Covid-19 roadmap: changes to restrictions

Monday 12 April sees the next phase of the government's roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions.

We will be making changes to our visiting restrictions, particularly in relation to maternity, and will update out intranet, website and social media later today.

We are working through how the roadmap will continue to impact on our hospitals in terms of infection prevention control guidance and social distancing, and will keep you updated.

Recognition and recovery – be part of our story

How should we formally thank, reward and recognise you when you have demonstrated our values and gone above and beyond in your roles? And how can we best support our colleagues as we and our hospitals move on from the Covid-19 pandemic?

Culture champions have already played a key role in identifying the trust's new values. Now we're looking for new members to help find answers to questions about recognition and recovery as we write the next chapter of Team UHD's story.

You will be supported by the organisational development team and your culture champion colleagues, and be offered the opportunity to develop new skills and competencies to support your role. Applications are invited from staff in any role and from any background – we want to ensure our champions are representative of Team UHD.

You can find out more about the role and download the application form here. The closing date for applications is 16 April. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role further, please contact the organisational development team on ext. 4438, or via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

RBH: Patient transport notice

Due to staff sickness today (9 April) in the discharge lounge, there is insufficient staff to process e-booking transport requests.

To make a transport booking today, all RBH wards are asked to contact E-zec direct on 0300 777 6666 or #623.

The call waiting time is likely to be longer in the afternoon.

If you are experiencing any difficulties, please contact Mevalyn Cross, patient and medical transport manager, ext. 6090

RBH: Advanced notice of planned closure of Eye Unit and Jigsaw entrance

To allow us to safely install the new steel frame for the enhanced west entrance, both the Eye Unit and Jigsaw entrances will be closed over the weekend of 17/18 April.

During this time there will be no access to the hospital 'street' via this route between 8am-6pm on both days. Staff, patients and visitors accessing the building during these hours will need to enter via an alternative route.

The nearest alternative will be through outpatients which will be open to during this period. To minimise disruption, staff are asked to advise visitors when booking a visit to either be dropped off here at outpatients or at the main entrance.

Signposts from the car parks to the alternatives will be in place over that weekend, together with traffic marshals on site to help direct those arriving.

We apologise in advance for the inconvenience but this is to maintain health and safety of all individuals entering the hospital.

Revised policy for omitted or delayed medicines now available

The RBCH and Poole versions of the policy for omitted or delayed medicines have been reviewed and combined and are now available on the pharmacy/medicines policies pages.

This policy stipulates that the prescribing, dispensing and administration of drugs in the critical medicines list must never be delayed or omitted (unless intentionally held off for clinical reasons) due to the risk of patient harm, and outlines steps to take if a critical medication is not available.

The key changes to the policy include an update of the section relating to use of medicines during the perioperative period and an update of the critical medicines list.

Armed Forces support group - Teams meeting today

There is an Armed Forces support group Teams meeting today (9 April), 12.30-1.30pm. The group's aims are to assist the trust in adhering to the pledges it signed in the covenant. These include:

• recruiting and providing support for veterans and their families working for the trust
• to support activities such as remembrance services and Armed Forces Day
• to encourage NHS staff to join the reserve forces
• to work with other agencies to provide support for veterans using our services

For more details and to join, contact Nick Williams, RBH porter manager, on ext. 4157, or email 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..

The Health and Safety Audit Tool (HASAT) is due for completion

HASAT replaces previous GAT and WASH. The reporting year runs from April-March, and data is collected in quarter 1 (April-June) each year. Department/service Managers can access the form and further information on the health and safey pages of the Poole intranet.

The purpose is to:

• provide evidence of a systematic audit in each department
• provide a natural signpost towards required risk assessments, depending on department's need
• provide evidence that legal health and safety requirements are being met throughout the trust in accordance with current legislation
• provide an opportunity for audit input by associate operational managers and risk managers if necessary

For further support please contact your local health and safety advisor.

Unused iDevice amnesty

A recent IT report shows over 600 iDevices (iPads, iPhones, etc) have not been used in the last month. This equates to approximately £250,000 worth of trust equipment not being used or used infrequently. Each device has an ongoing licence cost associated with it and for iPhones, a monthly phone contract cost.

If you have an iPad, iPhone or iPod that is no longer needed, broken or lost, please contact the IT service desk who will arrange for the device to be collected, removed from the system and the phone contract stopped where needed.

Although devices may have been purchased against specific ward or departmental cost centres please consider all devices as trust equipment and as such any devices returned will equate to a saving to the trust costs. Whether through reallocation of devices so new devices do not need to be purchased or through reduction in the number of licences and/or phone contracts needed.

Where devices cannot be reallocated due to age, they will be donated to the trust's charity for sale and any funds raised will help fund the charity's goals to enhance the experience of patients and staff.

For more information or to arrange a device to be collected, please contact the IT service desk on ext. 4222 or 2347, or raise a service request via the IT service desk intranet system.

Take part in our Living Library event

The library will be holding a living library event from 19-23 April. Based on the Human Library movement, the library is recruiting readers to 'borrow human books' and listen to their personal stories. The event aims to provide a safe space for conversations to support colleagues and use the power of personal conversation to positively challenge prejudice or discrimination.

Sign up to 'borrow' exciting and thought-provoking 'books' with titles such as 'Living life with hidden disabilities', 'PMDD and me' and 'Matron and leader'.

