown from 1 March. Littledown has confirmed these spaces can be accessed between 6am and 10pm on weekdays, or 8am-6pm on Saturdays. They cannot be accessed on a Sunday. Staff with UHD-Littledown permits can also park in staff spaces at RBH on weekends and evenings. On weekdays if you are likely to still be on site after 10pm, you could move your car over to RBH between 6pm and 10pm. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
• The UHD Littledown permits differ from the BCP virtual permits, offered to staff last year. BCP will be in touch directly with virtual permit holders with any changes.
• The drop-off location near to the main entrance will remain available for drop offs.
• Following the closure of Car Park A, unfortunately there will be no immediate provision for EV charging. Plans to reinstate public charging will be shared at a later date.

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

A full briefing, including more information for cyclists, will be issued shortly.

Our values – email signature and Teams backgrounds

Our corporate ID page has been updated to include new Teams backgrounds and a new email signature strip that includes our values.

RBH - education and training class resumption

All training will be resumed from 1 March.

We still have spaces available on the following training at RBH:

• preceptorship: leadership – 2 March
• human factors – 3 March
• manual handling and falls champion update - 4 March
• conflict - 5, 9, 18, 22 and 31 March
• moving and handling – 18,22, 30 and 31 March
• sage and thyme – 8 March

Contact the training department on ext. 4947 to book on any of these courses or book via self service on ESR.

'Connecting with you' listening event

Staff working from home, shielding or out the workplace for other reasons are invited to our new 'Connecting with you' listening event on 2 March, 12-1pm, on Teams for informal chat and support. Click here for the Teams link.

POOLE - Level 2 and 3 apprenticeship programme for HCSWs

Any band 2-4 HCSWs that are interested in starting a level 2 or 3 apprenticeship programme at the Bournemouth and Poole College can enrol for the below dates:

Enrolment 1:

31 March (with an overflow day if required on 1 April). This enrolment will create Group B and will start on 22 April. College days will be strictly every other Thursday from this date.

Enrolment 2:

5 May (with an overflow day if required on 6 May). This enrolment will create Group E and will start on 13 May. College days will be strictly every other Thursday from this date.

Funding for the training will come from the Apprenticeship Levy and wards/departments will be required to support their own backfill requirements, therefore each ward/department will need to consider how many staff they can support for each apprenticeship.

Study days requirements are usually one day a week for between 15-18 months.

If you are interested in this opportunity and would like more information, there are monthly career drop in sessions arranged in the education centre at Poole Hospital for 26 March, 5 May, 9 June, 25 August, 6 October, 17 November and 15 December between from 2-4pm. Alternatively you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

POOLE - funeral for Krzysztof

The funeral of Krzysztof Gogolewski, porter at St Mary's maternity unit, will take place at Poole Crematorium at 1pm on 8 March. Staff who wish to attend can do so virtually, via https://www.obitus.com/. You will need the following details - user name: Geyu1159 and password: 992525

Krzysztof's portering colleagues are also planning a socially-distanced guard of honour on Longfleet Road as the hearse makes its way past the hospital at around 12.30pm.

Krzysztof was a much-loved porter at the hospital for more than 10 years, and died last week.

In her latest lockdown concert on Facebook, opera star Katherine Jenkins read a tribute sent in by Krzysztof's St Mary's colleagues and performed a song in Krzysztof's memory. You can watch the clip on Facebook here.

A book of condolence remains open in the chapel at Poole Hospital.

Letterhead template contact details

Departments are asked to verify contact details on letterhead templates. This includes making sure phone numbers are in the new '0300 019 + extension' format. This should not include the old '44 + extension' format.

If departments find faults in letterheads, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make sure any incorrect templates are taken out of circulation and corrected.

Have you had your flu jab elsewhere?

If you have had your flu jab outside of the trust, eg at your GP or pharmacy, please contact occupational health to let them know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH - diabetes inpatient nursing team update

Due to unforeseen sickness the diabetes inpatient nursing team is short staffed. Please bear with us and consider if your referral is necessary before submitting.

RBH – use of the Butterfly Garden

The end of life nurse specialists found an empty lunch box, drink bottle and a pair of glasses on one of the benches in the Butterfly Garden this week.

This is a reminder that the garden along the west wing corridor is for end of life patients and their loved ones use only. If you have patients/relatives that require access please contact the end of life nurse specialists or palliative care team for the access code.

eCaMIS messaging switch off

The eCaMIS internal messaging function will be switched off on 1 March. The icon will still be available but will not function.

Job of the week

We are looking for a band 6 care group risk and governance co-ordinator.

You will be responsible for coordinating the overall day-to-day delivery and management of the care group governance functions (including risk management incident investigation, complaint investigation, data and trend analysis and management of CQC requirements. Click here to view the full job description and to apply.

To view and apply for all our internal and external vacancies click here.

Staff lottery bid application now open

The staff lottery fund annual bid is now open for teams to access. As in the past, teams need to write a proposal as to what they would like to purchase, with actual or approximate costs. This year a 'bid form' is available so that submissions are received in the same format. Unfortunately we are unable to accept bids from Poole colleagues until next year when the lottery will have merged and rolled out at Poole.

We have been unable to do this until both sites are under the same payroll provider, which is from April 2021. The form and the link to the bid poster can be found on the staff lottery page (under S in the RBCH intranet A-Z).

The committee will meet at the beginning of April and review all of the bid requests and teams will be notified as to whether there bid has been successful.

If you would like any further information please contact the team via the lottery email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GP Connect – coming soon to the DCR

The Dorset Care Record (DCR) is introducing a new way to get primary care (GP) information in DCR on the evening of 3 March, replacing the current MIG system.

This is an exciting change which will bring the following benefits:

• richer information with more detailed notes and readings
• a broader level of information being exchanged
• an easier way to facilitate new information being added – as the GP connect standard evolves the additional information will automatically display.

The presentation of this information is going to be different. Information will now be shown in the clinical document viewer under the 'summary' tab rather than under the 'GP' tab.

The different location will be clearly signposted as part of this change and we will have a video showcasing what is available, which we'll share in the next week.

How to have difficult conversations: sessions starting in April

Staff with line management responsibilities are invited to a leadership development session aimed at helping attendees develop techniques for managing difficult conversations.

The virtual programme, delivered by Practive, aims to support delegates to increase their confidence and skills in handling difficult conversations, tackling poor behaviour and supporting individual performance.

Sessions will take place on:

• 22 April, 1-5pm
• 12 May, 9am-1pm
• 25 May, 9am-1pm
• 3 June, 9am-1pm

For more information and to apply email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Care First webinars

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

• Friday 26 February, 12-12.30pm – Keeping optimistic
• Monday 1 March, 12-12.30pm – Care First
• Tuesday 2 March, 12-12.30pm – Covid-19 vaccines
• Wednesday 3 March, 12-12.30pm – Support
• Thursday 4 March, 12-12.30pm – Change, loss and bereavement
• Friday 5 March, 12-12.30pm – Maintaining routines for back to school

Roadworks

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