Minimising fuel related disruption

We are working with our Dorset system partners to coordinate efforts to minimise any disruption to healthcare services caused by the current fuel shortages at some garages and appreciate the difficulties this is causing.

While this situation is ongoing, please only make essential journeys and consider using public transport or car sharing if you can (please remember to wear a mask), or work from home if this is an option.

Department leads are asked to refer to their business continuity plans that define minimum staffing levels in the event of severe staff shortages, and list contingency plans for any outside providers they are reliant upon.

Please note, there is at present no provision for staff to have access to fuel. The National Emergency Fuel Protocol whereby essential critical users are given access to fuel is only enacted by the Government if fuel refineries are running low on fuel, which is not the case at present. If enacted only critical staff would be able to access this, it would not be available to staff to travel to and from work.

We understand that the current situation is stressful for many and will continue to keep you informed as circumstances develop.

The future of paging

The NHS has been advised that modern forms of portable communications should replace non-emergency pagers. As a trust we invited staff to share their views in 2018, and the findings from the review were due to be implemented in 2020 however were delayed by the pandemic.

We are now ready to make the changes to pagers across the trust.

Emergency Response Teams

The review identified that pagers are still the most effective way of quickly mobilising staff who need to respond immediately to an urgent situation. This includes both clinical (e.g. cardiac arrest) and non-clinical (e.g. fire) responses.

Following a tender process, the Swissphone manufacturer was selected to supply a new paging system to UHD. This will be a single system covering the whole trust and the transmitters will operate on a single frequency, allowing the paging devices to be used on any of the three sites. This will allow for a seamless transition when services are relocated between sites over the coming years. All pagers that currently form part of an emergency response team (around 200 across UHD) will be replaced with new devices on the Swissphone system. These new paging devices are far more durable than those currently in use and can survive being dropped on the floor and submersion in water.

Non-Emergency Pagers

The review identified that a more modern, feature rich solution was required to allow staff to be mobile around the trust, but contactable via various means. Once contacted, it should be possible to communicate effectively using the device, whether that be by text, voice or video.

A combination of existing technologies have recently been introduced to the trust which will allow this to take place. The proposal is for all non-emergency response pagers (approximately 1,200 out of the roughly 1,400 that we believe are currently in use), to be replaced with a portable device that will be serviced using the trust's Wi-Fi. These portable devices (essentially a smart phone, but without the SIM card), will have the MiCollab app installed – thereby integrating them with the digital telephone system. They will also be able to support MS Teams, which will then provide staff with a portable device that can receive instant messages, voice calls, or video.

This will allow staff to be contacted wherever they are, without the need to then have to find a phone to respond. The device will be work on any of our sites that have trust Wi-Fi which are currently Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Alderney – with plans for Yeomans Way and Beales in Poole to be added in due course. Unfortunately, we will be unable to provide this service at Canford House, as there are currently no plans to install Wi-Fi.

The actual portable device to be used has still to be decided. It will be affordable and manageable in a secure way and will also be sufficiently robust to survive within the trust environment.

This change will require most existing pager devices to be replaced with a device with a different four digit number associated with it. The integration with the telephone system means that many existing pager numbers cannot be retained (they are either already in use as extension numbers, or just not usable). However, for most devices, the new number that will be associated with them and the integration with the digital telephone system means they will be contactable using a direct dial number from outside the trust, as well as via their 4 digit number within.

Once we are able to start deploying these alternative devices, the current paging systems will gradually be run down and eventually turned off altogether. We are unable to use mobile phones (4G) as a solution due to varying signal from networks across the trust.

Catering supply issues

As we are all aware the food and drink industry is experiencing global supply challenges.

We are working hard with all our suppliers to be able to continue with our current patient and staff menus however in the short-term there may be last minute changes to menus or different products offered as alternatives. Depending on supply, a reduced menu may be offered.

Products that are in high demand and are likely to be impacted are desserts, drinks, bakery and single-serve items such as sauce sachets, cereal and cake slices.

Non-food items such as sandwich packaging, paper cups and straws are also included. We would like to encourage staff to support us by using travel mugs or reusable cups when visiting our outlets.

Ask Aly this Thursday

The next 'Ask Aly' event with our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell, takes place this Thursday (30 September) from 1pm.

It's a great, informal opportunity to ask questions and raise any issues.

The link to the Teams event can be found here and you can send your questions in advance to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RBH: Missing theatres slide sheets

Over the past few months our theatres department has had over 100 slide sheets go missing. The team request that any slide sheets labelled 'main theatres' be returned to the department as soon as possible.

Get winter-ready with our Covid-19 and flu clinics

Don't forget to book in for our staff winter resilience clinics.

They will operate at weekends, alternating between Poole (from this weekend, 2-3 October) and Royal Bournemouth (9-10 Oct, etc), to minimise impact on our normal operations. Clinics are scheduled to end on 5 December.

You must leave at least six months between your second Covid-19 jab and the booster – please do not try to book if this is not the case.

Book your appointment here.

If you experience any problems with the booking process, or need to change your appointment, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Last chance to have your say on travel at UHD

Don't forget to fill out our two-minute survey about your commute to and from work. All of our views are extremely valuable and will influence our travel plan, which aims to make commuting easier and more sustainable.

