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University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Transforming Care Together:

Better for patients, better for staff

A £500m investment in our hospital sites ensuring our patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time

Read more here
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Fast Facts

  • £500m invested in local health services
  • New top-class patient facilities
  • Royal Bournemouth Hospital as a major emergency centre - faster, better specialist emergency care when you need it
  • Poole Hospital becomes the biggest major planned care centre in the UK - reducing waiting times
  • Investment across our sites, in community services, access, and travel
  • On track with carbon reduction and UHD Green Plan
  • Already delivering transformation benefits, with more up to 2026

Latest news on our transformation plans

Dr. Isabel Smith, consultant anaesthetist and medical director for strategy and transformation at University Hospitals Dorset, gives an update on the exciting £500m transformation plan for our hospitals.

Watch more here
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Back the BEACH Appeal to help transform care across Dorset

The NHS is funded to provide the majority of the plans set out here. However, many of the ‘above and beyond’ items are not covered. Often, these can make all the difference between technically good care, and a positive heart-warming experience. This is where we need your help.

Read more here
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Background to the clinical changes

NHS Dorset CCG have produced a website – Dorset's Vision – which explains how we are working together to improve healthcare in Dorset.

The future of acute healthcare:

  • Hospitals in East Dorset will have specialist roles
  • Bournemouth will become a Major Emergency Hospital
  • Poole will become a Major Planned Hospital
  • Dorset County Hospital will remain largely unchanged delivering planned and emergency care

You can visit the Dorset Vision website here.

Patient Benefits

Summary and patient benefits

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Major emergency hospital

  • New purpose built Emergency Department (ED) that is 3 x as large as existing departments
  • Combined workforce means there will be Consultant presence in ED for more hours of the day than there is currently.
    • High quality decision making leading to reduced admissions and fewer unplanned returns to ED
  • All services offering emergency care will be on site with ED, so there will be no transfers of patients between hospitals for appropriate care. For example, currently any patient with a hip fracture attending Bournemouth ED, needs to be transferred to Poole for specialist care.
    • Shorter time to appropriate treatment
    • Improved patient outcomes
  • Acute ambulatory care and assessment floor co-located near to ED to support emergency care

Major Planned care hospital

  • Focus on elective low risk surgery
  • Improved theatre environment, construction of new theatre block to start October 2020
  • Fewer cancellations of operations as no emergency interruptions
  • Shorter time to treatment – estimated 6000 patients per year will have their waiting time reduced.
  • Better patient experience
  • Urgent treatment centre (UTC) open 24/7 to take non-life threatening urgent conditions such as fractures, cuts, abdominal pain and scalds/burns.
    • The UTC will treat approximately 50,000 to 60,000 patients per year for non-life threatening conditions

Cardiology

  • No transfers of patients between sites leading to shorter time to treatment and reduced stay in hospital.
  • All patients will have access to out of hours consultant cover and sub-specialist services
  • Improved access to relevant diagnosis and treatment 7 days a week
  • 7 day in-reach into ED and Ambulatory Medical Unit (AMU) to review all cardiology patients attending these areas
  • Improved outcomes and shorter stays in hospital

Maternity

  • New purpose built premises for ante-natal, birth and post-natal care.
    • Major improvement in facilities, especially for women with disabilities and mental health problems.
    • Suitable accommodation for partners
    • Better patient experience
  • Ante natal care and birth on the emergency site
  • No transfers between hospitals for complex patients or complications/emergencies therefore reduced risk of deterioration and no delays in access to appropriate care.

Children's services

  • New purpose built premises for children in patient ward
    • On emergency site close to ED and all services offering emergency care
  • Focus on improving children's facilities for diagnostics, out-patient clinics and treatment

General Surgery

  • All patients will have access to relevant services depending on need
  • No transfer of emergency patients between sites
  • Quicker access to treatment
  • Improved patient flow by concentrating planned activity at the planned care site
  • Improved access to full range of surgical expertise and specialist expertise.

Haematology

  • Combining of clinical teams will lead to greater specialisation of the clinical workforce and improved out of hours cover.
  • Improved access to clinical trials in merged organisation
    • Earlier access to drugs as part of a trial that are not yet in general use, which can in some cases significantly expend life expectancy

Oncology

  • Co-location of haematology and oncology wards on the emergency site, with close access to critical care and emergency care
  • Improved facility for acute oncology services close to the wards
  • Out-patient chemotherapy to continue on both sites, with a view to moving more services into community hospitals in the future to improve access to care and bring care closer to home.

Gastroenterology

  • Combining of clinical teams will mean a 7 day service is possible at the emergency site.
  • Improved planned care patient flow, leading to shorter times to treatment
  • Improved sub-specialisation of clinicians leading to faster diagnosis
  • Improved access to endoscopy

Stroke

Future of our stroke services in Dorset

Recent transformation videos

Latest news on our transformation plans

Dr. Isabel Smith, consultant anaesthetist and medical director for strategy and transformation at University Hospitals Dorset, gives an update on the exciting £500m transformation plan for our hospitals.

Dr Harry Adlington, UHD's clinical director for emergency and urgent care, narrates this short film of the bright future for emergency care.

By hospital site

Poole Hospital

Royal Bournemouth hospital

Flythroughs

By service

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