Last few days of planned first vaccine doses at UHD

Planned first doses of the Covid-19 vaccination for staff provided by the trust will end this Friday. If you are yet to have your first dose please book online now.

We will be publicising booking arrangements for staff who have been unable to have their vaccination with us later this week.

If you have had your vaccination outside of UHD, it's important that you let our occupational health service know so we can build an accurate picture of how many staff are protected. Contact them via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Infection prevention and control

Catch tomorrow's edition of The Brief for details of a new infection prevention and control campaign which aims to support staff to refresh their approach to good practice.

All-staff briefing with our chair and chief executive

The first all-staff briefing of the new year will be held tomorrow (10 February), 12.30-1.30pm. David Moss, our chairman, and Debbie Fleming, our chief executive, as well as fellow executives, will provide the latest on managing the Covid-19 pandemic, an operational update and development plans for the year ahead.

Please join us if you can, or a recording of the briefing will be available afterwards on our intranet. The Teams link is available here.

Welcome to our aspirant nurses

Welcome to the 78 third year student nurses, some of whom are pictured right with Denise Richards, deputy chief nursing officer, who have volunteered to be part of our workforce during the second Covid wave. Known as aspirant nurses, they are working across both Poole and RBCH fulfilling similar tasks and roles to our senior healthcare support workers.

Look out for them and welcome them into your teams.

There is a weekly drop-in on Fridays for students at both hospitals, 10am-12pm, in the Oasis Café at RBH for student queries.

For more information contact:

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

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

New IPC surveillance system: ICNet

UHD's new infection prevention and control (IPC) system ICNet will be available from 11 February.

It will improve surveillance of laboratory results and infection outbreaks, assisting our IPC team in detecting, preventing, and controlling these.

The system will be used by our IPC team across UHD - this will be an upgrade for our Poole site users, and an entirely new system for our RBH site users.

For further information see the ICNet page within the infection prevention and control intranet pages.

POOLE – improvements to the acute medical unit underway

The construction of three clinic rooms, a mental health assessment room and a brand-new priority assessment unit has begun in the acute medical unit. These works are likely to continue for the next 8-10 weeks.

Whilst we will try to keep disruption to a minimum, there will be barriers/false walls around the areas under construction and some noise is expected. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Work begins on improvements to Poole Hospital's emergency department

Work begins this week on a new resuscitation area for Poole Hospital's Emergency Department (ED), providing a facility better suited to the care of ill patients with infectious diseases.

The scheme also improves and enhances the department's ambulatory care area, enabling the team to see and treat patients quicker, and in a more appropriate environment.

As part of the improvements, the current ED reception and waiting area will be demolished to make room for a new 4 bed resus area, all with isolation rooms. Currently, as most patients are seen in the hospital's Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), it is hoped that there will be minimal disruption to patient care during the period.

Other areas to note:

• during the building works there will be no pedestrian access directly into the ED
• ED will still be open for to walk-in patients who will be streamed to the appropriate area via the UTC
• all patients needing to attend the UTC are requested to use the hospitals' north entrance over this period.
• ambulance arrivals are unaffected.

Commenting on the changes, Bruce Hopkins, matron, emergency and urgent care, Poole Hospital said:

"We look forward to having the additional facilities this project will provide, which will allow us to see and treat patients quicker, and in a more appropriate environment.

"For the foreseeable future patients needing emergency assistance are encouraged to use alternative options as appropriate, particularly the NHS 111 First service, where they will be given a booked appointment.

"'Walk-ins' will still be seen, but as there will be disruption and delay during these construction works, all patients should only attend in a genuine emergency."

Building work starts on 15 February and will continue to early May.

Personal dosimetry update

Staff members can access their own radiation dosimetry history by logging onto the Landauer website:

• www.myldr.com
• Username: Pdoses (for Poole) or Bdoses (for RBCH)
• Password: Badge2021

Once logged on, type in the account number and serial number of your current dosimetry monitor. For security reasons no name or other personally identifiable information will appear on the screen.

We would like to remind staff that we are charged for late or lost dosimeters at £2.50 a time.

If you are issued with a personal dosimeter it is your legal obligation to wear it under the Health and Safety at Work Act section 7b.

For more information contact Kat Dixon, radiation protection adviser, ext. 2650 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Medical gases learning package

Due to a recent never event, staff are strongly advised to complete the relevant medical gases learning to reduce preventable events.

More information can be found on the training pages of both intranets.

Staff dealing with medical gases are reminded:

• to ensure that patients who are prescribed for oxygen are connected to oxygen and not medical air
• to ensure that cylinders are selected appropriately. These can be identified by the colour at the top of the cylinder (the shoulders) and by the label attached
• all equipment relating to oxygen is white. All equipment relating to medical air is black or black and white
• to ensure that patients' oxygen tubing is attached to the oxygen and has not become detached
• to ensure that oxygen is reconnected appropriately eg on the transfer of patients

Flu vaccinations

There's still time to have your flu jab, ensuring you leave seven days between it and the Covid-19 vaccination. Likewise, if you have had the Covid-19 vaccination recently, you will need to wait at least seven days before your flu jab. Find your nearest peer vaccinator – trained staff able to provide the jab to colleagues in their clinical area on the intranet.

Error with BNF website listing of apixaban interactions

The BNF website is not currently flagging interactions between apixaban and phenytoin or carbamazepine. The paper version of the BNF has it listed correctly.

