HospitalCheck

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dorchester, DT1 2JY · Compare with another trust

At a glance

Whether this trust meets each official NHS operational standard — not a combined score or ranking.

Waiting times
Below NHS standard
60.0% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
55.9% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
26.7% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
19.8% waiting 6+ weeks · standard 1.0% or fewer · About this data
Mortality (SHMI)
As expected
Screening indicator, not a death rate — a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care · About this data

In plain English

AI-generated

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust reported 5,110 A&E attendances in August 2026, with 55.9% of patients seen within four hours. In July 2026, the trust had 23,375 patients on its waiting list, and 60% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Additionally, 66% of staff felt happy for a friend or relative to be treated there in the 2025 NHS Staff Survey.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 11 September 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not medical advice. About these summaries

Hospitals run by this trust

Trust performance

Treated or seen within 18 weeks
60.0%
National median: 66.0%
▲ 0.6 pts vs yr agoBetter than 13% of trustsData: Jul 2026
Typical (median) wait
13.7 wks
National median: 11.8 wks
▼ 0.2 wks vs yr agoBetter than 15% of trustsData: Jul 2026
Patients on the waiting list
23,375
National median: 39,678.5
▲ 970 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
Waiting over a year
379
National median: 365
▲ 11 vs yr agoBetter than 48% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
55.9%
National median: 73.7%
▼ 11.4 pts vs yr agoBetter than 3% of trustsData: Aug 2026
A&E attendances
5,110
National median: 13,965
▼ 17 vs yr agoData: Aug 2026
12-hour trolley waits
21
National median: 200
▼ 23 vs yr agoBetter than 69% of trustsData: Aug 2026

A&E performance

Latest month: August 2026· all A&E department types combined — the official headline basis.

A&E attendances
5,110
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
55.9%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
21
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
2,554
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
5,110
Seen within 4 hours
55.9%

The all-types headline above includes minor-injury units and urgent treatment centres (Type 3), which typically report much higher 4-hour performance and lift the combined figure. This narrower figure covers only the main, consultant-led A&E department— Type 1 in NHS England's classification.

Department typeAttendancesWithin 4 hours
All types (official headline)5,11055.9%
Type 1 — major A&E5,11055.9%

Source: NHS England A&E Attendances & Emergency Admissions. About this data

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Treatment within 62 days
26.7%
4 of 15 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
20%40%60%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%26.7%79.5%April 202568.9%May 202567.7%June 202567.5%July 202568.0%August 202566.9%September 202530.4%October 202566.2%November 202576.1%December 202573.1%January 202676.3%February 202626.9%March 202671.7%April 202663.1%May 202626.7%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%75.9%70.6%April 202567.0%May 202575.7%June 202572.1%July 202567.5%August 202566.0%September 202574.6%October 202574.9%November 202577.4%December 202574.1%January 202683.8%February 202678.1%April 202675.9%May 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
92.5%95%97.5%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%94.5%93.4%April 202591.5%May 202595.4%June 202595.2%July 202592.1%August 202594.8%September 202592.5%November 202593.6%December 202594.7%January 202698.3%February 202695.1%April 202694.5%May 2026

Source: NHS England Cancer Waiting Times. The 62-day standard is urgent referral to first treatment; the 28-day faster-diagnosis standard is referral to diagnosis or ruling-out. About this data

Patient experience (Friends & Family Test)

Latest month: July 2026· a voluntary, monthly feedback survey — the figure is the share of respondents who rated their experience 'good' or 'very good'. Response rates are often low and respondents are self-selected, not a representative sample, so read this alongside the clinical measures above, not on its own.

Inpatient care
% would recommend
97.1%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
1.3%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
379
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
7.2%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
89.1%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
8.7%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
46
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
1.5%
Responses as a share of those eligible

Source: NHS England Friends & Family Test. About this data

Staff experience (NHS Staff Survey)

2025 · the views of staff who work at this trust — a measure of workforce culture, morale and confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes. There is no official NHS target for these figures, so they are shown as context, never a pass or fail.

Staff happy for a friend or relative to be treated here
66.0%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 2.2 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.92
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
62.8%
Agreed · 2025

The NHS Staff Survey records the views of staff who chose to respond — a measure of workforce culture, morale and staff confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes or safety. Response rates vary between trusts. England only; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate staff surveys on a different basis, so these figures are never compared across nations.

Source: NHS Staff Survey (NHS England), Open Government Licence. About this data

Cancelled operations

Quarter ending 30 June 2026· last-minute cancellations for NON-CLINICAL reasons (no bed, no staff, an emergency taking priority) — not cancellations chosen by the patient or on clinical grounds. It's a raw count, so larger trusts naturally cancel more in absolute terms — read this alongside the other measures above, not on its own.