Terracycle® Medicines packet recycling programme

From 12 April pharmacies will begin participating in the Terracycle® Medicines packet recycling programme.

UHD is one of the first trusts in the UK to have signed up to this important programme and the pharmacy teams are delighted to support #SustainableHealthcare.

• Any brand of empty medicines blister packets can be recycled.
• Once collected, the blister packets are separated by polymer type and cleaned. The material is then converted into plastic pellets to make new recycled products.
• One hundred TerraCycle® points are earned per kilogram of medicine blister packets returned and the points will be converted into financial donations to the Trust's charity.

Public drop-off points: Boots and Lloyds are kindly acting as public drop off points for the Trust.

Hospital collection: We plan to start slowly, initially only collecting from inpatient pharmacy departments (although in future this may be expanded).

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / @atomicjojo (RBH) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / @TLyons00 (Poole) if you have any questions.

Departments are also welcome to 'show-off' their 'green improvements' by tagging the trust in on social media!

Wig supply: change of service

This change of provision will affect the Poole dermatology and oncology services. There is no change to the service in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital which will remain the same, but please see details of a new referral form here.

Since 1 April the wig service for all patients receiving treatment at UHD is being administered by the RBH orthotics service, based in the Dorset Prosthetics Centre. Referrals should be made by letter or by the wig referral form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The new wig referral form can be found here. Please download this referral form for future use.

The in-house clinic already running at RBH will continue as now and will be extended to Poole Hospital if there is the demand. Patients will continue to be offered a choice of provider for their wig and all companies will be under contract to NHS supply chain.

Please do not give out old information to patients which will have Poole Hospital/therapy services headings as this information is now not appropriate.

We understand that this change may concern some patients and we will be contacting established users, who have used the Poole service in the past, by letter and telephone to discuss their requirements.

On receipt of a referral, we will contact all new patients with further information.

If any patients or staff have any questions or need information please ask them to contact Margaret McManus, orthotics administrator on 0300 019 4363.

Job of the week

We are now inviting applications from student nurses who are due to qualify in September 2021.

This is an incredibly exciting time to join UHD and begin your career as a registered nurse in the NHS, developing your skills as a professional nurse in a friendly and forward-thinking environment.

Opportunities exist across a range of specialties for compassionate nurses who share our trust values, including surgery, trauma and orthopaedics, emergency and urgent care, acute and ambulatory medicine, and older people's medicine and cancer care.

Click here to view the full job description and to apply.

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

Free mental health training for staff

Free mental health training is available for staff. Training takes less than one hour and you can stop and start as you please. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end.

The course will help you to learn how to support young people in a mental health crisis and talk to them about risk, and learn about practical advice and tips from young people with lived experience.

Staff who complete it can be entered into a £50 prize draw by emailing 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..

Increase in MoreBus services

MoreBus has increased the frequency of some of their bus services, returning to pre-Covid levels. Information about these changes can be found here, which includes links to all timetables affected.

As a reminder, UHD staff can receive discounted fares on board MoreBus services. Information about this can be requested from the travel team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Car benefit scheme

Your car benefit scheme from Tusker is the smarter way to run a car. A fixed monthly amount is taken directly from your gross salary and in return, you get the use of a brand-new car – Tusker sort everything else out at no extra cost.

Not only is a brand-new car included, there is:

• maintenance of the vehicle including all servicing, batteries and tyres
• fully comprehensive motor insurance including all business travel for you
• annual road tax
• contactless doorstep delivery
• roadside assistance (homestart and recovery, UK and European cover)
• relief car for when your car is off the road (if selected)

All of this and no deposits.

Access the scheme today.

To get a quote and see the range of cars available simply reset your password via tuskercars.com and log into your account to access the car benefit scheme.

If you need a hand with the site, or you want to chat to Tusker about ordering a car, you can get in contact through 'live chat', an online instant messaging service that will put you in touch with one of the team, who will guide you through the process. You can also get in touch by phone on 0333 400 7431 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Our Dorset staff wellbeing events

Our Dorset is offering the below wellbeing sessions on Teams for staff as part of its 'Here For Each Other' campaign.

• 13 April, 3-4.15pm - Managing stress and building resilience for NHS and care sector staff (A LiveWell Dorset event)
• 14 April, 9.45-11am - Managing stress and building resilience for council staff (A LiveWell Dorset event)
• 14 April, 12.30-1pm - Wednesday Wellbeing: Can simply stretching in your chair help you feel calmer?
• 15 April, 8.30-9am - Mindfulness drop-in
• 21 April, 12.30-1pm - Wednesday Wellbeing: Can nature help you be more productive?
• 22 April, 12-1pm - Mindfulness session: "Sleep well"
• 28 April, 12.15-12.45pm - Wednesday Wellbeing: Balancing your wellbeing with heightened work pressures
• 29 April, 8.30-9am - Mindfulness drop-in

Care first webinars

Care first, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. They take place from 12-12.30pm and the themes are:

• Friday 9 April– Tips for managers and leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic
• Monday 12 April – How Care first can support you
• Tuesday 13 April – Financial wellbeing
• Wednesday 14 April – Summer wellbeing
• Thursday 15 April – Fraud and mental health
• Friday 16 April – Breaking bad habits

Roadworks

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