Your name here?

As part of our preparations ahead of the major construction phase on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site, we're asking you to put forward suggestions for the name of the new main building - currently known as the MCEC (maternity, children's, emergency and critical care centre).

We are looking for a name that:

• is clear, logical and descriptive
• will stand the test of time
• preserves the existing overall positive regard for our hospitals
• follows UHD corporate guidelines (see intranet for details)
• reflects Dorset's heritage.

Putting forward a name is simple – just send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. under the subject heading 'RBH 'big build' naming', together with your role and location, by 14 May.

RBH: Covid-19 screening team relocation and collection of Covid swabs

The Covid-19 screening team is relocating from ward 7 to the drive-through facility in car park B today (30 April). This will enable ward 7 to re-open for orthopaedic surgery patients.

Genexpert (fast track, red top) and Samba swabs should be collected from the Samba Suite located on the ground floor of the east wing, near AMU, on a named patient basis.

Please bleep the co-ordinator who will authorise the release of those swabs.

Today is last chance to share your views on the trust since merger – how does it feel?

Six months on from our merger, we're continuing to transform our services as we move towards a planned care site and emergency care site in 2025/26.

Today (30 April) is the last day to take part in a short survey to tell us how it feels working for UHD since the merger and to give your views on a range of topics, including our new vision and values, teams coming and working together, what transformation means to you, compassion towards patients and each other, and whether you feel able to lead change.

Lateral flow tests for pregnant women

In line with national guidance, from 4 May we will be asking women to take a Covid lateral flow test 24 hours before their outpatient, community and scan appointments and show their results when booking in. Support partners should also take a test.

Information about how women and partners should book a test, as well as a patient information leaflet and FAQs, is available on our website – www.uhd.nhs.uk/services/maternity

Tools for staff, including national guidance, are available on the covid pages of the intranet.

Update: Littledown parking permits

Just over half of the available 100 extra parking permits at the Littledown Centre for non-clinical RBH staff are left since they were offered last week – there is still chance to apply, but please don't delay.

Staff taking up these spaces free up a valuable parking space on the RBH site for clinical staff who care for patients. This scheme has been prompted by the transformation works underway to create the new maternity, children, emergency and critical care centre (MCEC), and which has reduced the amount of parking spaces at the RBH site.

The Littledown permits give access to a designated space between 6am and 10.15pm on weekdays, and between 8am to 6pm on Saturdays.

To apply, staff will need to already hold a full RBH parking permit, and should email the travel team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BAME staff network open forum today - Covid-19, one year on

The UHD BAME staff network open forum will be reflecting on Covid-19 and how it has affected us all over the last year at today's (30 April) forum, from 3-4.30pm. This will be an opportunity to share experiences of the pandemic at work and beyond. All staff across the trust are welcome to join the event on Microsoft Teams, using this link. If you have any questions about the event or are interested in sharing your experiences, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you to our bank staff colleagues

When we offered a wellbeing day this year for our substantive staff, we also wanted to show our appreciation and thanks to our bank-only staff whose contribution was so important in helping us get through the last year. This has obviously been a very challenging time for everyone working across UHD and our bank staff have played a vital role - working extremely flexibly, often in new areas with a different shift pattern, supporting our collective response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Without set hours, providing 'time off' is obviously not an option for these colleagues, so instead, we shall be issuing a £30 voucher as a gift, that these bank staff will be able to claim instead. This will be from Love2Shop which can be used in over 20,000 stores across the UK. Further details about how to claim the voucher will be shared across our communication channels shortly.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do.

Standing with our colleagues in India

Debbie Fleming, our chief executive, offers her full support for all our colleagues affected by the awful situation in India with the surge in Covid cases. This is a distressing time for many staff worrying about friends and family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them all. Watch her video message here.

Building confidence and skills in everyday maths for #NationalNumeracyDay

UHD has signed up as champions in support of National Numeracy Day on 19 May.

Our education teams wants to empower all staff to improve their number confidence and skills. Whether for home finances, work and supporting children in your care to learn, the National Numeracy Challenge can help. It's a free and easy-to-use website for improving your number confidence and skills.

