Q and As

Following the Dorset Clinical Services Review, plans were approved to reform local health services in 2019. Over 10,000 hours of NHS staff time were invested into developing these plans for our future, with the input of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and many others.

Focusing on emergency care at Royal Bournemouth Hospital will mean emergency cases will be centred on the site with increased consultant and specialist team cover, seven days a week. This will reduce numbers of patients transferring between hospitals, put less demand on ambulances and hospital services, and so achieve better outcomes for patients.

Bringing together planned care on the Poole Hospital site will provide rapid treatment of elective operations. These are without the disruption or delay that can occur from high volumes of emergency cases having to take precedence. Thousands of patients each year will benefit from shorter waiting times.

Christchurch Hospital will continue to offer specialist palliative, rehabilitation and various outpatient and diagnostic services. Recent investment in extra physio facilities have been put to good use, with our ‘mass clinics’ featuring in BBC news coverage.

Over £500m is being invested in local health services, providing new top-class patient facilities. There is wider investment across all our sites, including community services, access, and travel.

Opening in spring 2025, the BEACH building will house emergency, critical care, maternity, and children’s health services. It will feature 20 new neonatal beds, 45 children’s beds, 30 critical care beds and 45 maternity beds. It will also have new birthing pools for mothers, along with energy-efficient systems and single rooms for mothers.

The new Emergency Department (ED) is twice as large as the current one and will help 150,000 patients each year get treated faster. Combining emergency care in one place will improve decisions for 2,800 patients and remove the need to transfer 4,100 patients, allowing quicker access to care.

The new state-of-the-art theatre complex is an extension to the existing hospital site comprising of a purpose-built five storey tower. Opened by patient Julie Hills in July 2023, it incorporates a four-table ‘barn’ theatre, where the main surgical area is large and open-plan. This is one of the first facilities in the UK, with each patient treated in a dedicated space with an ultraclean air canopy over each station. Once the reconfiguration is complete, Poole will be the largest planned care site in the UK, by separating planned and emergency care there will be shorter wait times and fewer cancellations for planned procedures.

Yes, Poole ED will stay open for now. Following the clinical changes, an Urgent Treatment Centre will remain on the Poole site and will continue to provide timely access to urgent care for patients with minor injuries or minor illness. This will ease the pressure on the Emergency Department at the Royal Bournemouth, freeing up the team there to treat the more unwell patients, most of whom will arrive by ambulance. The Poole UTC will be treating nearly 800 different types of minor illness and injuries - including fractures, cuts, abdominal pain and scalds/burns. It will be staffed by specialised nurse practitioners and GP’s, 24/7, 365 days a year.

Big things are happening in April 2025 with a brand-new maternity and neonatal unit set to open at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s BEACH building. This state-of-the-art unit will replace the current facility at Poole Hospital, bringing the latest amenities and exceptional care to expecting parents in east Dorset.

To support the move NHS Dorset has launched a new marketing campaign, ‘Born at the BEACH’, to keep the public informed leading up to the opening in April 2025. Stay informed with the latest updates leading up to the opening at https://maternitymattersdorset.nhs.uk/beach or on the UHD website: https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/about-us/future

We are developing a simple and effective wayfinding system using best practices from other hospitals. Charitable support is funding the project, starting in Royal Bournemouth to address changes from the building projects. Once updates at Poole are complete, the improved system will be extended there as well, making navigation easier for all visitors.

Our goal is minimising the environmental impact of our estate. We are aiming to attain a BREEAM “Very Good” rating or higher for ongoing projects - on track with our path to having ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2040. Our commitment to sustainability is evident in the development of comprehensive sustainability approaches.

Our digital transformation plans include better systems for booking appointments, for sharing scan images and in the use of AI for pathology. With the Electronic Health Record in development, we are speeding up care and improving quality

We designed a ‘roadmap’ for moves starting next spring, which is available in our Transforming Care Together brochure with confirmed dates tied to developments over the next 18 months. Look out on the UHD website for more information on our public engagement events. These are a great opportunity to say hello to team UHD and chat about the changes happening across all hospital sites. More information here

If you have a question about our transformation plans, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (marking ‘Transformation Question’ in the subject line) and we will post the answer on this web page.