During times of industrial action, our priority is to provide safe care. Please help us by choosing the right services for your needs.
Key information for hospital appointments and patients
- At times, we may have to postpone some appointments during industrial action. We will let you know directly if your appointment is cancelled. Please assume it is going ahead unless you are contacted directly.
- No-one should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes and people with serious, life-threatening conditions will continue to be seen in our emergency departments.
- Use NHS 111 online or by phone for other urgent care needs. If you are contacting 111, please give as much information as you can, as that will help you get the right support and advice.
- For non-urgent care services please contact your GP practice to make an appointment.
Mental health support
If you need mental health support call Connection on 0800 652 0190. The Connection service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visit your local pharmacy
Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches, earaches and many other ailments.
Find a pharmacy near you.
Patient discharge
Staying in hospital for longer than necessary can have a negative impact on how well patients recover. Most patients will continue to recover at home once they leave hospital. In fact, many patients need to leave hospital to be able to complete their recovery fully.
Help us get patients who are ready for discharge home so our hospital beds are available for people who need them most urgently. Please speak to the ward team if you need more information and respond quickly to any calls from us about your relative leaving hospital.
CQC rates UHD maternity services
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated maternity services at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital as ‘requires improvement’, following an inspection last September.
You can read a summary of the CQC report here.
The full report will be published on CQC's website in the coming days.
This CQC report is published as our Maternity Team celebrates a year in the BEACH Building at RBH following the move from St Mary’s in Poole.
We made immediate improvements following the CQC visit, including updating our security policy. Our Maternity Team has been continuing to identify better ways of working in our new building to ensure we provide safe and timely care.
We are pleased that our service is rated as good for being effective, caring and responsive. Families reported that our colleagues treated them with kindness and compassion. The CQC found that parents felt involved in decisions and enjoyed the privacy of their own rooms, with partners now able to stay which was not always possible at Poole Hospital. The CQC also reported that our midwives and doctors worked well together.
We look forward to welcoming the CQC back to check on progress following their inspection last September, as we continue to drive continuous improvement across our services.
New electronic health record set to improve healthcare for communities in Dorset and Somerset
A major digital transformation programme to improve the way people access and experience healthcare across Dorset and Somerset is now underway.
The Healthset programme, a joint initiative between Dorset County Hospital, Dorset HealthCare, University Hospitals Dorset, and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, has signed a contract with Epic to provide the electronic health record for the two counties.
Creating a single, joined up record will give health and care professionals a clearer, more complete picture of each person’s health and will replace a patchwork of existing IT systems, bringing together information from acute hospitals, community and mental health services.
This will help reduce delays, improve safety, and ensure the 1.4 million people living in the area don’t have to repeat their story every time they move between services or across county boundaries.
The Healthset team is now working closely with Epic to design and build the new system, with implementation planned for April 2028.
Beverley Bryant, Chief Digital Officer for Dorset Providers and Senior Responsible Officer for the programme, said: “This is a huge step forward for people in Dorset and Somerset. Some of our residents receive care in both counties, and this new system will help ensure their information follows them wherever they go. Epic’s solution will support safer, more coordinated care and make the experience smoother for patients and service users.”
David Shannon, Director of Strategy and Digital Development at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and joint Senior Responsible Officer, added: “Our new EHR will transform how teams work together across sites and services. It will improve clinical quality, enhance patient and staff experience, and support more efficient care. It also opens the door to new opportunities in research and innovation that will ultimately benefit our communities.”
Mercedes McCoy, Vice President of Epic, said: “The trusts across Dorset and Somerset are connecting hospital, community, and mental health services on a single platform. We’re excited to work with their teams to give clinicians a complete view of each patient’s story and empower people to take a more active role in their own health.”
Hospital staff celebrated at Downing Street
Staff from University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) celebrated Chinese New Year with a vibrant reception at 10 Downing Street.
Bingbing Liu, UHD Senior Surgical Clinical Lead, and staff nurse, Lixia Wang, attended the event in February following an invitation from NHS England to celebrate the importance of Chinese community and culture in British life.
The reception brought together community leaders and professionals from sectors across the country, including education, healthcare, councils, arts, and local business.
Bingbing said:“It was a great honour to represent UHD at Downing Street, where Lixia and I had the opportunity to meet a wide range of remarkable individuals, including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. He extended his thanks to guests for enhancing understanding of Chinese and wider East and Southeast Asian cultures within the UK.
Bingbing Liu at Downing Street
“The day also highlighted the value of visible leadership in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” added Lixia. “I am keen to translate these insights into practical contributions within our Trust, particularly through continued engagement with our Diverse Ethnicity Network and collaborative initiatives that support service improvement.”
“Strengthening our staff networks and fostering inclusive dialogue will help us further develop a culture where diversity is valued, and our services reflect the communities we serve. I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues across UHD to help create the best possible workplace and deliver excellent, inclusive services.”
Lixia Wang at Downing Street
Chinese New Year celebrations at Downing Street
A 'centre of excellence' is in the making at Poole Hospital
The development of a state-of-the-art Endoscopy Centre at Poole Hospital is taking shape.
The £21m development had a positive visit from Poole’s MP last week, Neil Duncan-Jordan, who believes it will ‘make a huge difference to our local healthcare service and the community’.
Neil was joined by University Hospital Dorset’s Chief Executive, Siobhan Harrington, and Dr. Suranga Dharmasiri, Clinical Lead for Endoscopy.
The new Endoscopy Centre is set to open later this summer, providing an outpatient facility to support planned care. The building spans two storeys, and includes six endoscopy procedure and associated rooms, as well as training and seminar rooms.
Dr. Dharmasiri, said: “The new centre will enable us to treat more patients, reduce waiting times, enhance patient experiences, and train the next generation of endoscopy professionals in Dorset."
Neil added: “I’m looking forward to seeing the unit completed and the positive impact it will have for patients across the area.”
The Endoscopy Centre will form a large part of the Dorset ICS’s long-term vision for the Community Diagnostic Centres Programme. The new facility will also enhance Poole’s future as a major planned hospital.
An Endoscopy service will also be available at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital with inpatient facilities.
