UCC Hive

💊 Prescribing

• Follow the PCA Medicines Management Policy and West Berkshire NHS Formulary
• Antibiotics: use SCAN guidelines (South Central Antimicrobial Network) via Eolas Medical
• Most prescribing via EPS to a local pharmacy
• Late evening pharmacies (until 10–10:30pm most days, 8pm Sunday): Oxford Road, Tesco (Napier Rd), Asda — always check for updated times; bank holiday hours may vary
• Asylum seekers: use EMIS 'non EPS' → 'NHS printed script — non EPS' (prints to FP10). Reception can provide a free prescription letter

Scope & Control

• OTC medicines can only be given from the Authorised OTC Medicines List, maintained by the Clinical Governance Committee
• Keys to the drug cupboard are taken from reception

Administration Process

1. Assessment — check allergies, contraindications, interactions, history, and timing of prior doses
2. Consent — verbal consent after explaining the medicine and side effects
3. Administration — correct dose per product licence/BNF(C); weigh patient if weight-based dosing needed and no recent weight exists
4. Documentation — record in patient notes and the log sheet
5. Follow-up — monitor patient response

Signing Out Log Sheet

• Required for every supply — no medicine leaves stock without a log entry
• Must record: date/time, patient ID, medicine, dose/quantity, expiry date, reason, and administering clinician's name, signature & role

Audit & Stock

• Stock and logs checked monthly/quarterly
• Expired medicines removed and disposed of per PCA policy
• Any discrepancies escalated as Significant Events

Authorised Medicines List

🧪 Tests

A system for ordering tests from the UCC is currently in development. Initially this will cover basic microbiology investigations only (urine culture, stool culture, swabs etc.).

A daily clinician slot will be allocated to review results and action any follow-up required (e.g. incorrect antibiotics for a UTI). Clinicians will be updated when this goes live.

1. Whilst in the patient consultation, press F12 and open the Berkshire West Documents Launcher — setup guide →
2. Select 2WW / urgent suspected cancer and pick the relevant form
3. Complete and save the form
4. Send an Urgent EMIS task to admin and hand over verbally and directly to the admin team
5. Safety-net the patient: advise them to contact the UCC or their GP if they have not received an appointment within two weeks

Certain infectious diseases must be reported to the UKHSA by law. You are legally required to notify the Local Authority Proper Officer if you suspect a notifiable disease — laboratory confirmation is not required.

1. Complete a notification form — available via the link below
2. Submit online via the UKHSA portal or notify by phone if urgent
3. For urgent advice contact UKHSA South East Health Protection Team via switchboard

Parking & Transport

Parking can be an issue at RBH — be prepared!

If you have regular shifts you may be offered a hospital permit, allowing you to park in the staff car park or at Queen's Road Car Park (~8–10 min walk from North Block). Queen's Road is open to permit holders Mon–Fri, 24 hours. You'll receive an email when your permit is set up — you cannot park there until you receive that confirmation.

• Park & Ride from Mereoak and Thames Valley Park — runs approximately every 20 minutes
• JustPark app and other public parking facilities used by other clinicians
• Staff without a permit can pay to use Queen's Road Car Park

Booking Shifts

We aim to confirm the rota at least one month in advance. The rota is coordinated by Sharon Bartlett, who will contact clinicians to request availability and confirm shifts. Communication takes place via the RUCC WhatsApp group and email.

• Arrive in time to begin your shift at the scheduled time — allow for parking
• Arriving late affects activity and impacts colleagues. Late clinicians will have pay adjusted to actual hours worked; persistent lateness may result in removal from the rota
• If unwell or unable to attend, give as much notice as possible
• Clinicians on a long day stay until the last patient leaves. Last appointment slot is 9:30pm (bookable to 9:40pm at clinician's discretion). Aim to complete all tasks by 10pm

Equipment

• Stethoscope
• BP machine
• Thermometer and covers
• Oximeter
• Otoscope and tips
• Tendon hammer
• Urinalysis test strips
• Tongue depressors

• Pregnancy tests
• Paediatric and neonatal sats probe
• Peak flow monitor and covers
• Glucose meter

🔀 Streaming

One clinician will be allocated as the streaming clinician for the day. Streaming is a brief safety check for walk-in/non-booked patients — not full triage or a full assessment. The goal is to confirm the patient is safe to wait, spot urgent cases, and direct to the right service.

• 10am–6pm, Mon–Sat: mid-shift AHP
• After 6pm + Sundays: long-day AHP
• Two AHPs on a long shift → split the day; admin marks who's streaming and when on the appointment book
• Going on break → tell reception; the other AHP (or GP on weekends) covers

• Add walk-ins to the untimed streaming list
• Call patients through and explain it's a brief initial assessment, not a full appointment
• Book appointments per clinician instructions
• Watch break times — escalate if a patient is waiting and the streaming clinician is away
• Escalate any deterioration to the streaming clinician or next available one

Location: Assessment Room

Check for: presenting concern, urgency, whether observations are needed, best pathway

Kit needed: O₂ sat probe, thermometer + covers, stethoscope, BM machine/sticks/lancets, pen torch, paper, pen, gloves

Redirect elsewhere (MIU, Eye Casualty, ED, own GP, other service):

• Urgent transfer → call porters, give clear handover
• Acutely unwell / deteriorating → follow resuscitation protocol immediately

Keep in UCC:

• Urgent → next available slot; wait in waiting room (or seen immediately if needed)
• Routine → later same-day slot; if >1 hour away, advise patient to leave and return closer to time
• Always give safety-netting advice

Record: presenting complaint, key findings, observations, streaming outcome & rationale, destination if redirected, safety-netting given.

