Nation gives thanks to the NHS

The nation gave thanks to NHS staff, and those who support them, as well as other keyworkers and communities, on Sunday to mark national Thank You Day.

Our chief executive, Debbie Fleming, recorded a video message giving her own appreciation of those that have helped support our hospitals during the pandemic, and in particular, our staff.

"I couldn't be prouder of all our staff," said Debbie. "It's an honour and a privilege to work with so many talented and caring people."

NHS England estimated that as many as 16m people took part in Thank You Day in some way.

On Monday, HM the Queen awarded the NHS the George Cross, the highest civilian gallantry award, in recognition of 73 years of dedicated service, including for the 'courageous efforts of healthcare workers across the country battling the Covid-19 pandemic'.

Got a question? Ask Aly!

Join the virtual Ask Aly event at 1pm on Wednesday (7 July) with our chief medical officer, Dr Alyson O'Donnell. Alyson will be joined by our chief operating officer, Mark Mould, for an update on the Think Big initiative.

It's a great opportunity to ask questions, raise issues and share your views.

You can join the meeting here and if you'd like to send any questions in an advance, pop them through to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will be asked on your behalf.

Reporting incidents - reminder

All staff and patient safety incidents must be reported immediately to the manager or senior person on a shift.

A LERN must also be completed as soon as possible after identification of the event, and always within two working days. Our health and safety team should also be notified as soon as possible in the event of any staff injuries or time off work that fall into this reporting category.

Please contact your local health and safety advisor for more support or information.

Green Plan – managing our resources

In the final video to mark the launch of UHD's Green Plan, Edwin Davies, associate director of estates and capital development, and George Atkinson, associate director of estates, together with Dr Isabel Smith, consultant anaesthetist and medical director, strategy and transformation, highlight how our we're reducing the consumption of finite resources as well as putting sustainability at the heart of our patient pathways. You can watch it here.

Walk for Wards 2021: sign up today!

Join us in the grounds of the prestigious Somerley House on 4 September as our flagship event, Walk for Wards, returns for 2021!

Walk a route of either 3km, 5km or 10km at our first 'in person' event as University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity and do something amazing for a ward or department close to your heart.

The picturesque 7,000 acre country estate serves as a stunning backdrop to the day and will be open exclusively for event attendees as they take on their charity walk and enjoy a new festival feel as we introduce family friendly entertainment, stalls and activities.

Adults can sign up for £10 and children under 16 go free.

Sign up and find out more here.

Quality Improvement (QI) support: 'It's so easy to register'

Congratulations to Charlotte Meek for winning the first QI monthly prize after registering her project for improving diabetic foot care. Charlotte, physiotherapist (vascular) based at RBH, was presented with a box of chocolates by Alan Betts, director of improvement and integration.

If you would like the QI team's support for your project then visit their portal here. You'll also find details on QI training, tools and guidance, as well as how to join the QI network forum.

Calling all healthcare science trainees

The Healthcare Science Group is looking for those staff currently on the Scientist Training Programme (STP), Route 2, the Practitioner Training Programme (PTP), and anyone soon to be starting their training.

The group is a collection of clinical scientists working across UHD, and includes a trainee section that meets to present work to each other and to cover shared competencies.

Please get in touch with the lead trainee Siobhan Gorman (STP in Radiotherapy; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you would like to be involved. The first meeting takes place on 23 July at 12pm online, but we hope to meet in person for subsequent meetings.

It's Health Information Week at the library

This week is about helping patients to understand health information, enhancing digital skills to spot fake health news and signposting to reliable health information. Check the @EastDorsetLKS twitter throughout the week, and join a health literacy session on MS Teams on Thursday (8 July).

To book a place on this please email the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

KICKSTART your recruitment

We're now part of the Job Centre/Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sponsored KICKSTART scheme. It's aimed at job seekers in receipt of Universal Credit, between the ages of 16 and 25, and offers placements of up to 25 hours a week with an employer following a selection process. At the end of that time, it is hoped that those placed will have gained the skills and experience that helps them be successful in applying for vacant posts within the trust. Costs of the post are covered by funding from DWP.

Managers interested in advertising a role which could be filled by a Kickstart applicant should contact 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. for more information.

Candidates can be placed in any service across the trust, in roles including logistics support, IT support, patient access administration, maintenance support, receptionist, administrator, healthcare support worker, finance and project or business administration.

RBH: Homeless care team service unavailable this week

The service will be closed this week at RBH, but will resume on Monday (12 July). We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions or urgent requests, please contact Kim Fletcher, from the hospital housing advice team on 07825 421407.

National Education and Training Survey (NETS) now open

The NETS is the only national survey open to all students and trainees undertaking a practice placement or training post in healthcare as part of their education and training programme. The survey is open for four weeks from 22 June to 23 July, and can be accessed here. If you are currently on any training, please take a minute to complete this survey.

RBH: Marsden scales checks

An engineer will be on site to check all Marsden scales as follows:

• Week commencing 12 July – Monday to Thursday
• Week commencing 19 July – Monday to Thursday

Please ensure your scales are available for inspection.

Reminder: focus groups for BAME band 5 clinicians and recruiting managers

The South West Equality and Inclusion team (SWEDI) are running focus groups to help understand the barriers preventing our BAME colleagues from applying or gaining a promotion. The focus groups will discuss this and agree on actions we can take to make it easier to aid career progression. Click on the links below to book in. Click the following session links to join:

Clinicians: 23 July 11am-1.15pm, 5 August 2pm-4.15pm
Recruiting managers: 26 July 3-5pm

RBH: Stoma care services unavailable on Friday (9 July)

We regret there will be no inpatient stoma care service at the Royal Bournemouth on Friday (9 July).

Free staff bike maintenance next week – book your place

Bike Fixed will be returning to UHD to offer you a free bike tune up - 13 July (RBH), 14 July (Poole) and 15 July (XCH).

If you suspect your bike may need replacement parts, Dave may be able to supply these but they will incur a charge. If he spots something which needs to be replaced, he'll advise you about this at the time of the service.

A limited number of appointments between 9am-3pm are available on each date. If you'd like your bike to be serviced, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Job of the week: IT desktop support technician

We are recruiting two experienced desktop support technicians to help our clinical teams create a new central health hub in Poole town centre, part of the 'Think Big' initiative to rapidly process the backlog of vital outpatients appointments that have accumulated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Servicing the IT needs of clinical staff both directly and also remotely from Poole Hospital, the posts will provide vital support.

Successful applicants are expected to be available to work flexibly across all UHD locations when service demands require it, although the main work base will be Poole or RBH.

Applications close on 18 July, and the role will eventually require 5/7 cover on a rotational basis. Click here to apply.

Your Wellbeing Weekly

A comprehensive range of new events and classes has been added to our weekly wellbeing offers page this week, from mindfulness and yoga, to tech tips and sleep. Please check the intranet A-Z under W for the wellbeing pages.