Last-minute cancellations
174
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
44
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
25.3%
share of cancelled ops without a new date inside 28 days

Source: NHS England (QMCO). About this data

Bed occupancy, ambulance handovers & delayed discharges (UEC Daily SitRep)

Snapshot at 8am, 29 March 2026. This is unvalidated management information— NHS England's own label — and can be revised for up to 14 days after first publication. It is collected only during the winter Daily SitRep window, so this is the latest date the collection has published, not necessarily today. It measures operational pressure (how full the hospital is), NOT care quality — high occupancy is normal for NHS hospitals, especially in winter, and is not a safety or performance score. The ambulance-handover figures below cover winter 2025-26 as a period total(not a snapshot): the time from an ambulance arriving to the patient being handed over to A&E staff. The delayed-discharge figures cover the most recent 7 daysof the collection (not a snapshot, and not the whole winter): a patient who "no longer meets the criteria to reside" is medically ready to leave hospital, but how quickly they actually do mostly reflects social-care and community capacity to receive them — NOT the hospital's own clinical quality. A higher handover or delayed-discharge figure means more operational pressure — like the rest of this section, none of it is a measure of care quality, and it carries no colour grading, badge or ranking.

Adult general & acute bed occupancy
98.3%
291 occupied of 296 open
Adult critical care occupancy
100.0%
10 occupied of 10 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
18.7%
of 6,541 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
1.8%
of 6,541 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
66
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
35%
of 715 who no longer met the criteria to reside, week to 29 March 2026

Source: NHS England UEC Daily SitRep, Ambulance Handover and Acute Discharge SitRep collections. About this data

Never Events (patient safety)

Financial year 2025/26 · Never Events are rare, serious, wholly-preventable incidents. This is a RAW count for 2025/26— it is NOT adjusted for how much surgery the trust does, and NHS England publishes it to prompt learning, NOT to compare trusts. A higher number is a prompt to look at the trust's own review, not proof it is less safe than a trust with fewer.

Never Events reported
1
Occurring in FY 2025/26 · not a comparative safety score

Source: NHS England. About this data

Maternity — patient experience

CQC National Maternity Survey, 2025 · scores are relative comparisons against other trusts, not a measure of absolute quality — based on 111 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). A lower score is a prompt to look closer, not proof of poor care.

Response rate
43.7%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
111
Of 255 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
9.0/10
Better than most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
9.5/10
Better than most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
9.1/10
Better than most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.4/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.4/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.7/10
About the same as most trusts

Source: Care Quality Commission — National Maternity Survey. About this data

Stroke care (SSNAP audit)

Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, latest quarter to 2026· the SSNAP level (A best .. E) is the audit's own published grade for the quality of this team's acute stroke-care PROCESSES, adjusted for case-mix, case ascertainment and audit compliance — it is not a guarantee of any individual patient's outcome. England only; SSNAP also covers Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dorset County Hospital
C60.0/100
Wessex
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayC
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentC
Therapy intensityC
Therapy frequencyC
Standards by dischargeA
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A

Source: Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · National Hip Fracture Database, 2023audit year · "Met best-practice criteria" is the audit's own composite measure of hip-fracture care PROCESSES at each hospital this trust runs.

Dorset County HospitalBest-practice 41.0%333 cases

Source: National Hip Fracture Database (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Patient experience — inpatient care

CQC Adult Inpatient Survey, 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 473 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
44.6%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
473
Of 1,105 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
6.9/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
8.9/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
9.1/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
9.0/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Enough nurses on duty
7.5/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
7.1/10
National average: 7.2/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough privacy when examined or treated
9.5/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
6.9/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.6/10
National average: 6.7/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality Commission — CQC Adult Inpatient Survey. About this data

Patient experience — A&E (urgent & emergency care)

CQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E), 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 467 voluntary respondents who attended a major (type 1) A&E department (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
39.0%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
467
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
8.1/10
National average: 7.3/10
Better than the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
3.2/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
3.8/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.5/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
8.4/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
7.7/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
7.4/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
8.9/10
National average: 7.8/10
Better than the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.8/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
9.0/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality Commission — CQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E). About this data

Patient experience — cancer care

National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, 2025 · scores are the % of patients giving the most positive answer (and an overall 0–10 rating), and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the survey's 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 369 patients treated for cancer by this trust (a question is only shown here where at least 10 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
—
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
369
Who took part
Overall rating of care
9.0/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
79%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
89%
National average: 84%
About the same as the national average
Involved as much as wanted in treatment decisions
83%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
76%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
87%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
78%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
70%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
90%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
55%
National average: 45%
Better than the national average

Source: NHS England (survey run by Picker on its behalf) — National Cancer Patient Experience Survey. About this data

Hip & knee replacement — patient outcomes (PROMs)

Financial year 2024-25(finalised) · patients having a primary hip or knee replacement voluntarily score their health before and after surgery. The average gain shown is adjusted for differences between patients (case-mix) — it is not a raw before/after difference and not a ranking, so read it alongside the patient numbers.