These are clinically significant interactions and the apixaban should not be prescribed with either agent unless there is no suitable alternative and appropriate monitoring is in place.

POOLE - Book of condolence opened for Mandy Tomey

A book of condolence is now open in the chapel for any staff who wish to sign, in remembrance of Mandy Tomey, who had worked as a senior healthcare assistant for many years at Poole Hospital.

Mandy worked at Poole Hospital for many years, in older people's services and then for the past 20 years in our outpatients department. Mandy passed away on 5 January, and was a much loved and respected friend and colleague to many.

Her well known wit and sense of humour will be missed by all who had the pleasure to work with her. Mandy would always go that extra mile for the patients and everyone that she came into contact with. Her kindness and generosity was extended to all her colleagues throughout the years.

The book of condolence will be open to sign all week during the chapel's usual opening hours.

Job of the week

Our emergency department at the Royal Bournemouth is looking for a band 5 staff nurse. You will be responsible for:

• the assessment of care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care without direct supervision
• for ensuring patient care and safety are evaluated whilst on duty
• the supervision of student nurses and support workers.

Click here for the full job description and to apply.

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship

We are pleased to promote the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) being offered by the Open University.

We would like expressions of interest for this apprenticeship course from anyone in a band 6 role or above.

Please email Clair Meldrum for more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In order to undertake this course you must be also be able to attend one of the below webinars, which if successful you will receive a Teams invite for.

This webinar is designed to provide information on the CMDA - what it is, how it is delivered and important information about the requirements of the apprenticeship. You will find out what the commitment and expectations are, should you start this programme of study.

• 15 February, 2-3.30pm
• 23 February, 10-11.30
• 25 February, 10-11.30am

Workshops: leading teams through change and Covid

Change can be difficult, and we all deal with it differently. The past year has been one led by change as we have transitioned through a merger as well dealt with the uncertainty of Covid. However, change is happening all of the time and we want to ensure our leaders at all levels across UHD are supported to manage on these challenges.

We now have a series of virtual Teams workshops to help. The workshops are designed to introduce leaders to tools and strategies to lead teams through change and will enable delegates to learn from one another and build networks across the organisation. The following sessions are available to book:

• Wednesday 10 March, 1-3pm
• Tuesday 16 March, 10-12am
• Tuesday 30 March, 9.30 – 11.30am
• Thursday 15 April, 9-11am

To book onto a session, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Spaces are limited so they will be offered on a first come first served basis.

RBCH - National Apprenticeship Week – 8-14 February

RBCH offers a range of apprenticeships to existing staff, in both clinical and non-clinical areas across the whole organisation.

For further information look for apprenticeships on the intranet A-Z.

Contact Clair Meldrum for more information This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

See last Tuesday's (2 February) Staff Bulletin for apprenticeship week activities at Poole.

Pro Ability network meeting

This month's Pro Ability network meeting via Teams will be held on 16 February, 1-2 pm, with guest presenter Erk Gunce, positive action programmes inclusion coordinator (South West), from the South West Leadership Academy.

Erk will be giving a 25-minute presentation on:

• inclusive communication in the context of disability
• digital accessibility features in Microsoft products to improve the user experience for disabled people

The session is open to all and the network members would like to encourage anyone who is not living with a disability to join to learn more.

Click here for the Teams link.

Care First webinars

Care First, our employee assistance programme, is putting on webinars this week and next. The themes are:

• Tuesday 9 February, 12-12.30pm – Relationships
• Wednesday 10 February, 12-12.30pm – Self-esteem
• Thursday 11 February, 12-12.30pm – Long Covid
• Friday 12 February, 12- 12.30pm – Domestic abuse
• Monday 15 February, 12- 12.30pm – Care First
• Tuesday 16 February, 12- 12.30pm – Supporting colleagues
• Wednesday 17 February, 12- 12.30pm - Kindness
• Thursday 18 February, 12- 12.30pm – Avoiding eye strain
• Friday 19 February, 12- 12.30pm – Mental health

Fraud – checking Outlook rules

Staff are encouraged to check the rules in their Outlook account for any they are unaware of. Fraudsters are capable of intercepting Outlook accounts to set up rules to ensure that individuals do not see their own emails.

Click here for more information.

Sign up to March for Men

We need your help raising funds for men's health projects across University Hospitals Dorset. Sign up to walk, jog or run either 1km, 5km or 10km at a location of your choice between Friday 12 and Sunday 28 March. You can register to take part in aid of Bournemouth Hospital Charity or Poole Hospital Charity.

SwapShop

Do you have office furniture that you want to get rid of or do you need office furniture? Or perhaps you have some unwanted items at home that you would like to sell.

Visit the trust's SwapShop, open to all UHD staff (link on the front of the RBCH intranet), and get swapping today!

Roadworks

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

Railway line closures

From 13-19 February, some train stations will be temporarily closing due to the Southampton freight train lengthening scheme. This will affect some staff commutes.

The line from Southampton Central to Romsey and Brockenhurst will be closed. This includes Romsey, Millbrook, Redbridge, Totton, Ashurst New Forest and Beaulieu Road stations. Anyone who commutes from these stations to UHD will have to use different stations, make use of rail replacement services, make alternate travel arrangements or work from home if possible.

More information can be found in this leaflet or here.