Events for staff will also be taking place here at UHD on 19 May from 7.30am-3.30pm in seminar room 1 in the education centre at Poole Hospital – look out for more new on these soon.

New information asset register – now live

The trust's new information asset register (IAR) is now available for use. The trust has defined information assets as electronic databases (and their components) that contain person identifiable data (PID), and business-critical electronic databases which do not contain PID but where loss of access would result in a moderate or greater risk.

Our purpose-built in-house register will support information asset owners and administrators to centrally record and manage details about information assets.

The new IAR should be accessed via Google Chrome using this link, which is also available via managed bookmarks under workforce systems. A guidebook is available on the intranet and the information governance team is also working hard to produce tutorial videos to further support users. To coincide with the roll-out of the new IAR, updated training for IAOs and IAAs will be available on 7 and 11 May.

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

POOLE: Thank you to Caroline

After 13 years at Poole Hospital and 36 years in the NHS, Caroline Macpherson, breast cancer nurse specialist, is retiring. Caroline is an amazing nurse and wonderful role model. She has contributed so much the breast cancer service showing true leadership and always with a smile on her face. We wish her well and will miss her loads. Oncology team, Poole Hospital

Appointment of group director of operations for specialties

Congratulations to Sarah Macklin, who has been appointed care group director of operations for specialties, following a nine month interim period in the role.

Resources ahead of next week's Deaf Awareness Week

UHD is proud to partner with WeSupportDeafAwareness to bring staff a free training resource to help support colleagues and patients who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The training is online and takes around 1.5 hours to complete over 12 modules, including a quiz. It covers topics including:

• ​what's it like being deaf - a personal story
• deaf statistics
• types of deafness and the different hearing categories
• the signs that someone is hard of hearing
• the tools that the deaf and hard of hearing use day-to-day
• tips in communicating face to face, video calls and on the telephone.

Click this link and use code UHDNHSFT to access the training.

Look out for awareness stands around the trust all next week.

Counter fraud – here for you

Your local counter fraud specialists (LCFS) help us to comply with legislation, but are also here to investigate claims of wrongdoing.

We need you to report any issues you see in your day-to-day role, around our sites.

Do you feel as though you know enough about fraud and bribery to be able to spot the signs? Click on this link to watch our training video. We are also available to host training on site and via Microsoft Teams.

Our local counter fraud specialists will always listen if you feel unsure about anything, no matter how uncertain you are - and your report will always be treated in confidence.

Contact them using the details below:

Matt Wilson

Mobile: 07484 040691

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or

Heather Greenhowe

Mobile: 07800 617146

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Reminder: new DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) guidelines

New DVT and PE guidelines were introduced on Monday using age adjusted D-dimer for patients over 50. You can see the guidelines on the anticoagulation and thrombosis policies page of the RBCH intranet.

Leading teams through change workshops – new dates

Are you leading a team through change? Join one of our leadership development workshops to gain some knowledge and tips around leading through times of uncertainty.

The workshops are also a great opportunity to network with other leaders across UHD. We have more workshop dates available on 7 and 25 May and 8 June - if you would like to book, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBCH – fridge, cold room and air con maintenance

Engineers from Epta UK (formerly Cold Service) will be at Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals from 10 May for approximately three weeks.

They will be carrying out routine maintenance inspections and cleaning of refrigerators, freezers, cold rooms and ceiling/wall mounted air conditioning units, starting at the Royal Bournemouth and then moving on to Christchurch.

The engineers will contact department heads before commencing work in their areas, please ensure they have access to all units held within your departments and if you are experiencing any problems please let them know.

If you have any problems during this visit then contact Andy Wilson on ext 4291 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Find out how our staff are supporting the roll-out of the Dorset Care Record (DCR)

Fiona White, medicines management technician, and Dr Mike Bayne, consultant oncologist, are both featured in the latest set of case studies showcasing how DCR is helping to join patient records and systems together. You can read their contributions here.

Roadworks – stay up-to-date

There's new way to find out about planned roadworks and closures in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are. One.Network is a map-based resource that is regularly updated by BCP Council with activity affecting travel around the area, and can show events for the current day, the next few weeks or even a year ahead. Click here to visit it.