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Help in an emergency
In Dorset there are a range of health services that you can access if you are unwell. Please choose and use the service that will best look after your needs and only visit Emergency Departments in a genuine emergency.
Early advice is the best advice
Seeking medical intervention early can help ensure you get prompt treatment for any ailments and avoid situations where emergency treatment is needed – helping ease pressure on local Emergency Departments. For more information on the right treatment for your symptoms, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/the-nhs-app/
Emergency Departments
Emergency Departments (A&E) assess and treat patients with serious injuries or illnesses. Generally, you should only visit A&E or call 999 in an emergency. You should dial 999 or come to A&E for a suspected stroke, loss of consciousness, breathing difficulties and persistent, severe chest pain.
In Dorset there are Emergency Departments in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorchester
Find out more about our Emergency Departments here
Eye emergencies
If you have an eye emergency or injury, please contact the Eye Unit at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital to speak to an experienced ophthalmic nurse on the phone. The nurse can give you quick advice and then make a decision about the most appropriate form of care for you. This could be an appointment at the Eye Unit or with your GP. Call the Eye Unit on 0300 019 4181.
111
Not sure where to go? Call NHS 111 when you need medical advice or are not sure who to contact.
GP
Find your nearest GP at www.nhs.uk
Dentist
Find your nearest dentist at www.nhs.uk
Walk-in centres
Boscombe and Springbourne Walk-in Centre is open at weekends, Saturday and Sunday, from 8am until 8pm and can help you with health needs such as urgent care, larger cuts, sprains and minor injuries.
Remember, if you need urgent care during a weekday please contact your GP surgery.
Phone: 01202 720174
Location:
Boscombe & Springbourne Walk-In
12-14 Walpole Road
Boscombe
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH1 4HA
Pharmacy
Treat yourself better - the majority of colds and flu like illnesses will be over in a few days and your pharmacist can help you manage the symptoms and give you practical advice.
There are over 150 pharmacies in Dorset, within communities, in out of town shopping centres and the high street. Many are open evenings and weekends. Pharmacies offer a wide range of services; many also have private consultation rooms if you would like to speak in confidence
To find your nearest pharmacist visit www.nhs.uk
Make sure you have your medicines - if you receive regular medicines, please make sure you give your local pharmacist 24 hours to prepare your prescription.
For more information on using health services appropriately visit http://staywelldorset.nhs.uk/
Chaplaincy services
Our chaplaincy service covers all hospital sites.
What is the chaplaincy service?
People who are ill, and their families, can find themselves in a uniquely challenging time and in need of spiritual or pastoral support.
Chaplains will help you deal with the difficult experiences of life, death, illness and injury, in terms of personal spirituality, compassion and meaning. Chaplains and volunteers support people of all faiths and none and are happy to meet with staff, patients, families, or friends. Chaplains are the ritual leaders of the Trust and have a prominent role whenever we join together for events such as Memorial Services or Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
Our Lead Chaplain, James Taylor, introduces the work of the chaplaincy team in the article ‘Spotlight on Chaplaincy’ for The Brief.
How do I contact you?
We can be contacted directly on the telephone extensions below:
- Royal Bournemouth Hospital: 0300 019 4221
- Christchurch Hospital: 0300 019 5111
- Poole Hospital: 0300 019 2167
The Christchurch Hospital chaplaincy does not have a chaplain on-site every day - if there is no answer on the telephone and the request is urgent, please contact the Royal Bournemouth chaplaincy office on the telephone number given above.
There is an emergency on-call chaplain at all times who staff can request via switchboard.
What does the chaplaincy service offer?
We offer:
- to listen to your concerns - without judgement and with empathy
- spiritual resources - for example, copies of sacred scripture, prayer beads, holding crosses
- regular religious services held at our chapels
- ritual support for patients at the bedside - for example, Holy Communion, anointing, special prayers
- to help you make contact with leaders from your own faith community
What about chapels and prayer spaces?
These are open and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for prayer and quiet reflection. They are well signposted - follow signs for ‘chapel’ or ‘prayer space’. All of the prayer spaces have Muslim prayer mats and at the Poole Hospital Royal Bournemouth Hospital there are facilities for ritual ablutions.
| Location | Where is the chapel/prayer space? |
|---|---|
| Royal Bournemouth Hospital | First floor of the East Wing |
| Christchurch Hospital | Main corridor of the ground floor near the Macmillan Unit |
| Poole Hospital | Blue Zone Level 1 |
Can I attend a religious service?
