Covid sickness absence

The national staff terms and conditions section of the Covid-19 guidance has been withdrawn. This means that from yesterday (7 July), all new Covid-19 staff absences will be recorded, paid and managed in line with normal contractual sick pay.

Staff with existing Covid-19 positive/Covid-19 illness absences prior to 7 July who continue to be unwell, will be transitioned back to their normal contractual sick pay entitlements on 1 September, unless they have already returned to work.

The Covid-19 FAQs have been updated and are available here.

Cascade messages to your teams with our July edition of The Brief

Your July edition of The Brief is out now - take a look inside, get the latest news from UHD and meet some of your colleagues.

This month we also introduce The Brief in brief - a handy document to help you cascade the key information to your teams, and feedback any queries or comments. Please return this feedback form to Siobhan Harrington, CEO, or email it t This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ask Aly

Join us at 12noon on 14 July for Ask Aly, hosted by our deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ruth Williamson. It's a great opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns or share your views. You can join the meeting here and if you'd like to send any questions in advance, pop them through to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can ask on your behalf.

Preparing for hot weather

High temperatures are now expected for the next few weeks and there is currently a level 2 hot weather alert in place. It is important to be prepared so please take a look at our heatwave plan here. The plan helps minimise risk and allows us all to take care of our patients and ourselves.

POOLE: Reduced services

Alcohol care and treatment service: Due to unforeseen circumstances there will be no ACTS weekend cover at Poole Hospital for the foreseeable future.

Stoma: There will be no stoma cover today (8 July). If equipment is urgently needed please contact staff on ward B2. There will also be a reduced service for the following two weeks.

Podiatry: There will be reduced podiatry cover next week. If there are any urgent ward related queries, wards can email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Show your Pride

We're celebrating pride this weekend with our LGBTQ+ network. We are so proud of our network, and the work that they do to advocate for our LGBTQ+ colleagues and patients.

Join the network for the Bourne Free celebrations in Bournemouth tomorrow (9 July). Network members and allies will be meeting at the Bournemouth Triangle to join the walking parade at 11am to Meyrick Park, with banners, balloons, t-shirts and whistles, so please join us if you can or cheer us on from the side lines!

If you would like to know more about our network email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have your say and make a difference in our July People Pulse survey

Your feedback matters, and we use our quarterly People Pulse survey to check in with you, find out how you are feeling and what we can do to improve.

When you take part in our NHS People Pulse, and National NHS Staff Survey, you help to make a real difference across our hospitals, influencing positive change and making your voice heard. Take five minutes to share your views in the July People Pulse Survey, so we can make changes that matter to you.

Meeting and training rooms for all at Yeomans House

Yeomans House is now home to many of our office-based teams who moved away from the acute hospital sites to free up space and facilitate the reconfiguration programme. As well as these office spaces, there are also a range of meeting and training rooms that can be used by anyone in the trust. You can find out all you need to know about the facilities here and how to book resources via UBook on the intranet.

Do you have permission to post?

Social media is a fantastic tool for us to share our good news, celebrate our teams, and connect with other healthcare professionals. It is important however, that when we post an image to social media we have permission from everyone in the image. If you are sharing an image of a patient to social media you must have written consent - our consent form can be downloaded here. If you are sharing an image of your colleagues on your personal profile, or on an account affiliated with UHD, please ensure you ask for their verbal permission before posting, and that they understand where their image will be posted and for what purpose.

We recommend all staff are familiar with our social media policy, and if you have any questions about the policy, or sharing content on your channel, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Looking after your bike

Bike Fixed is returning to the trust to offer us a free bike tune up next week, with a limited number of appointments are available on each date. Book via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have specific bike questions.

• RBH: 13 July, 9am-4pm
• Poole: 14 July, 9am-4pm
• Christchurch: 15 July, 9am-12pm
• Yeomans House: 15 July, 1-4pm

There are many steps you can take to help protect your bike against thieves such as using two locks to lock your bike in well-lit areas, and keep an eye out for CCTV. Register your bike here and also ensure you get your bike marked.

Save the date for the next LERN conference

Join our next LERN conference on 3 November in the lecture theatre at RBH from 9am-4.30pm. This is available for all staff to attend but particularly useful for clinical and medical staff.

The day covers a range of topics, including claims, medical examiners, learning from events, learning culture and an interactive simulation activity. The conference is available to book on ESR by searching 153 UHD LERN Conference.

RBH: Lost property

Any lost property found needs to be handed in to the general office, located on the ground floor of the west wing (near orthopaedic outpatients) for safe storage. Out of hours it should be handed in to the clinical site team. It should not be handed into the main enquiries reception, car parking or to porters.

Email domain update

From 1 August any emails sent to the old email addresses of @rbch.nhs.uk or @xpoole.nhs.uk will no longer be received. All staff have had their new @uhd.nhs.uk email address in place since October 2020 and all new emails and replies have been using this since that date. Please ensure any systems or contacts are updated now.

Scam targeting overseas nurses

There has been reports of a scam pretending to be from Gov.uk stating that students have been charged incorrectly for tax and they owe money. If you think you have been affected by this, take a look at this site here. To find out more about the latest tips in fraud awareness, check the counter fraud pages on the Finance intranet site.

Calling all healthcare support workers and allied health support workers

The Healthcare Support Worker Shard Decision Making Council will be hosting a special 90 minute 'boost your wellbeing' workshop on 12 August. The workshop will take place via Microsoft Teams from 11-12.30am. If you would like to attend, register here by 1 August.

RNLI Blue Light Day

Come down to Mudeford Quay on 24 July to meet our search and rescue friends. There will be a number of organisations attending including the RNLI, HM Coastguard, National Coastwatch (Hengistbury Head), British Red Cross, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Wessex Blood Bikes, Dorset Search and Rescue to name a few. Our UHD governors will also be there.

Take a look at the new UHD Charity website

Keep up to date with the latest news from our new and improved charity website. Find out more about the latest projects, event and how to donate here.

Tickets for staff from the Lighthouse Poole

With an offer for £10 tickets, join our friends at the Lighthouse for 'Strictly Presents: Keeeep Dancing!'. Directed by former Strictly pro Trent Whiddon, go behind the glitterball with the celebs and the professional dancers for a unique insight into the TV show via stunning choreography, fascinating storytelling and live music. Purchase tickets here, redeemable until 16 July with discount code STRICTLY10.