Hip replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
23.3
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 23.1
Patients
30
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
100.0%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
16.6
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 17.1
Patients
35
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
91.4%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.31
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale

Source: NHS England PROMs (hip & knee replacement). About this data

Diagnostic test waits

Latest month: July 2026. The operational standard is that under 1% should wait more than 6 weeks.

Waiting 6+ weeks for a test
19.8%
of 5,897 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Cardiology1,30944.5%582161
Cystoscopy19035.8%6826
Colonoscopy54732.5%17848
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy9428.7%273
DEXA Scan57520.5%1180
Gastroscopy41818.2%7630
Neurophysiology22415.6%350
Respiratory physiology2168.3%183
CT scan4826.4%310
MRI5881.9%112
Ultrasound1,2381.0%123
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
20%30%40%Apr 25Jan 2619.8%22.7%April 202526.1%May 202527.7%June 202528.2%July 202532.1%August 202530.7%September 202529.7%October 202528.9%November 202539.5%December 202536.1%January 202624.4%February 202622.6%March 202623.0%April 202623.7%May 202622.4%June 202619.8%July 2026

Source: NHS England Diagnostic Waiting Times & Activity (DM01). About this data

Safety: infections

Cases in the 12 months to July 2026. Hospital-onset cases are those most likely acquired in hospital.

InfectionCases (12 mo)Hospital-onset
MRSA bacteraemia62
C. difficile8231
E. coli bacteraemia18625
MSSA bacteraemia6813
Klebsiella bacteraemia528
Pseudomonas bacteraemia168
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
510Dec 23Jan 25Jan 26103December 20236January 20249February 20246March 20243April 20245May 20247June 20247July 20246August 20247September 202410October 20244November 20246December 20242January 20257February 20254March 20259April 202513May 20253June 202513July 20255August 20253September 202510October 20252November 20258December 20254January 202611February 20268March 202610April 20269May 20267June 202610July 2026

Source: UK Health Security Agency mandatory surveillance. About this data

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Apr 2026.

As expected
0.97
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 1,200 deaths vs 1,235 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.101.20Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.971.20December 20181.20January 20191.19February 20191.19March 20191.19April 20191.16May 20191.18June 20191.18July 20191.19August 20191.19September 20191.20October 20191.18November 20191.16December 20191.15January 20201.14February 20201.13March 20201.15April 20201.15May 20201.13June 20201.14July 20201.12August 20201.11September 20201.10October 20201.10November 20201.12December 20201.13January 20211.14February 20211.14March 20211.16April 20211.18May 20211.20June 20211.15July 20211.12August 20211.14September 20211.14October 20211.14November 20211.12December 20211.11January 20221.11February 20221.13March 20221.14April 20221.14May 20221.14June 20221.14July 20221.16August 20221.18September 20221.16October 20221.16November 20221.14December 20221.13January 20231.13February 20231.14March 20231.12April 20231.12May 20231.11June 20231.12July 20231.11August 20231.12September 20231.12October 20231.10November 20231.11December 20231.11January 20241.10February 20241.11March 20241.11April 20241.10May 20241.09June 20241.06July 20241.06August 20241.04September 20241.04October 20241.07November 20241.05December 20241.05January 20251.04February 20251.04March 20251.01April 20251.01May 20251.01June 20251.01July 20251.00August 20251.01September 20251.00October 20250.98November 20250.98December 20250.98January 20260.98February 20260.96March 20260.97April 2026

The SHMI compares the number of deaths after hospital care with the number expected given patients' characteristics. It is not a death rate and a higher value is a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care. Source: NHS England. About this data

Waiting times by specialty

Data: July 2026 · Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics (incomplete pathways)

SpecialtyWaitingWithin 18 wksMedian wait9 in 10 wait under52+ wks65+ wks78+ wks
Trauma and Orthopaedic3,53046.0%20.0 wks48.0 wks17500
Ear Nose and Throat3,11754.6%16.1 wks41.7 wks4910
Ophthalmology2,46971.5%10.5 wks28.7 wks200
Cardiology1,80851.8%17.0 wks40.8 wks1100
Oral Surgery1,65354.0%15.0 wks40.5 wks1100
Dermatology1,65168.3%8.4 wks43.2 wks2500
Other - Medicals1,63065.9%12.6 wks40.8 wks5600
Gynaecology1,52166.7%11.9 wks42.9 wks3100
Other - Surgicals1,50077.7%7.6 wks32.4 wks400
Urology1,40462.3%12.5 wks34.6 wks000
General Surgery1,35446.8%19.1 wks40.4 wks700
Gastroenterology1,01573.1%10.7 wks26.6 wks000
Other - Paediatrics33551.6%17.2 wks43.0 wks800
Respiratory Medicine29877.5%10.5 wks24.0 wks000
Elderly Medicine7876.9%7.0 wks25.8 wks000
General Internal Medicine1080.0%11.5 wks28.2 wks000
Other - Others250.0%2.0 wks37.8 wks000

Figures come from NHS England's official monthly statistics and the CQC directory, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See methodology for definitions.