Patients, their families, and staff, are welcome to attend our religious services each week. Ask a member of ward staff for support in this.
| Location | Religious Service | When |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Bournemouth Hospital Chapel | Christian worship | Thursday 1pm Sunday 2:30pm |
| Roman Catholic Mass | 1st Wednesday Monthly at 6pm | |
| Muslim Friday Prayers | Lunchtime after the sun’s zenith: check time at the prayer space. | |
| Poole Hospital Chapel | Christian worship | Tuesday 1pm |
| Muslim Friday Prayers | Lunchtime after the sun’s zenith: check time at the prayer space. |
Contact the chaplaincy service at your location for times of other religious prayers, meditations and special services.
What are your working hours?
Chaplains are available 8am-4pm on the Poole and Royal Bournemouth hospital sites Monday-Friday. At weekends and on Bank Holidays a chaplain works across the Trust sites 8am-4pm to meet urgent need. There is an emergency on-call chaplain at all times.
Same sex accommodation
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust remains committed to complying with the Government’s requirement to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation, except when it is in the patient’s overall best interests or reflects their personal choice, for example in critical care settings such as intensive care and other specialist care areas.
We have the necessary facilities to provide sleeping areas and toilet and washing facilities that are for men or women only. This will mean different things in different hospitals. You could be:
- in a same-sex ward, where the whole ward is occupied by either men or women only
- in a single room, or
- in a mixed ward, where men and women are in separate bays or rooms with members of the same sex
Toilet and washing facilities should be easy to get to, not a long way from your bed. You should not have to go through accommodation, toilet, or washing facilities used by the opposite sex, to get to your own. Gender neutral toileting facilities are also available throughout the trust.
The trust implements this commitment in practice through the Same Sex Accommodation and Privacy and Dignity Policies. If our care should fall short of the required standard, we will identify this through our internal reporting process’ and report it externally to our commissioners. Our mixed sex accommodation data will be regularly reviewed by our Quality Committee and reported to the Board annually as part of our ongoing commitment and our declaration of compliance.
During the pandemic the national requirement for trusts to audit and report on mixed sex accommodation was paused. National reporting this has now recommenced.
Disabled access and support
We aim to promote equality by ensuring the services we provide are accessible to all.
Parking and drop-off points
At all of our sites, parking is free for drivers of vehicles whom display a Blue Badge.
At our Poole site, extra wide spaces for wheelchair users are available in the multi-storey car park, these can be found on levels C and G.
Blue Badge holders parking in the multi-storey car park, will be required to attend the car parks office prior to leaving, in order to obtain a validated exit ticket which must be presented at the exit barriers.
Drop-off points are available at the Main Entrance and Entrance North - waiting is limited to 20 minutes.
At our Royal Bournemouth site, disabled parking spaces are available in all of our pay and display car parks. Drop-off points are available by the Urgent Treatent Centre entrance, Emergency Department, by the entrance to Outpatients, and outside the Eye Unit – please park in the designated areas and note that waiting is limited to 20 minutes.
At our Christchurch site, disabled parking is available in our car parks and there is a drop-off area in car park A.
Click here for more details on car parking
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are available at a variety of points in our car parks and within the hospitals themselves. At Poole Hospital a covered walkway leads from the multi-storey car park (level G) to the main hospital.
Visual or audio impairment
If you have any special requirements, such as help with visual or hearing impairment or language or communication matters, please let a member of staff know, or contact the Patient Experience Service to find out what support is available to you.
Our range of patient information leaflets are available in various formats, including large print, Braille, and foreign languages.
We can arrange qualified British Sign Language (BSL)interpreters and lip speakers by prior arrangement.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, a text telephone is available in the Emergency Department.
At Poole Hospital, a loop system is installed in several areas including the main reception (entrance 10), the Emergency Department, Pharmacy, the Outpatients Department, the Ladybird Unit and the Chapel.
Friends and Family Test
The NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) is an important opportunity for you to provide feedback on the services that provide your care and treatment. Your feedback will help our staff to make improvements and also for NHS England to improve services for everyone.
It was introduced in 2013 so every patient could give quick feedback on the quality of the care they receive, giving hospitals a better understanding of the needs of their patients and enabling improvements.
For more information about the programme visit NHS England.
If you have a concern that requires a response to a query or wish to talk to a member of staff please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team, as the FFT Survey is not appropriate for this purpose.
How does it work?
You may be asked to answer the question "Overall, how was your experience of our service?" before going home, either on an iPad or paper form, or you may be receive an SMS text message on your phone after you are discharged from a service, or within the first week that follows.
The SMS is a very short message with a link to this page where you can click the link below
You can rank your answer from "very good" to "very poor". You'll have the opportunity to explain your score by adding comments. This is important because service providers can only make changes if they know exactly what is or is not working
Click here to complete the Friends and Family Test
Do you have to respond to the question?
Your answer is voluntary. But if you do answer, your feedback will provide valuable information to celebrate good practice, and identify opportunities to make improvements. Your answer can not be traced back to you, and we ask please do not leave your personal details on the form. A member of your family or a friend is welcome to answer the question if you are unable to.