The survey takes approximately two minutes to complete and closes on Friday (1 October).

RBCH: Hospital alarm management system offline next Monday

Due to a planned upgrade of the fire alarm monitoring system for RBH and Christchurch Hospital, the monitoring system will be offline between 8am and 5pm on Monday 4 October.

Fire alarms and other alarm systems will work locally but there will be no automatic communication with the switchboard, so staff will need to alert them on ext. 2222.

Fire alarms, door alarms, personal attack systems, fridge temperature and locked in alarms, lift locked in alarms and plant alarms will be affected.

Between 8am and 4pm on Monday 4 October when an alarm sounds call ext. 2222 to raise assistance and break the glass on call point if a fire is discovered.

If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext 4296.

We will send out a further notification when all work is complete and the system has been returned to normal, thank you for your co-operation.

RBH: Changes to electronic prescribing for diabetes patients

Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) is due to launch at RBH this autumn.

When EPMA launches we will stop using the diabetes prescription chart. In order to prepare for this, from Monday 4 October, it's requested that all blood glucose readings are recorded on the eObs system.

Please continue to use the prescription chart for recording blood glucose levels if the person is on a variable rate intravenous insulin infusion (VRIII).

If you have questions, please speak to one of the diabetes specialist nurses.

Remembering Jonathan Martin, Informatics IT Desktop Technician

Jonathan Martin, dedicated IT Desktop Support technician at RBH, sadly passed away on 2 February 2021.

He was remembered by his friends and colleagues on Friday 24 September in a dedication ceremony with the naming of the new IT data centre and a memorial lakeside bench.

Jon had previously worked in outpatients and medical records, totalling 26 years of service for the NHS.

He is deeply missed by all who knew him.

POOLE: Oral and maxillofacial (OMF) urgent call for PA/admin support

Are you a PA or an administrator? Could you undertake some additional sessions to support the OMF team?

The OMF team are severely short-staffed for the next three weeks and need PA/admin support. There are some physical admin queries that require action and general administrative duties.

Whether you are a team lead and able to offer any administrative support from your team, or an administrator who could help contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ext. 3607.

Putting nutrition wheels in motion

Find out how the new interactive nutrition wheel tool is helping to detect malnutrition at an early stage in older people today (28 September) at 1pm.

Jane Murphy, professor in nutrition and registered dietitian from Bournemouth University, will be discussing 'Nutrition wheels in motion: an interactive tool to detect malnutrition at an early stage in older people, with signposting to support' at the next meeting of the Dorset ICS Innovation Hub Programme Group.

If you are interested in learning more from Jane and the team, you can join the Teams event here or for more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

International Older Persons Day this Friday

To promote International Older Persons Day, the older persons advanced clinical practitioners and practice educator will be visiting wards and departments at RBH on Friday (1 October) from 10am-4pm and will be in the Dome at Poole.

This will be your chance to ask questions about frailty and how to recognise and promote healthy living and independence within this patient group - remember, frailty is everyone's business.

Join the NHS conversation on race

The People Directorate at NHS England and NHS Improvement are pleased to invite us to 'Race Ahead – NHS Big Conversation on Race' during October.

Race Ahead will be a series of conversations and panel discussions on Wednesday 6 and Tuesdays 12, 19 and 26 October, from 10 am to 1 pm focused on the specific actions we can all take to improve the outcomes and experiences of our staff.

October is Black History Month in the UK, and as the NHS is the largest employer of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the country and across Europe, the objective of Race Ahead will be to tackle the workplace discrimination that some of our staff continue to face.

Click here to see the themes of the sessions and to register to attend using the NHS England events page.

Join the Armed Forces Support Group

Are you are an Armed Forces veteran or a close family member of a serving member of the Armed Forces or a veteran? Do you have an interest in the Armed Forces and their work?

An online Teams meeting of the Armed Forces Support Group will be held this Thursday (30 September) 12.30-1.30pm. You can join like-minded members of staff who aim to support the Armed Forces community in our hospitals, whether they are staff or patients.

Take a look at our network page or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Thank you to our pharmacists

Saturday (25 September) was World Pharmacist Day, and we would like to say a huge thank you to our pharmacy teams across UHD for all that they do.

Pharmacists and technicians have ensured that clear processes have been established to ensure that drugs, such as Ronapreve (for treatment of patients with acute covid symptoms who haven't mounted an antibody response), have been implemented safely and efficiently to enable improvement of patient outcomes.

Two for one tickets from the Regent Centre

Our friends at the Regent Centre in Christchurch have offered us two-for-one tickets to 'Tenors Unlimited; That's Amore'.

The number one selling classical vocal trio have an uplifting new show "That's Amore", where they will play their wide-ranging repertoire mixed with crooner and pop favourites from The Greatest Showman, Michael Buble and many more.

To book your tickets call the box office on 01202 499199 and quote "two for one offer" or book online here and enter "241OFFER" in the promo code box.

Your wellbeing weekly

This week sign up for Care First sessions, book your place on the free Menopause Awareness Month workshops, and stretch your body at Thriving Thursday's online sessions. Check the intranet for all these offers and more.