• Block 1 routine slot per 3 patients streamed
• 1–2 slots pre-blocked at day start (10am) for early streaming
• Unblock if no patients are waiting; block more as needed

• Re-assess if a waiting patient deteriorates
• Reception flags any deterioration noticed in the waiting room
• Tell patients to call back / 111 / 999 if symptoms worsen while waiting

Incident Management & Reporting

All clinicians have access to the incident reporting form via the clinician portal. Clinicians who are involved in or witness any incident or concern are asked to complete the form as soon as possible and within 24 hours of the event.

The report will be forwarded to the appropriate parties to ensure timely investigation and action where needed.

Your EMIS login will be created and your smartcard profile updated to include Berkshire West Primary Care Alliance before your first session.

During your on-site induction, the receptionist/admin lead will assist you in logging into the system for the first time and synchronising your smartcard to your EMIS profile.

Each clinician has their own appointment list for the day with patients booked into 15-minute slots. These may include patients streamed from ED, booked via 111, or referred by GP practices.

Where a patient needs to be clinically prioritised, their slot will be labelled 'see next' — see them regardless of their appointment time.

All clinical rooms have a telephone. Internal numbers can be reached by dialling 0118 322 followed by the extension shown on the phone.

The reception telephone is on the trust line — internal numbers can be reached by dialling the 4-digit extension only, including 2222 for a crash call.

The Documents Launcher allows quick access to local referral forms (including 2WW) from anywhere in the patient record via the F12 key. Each user must set this up once on their account.

1. Press F12 (or Fn + F12 on a laptop) to open the Protocol Launcher
2. Right-click an available letter or number and select Add
3. Search for "Documents Launcher" and select the one for your area (Berkshire West)
4. Click OK — the launcher is now added to your F12 key

1. Press F12 and double-click the Documents Launcher protocol
2. Select the relevant category (e.g. 2WW / urgent suspected cancer)
3. Choose the appropriate referral form to launch and complete it
4. Use Back to go to the previous screen or End to exit

Please speak to the receptionist for any IT issues — they can advise on or escalate to appropriate support.

🧼 Infection Control

PCA employs standard operational precautions protecting both clinicians and patients from infection. It is your personal responsibility to consistently apply these. Key requirements:

• Maintain optimum hand hygiene
• Use PPE correctly and effectively
• Handle and dispose of sharps safely
• Handle and dispose of clinical waste safely
• Manage blood and bodily fluids safely
• Decontaminate equipment thoroughly
• Create and maintain a clean clinical environment
• Prevent and manage accidents effectively
• Maintain clear communication with other healthcare workers, patients, and visitors
• Attain a high standard of training and education

Complaints

Please refer to the PCA Complaints Policy V1.0 for the full complaints procedure.

Freedom to Speak Up

All staff should feel empowered to raise concerns about issues that may impact patient care, safety, staff wellbeing, or organisational integrity.

Please refer to the PCA Freedom to Speak Up Policy V1.0.

Equality, Diversity & Human Rights

PCA values the rich diversity, skills, and abilities that people from differing backgrounds bring to the workplace. Every person working for or on behalf of PCA plays a vital role in creating an inclusive working environment where diversity is welcomed and everyone can work without fear of discrimination.

Please refer to the PCA Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Policy.

Confidentiality & Acceptable Use

Please ensure the confidentiality and acceptable use agreement has been reviewed and signed as part of the induction process.

All clinicians must complete their annual Information Governance (statutory and mandatory) training ahead of their first shift.

Consent

Consent is the principle that a person must give permission before receiving any medical treatment, test, or examination, based on a clinician's explanation. The person must fully understand the information to make an informed decision.

Consent can be given verbally (e.g. consenting to an examination) or in writing (e.g. signing a consent form for a procedure).

• 16–17 year olds are presumed capable of consenting to medical examinations and treatment, as for adults
• Children under 16 may be Gillick competent — they can consent if they have sufficient understanding and intelligence to fully understand what is involved
• Good practice is to involve family/carers in decision-making where the child consents to this
• Where a child under 16 is not Gillick competent, seek and record parental consent

Information Governance & Data Protection

Please refer to the PCA Information Governance and Data Protection Policy V1.0.

All clinicians must complete annual IG training ahead of their first shift to ensure patient data and information is appropriately safeguarded.

Duty of Candour

All health and care professionals must be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their treatment or care. This means:

• Tell the person (or their advocate/carer/family) when something has gone wrong
• Apologise to the person
• Offer an appropriate remedy or support to put matters right
• Explain fully the short- and long-term effects of what has happened
• Be open and honest with colleagues, employers, and regulators

Meeting Patients' Needs

Each clinical room has information on how to access a telephone interpreter service for patients who need assistance with English.

Offer a chaperone routinely before conducting an intimate examination — this applies to both female and male patients.

Some patients may require a chaperone for other examinations too, particularly vulnerable patients or those who have suffered abuse. Use your professional judgement depending on the patient's views and level of anxiety.

Before Your First Shift

Confirm these are in place before you arrive on site.

• Confirm EMIS Web login credentials have been received
• Confirm ICE (Integrated Clinical Environment) login details received
• Check shift time and confirm with reception team
• Review parking arrangements (see Operations → Parking)
• Confirm dress code and ID badge requirements

On Your First Day

Run through these on arrival before seeing patients.

• Test EMIS Web login on a UCC workstation
• Test ICE login and confirm you can view results
• Fire safety briefing — locate fire exits, assembly point, and extinguishers
• Locate emergency equipment: defibrillator, resus trolley, oxygen
• Locate the labelled reception phone used for crash calls
• Introduction to reception team and clinical colleagues
• Locate key rooms: consultation rooms, staff room, equipment store