Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

02/03/2026

Our Stroke Service is expanding to support patients across Dorset and Somerset, including the launch of our brand-new Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU).

We are recruiting Band 5 Registered Nurses who want to make a real difference at one of the most critical and challenging moments in a person’s life.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward-thinking team delivering high-quality, time-critical stroke care across the full pathway — hyper-acute, acute, and early rehabilitation.

As a Band 5 Nurse, you will play a key role in delivering safe, compassionate, evidence-based care to patients with complex neurological needs.

We would welcome applications from nurses who are:
· Passionate about stroke care
· Confident in fast-paced clinical environments
· Keen to develop skills in NIHSS, thrombolysis/thrombectomy pathways, dysphagia management, and neurological assessment
· Motivated to work in a service that is growing, innovating, and improving outcomes for patients across two counties
· Contributing to service development as we launch our HASU.

What we offer:
· Full stroke-specific induction
· NIHSS training and competency sign-off
· Opportunities to rotate into the Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit
· Access to stroke specialist education and CPD
· Supportive leadership and a strong MDT culture
· Clear development pathways and support.

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02/03/2026

Congratulations to our Sterile Services Department who recently achieved its re-certification audit. The audit takes place every three years and and ensures the department is compliant with Medical Device Regulations.

The auditor praised how organised the department is, and the brilliant team work. A huge well done to the entire team for all their hard work! 👏

01/03/2026

Did you give birth in January or February 2026? You could be invited to take part in the NHS to help us understand what works well and what needs improvement. We would love to hear your feedback.

More information is available on the CQC website. Find the link in the comments below.
Dorset Maternity & Neonatal Voices
NHS Dorset

28/02/2026

If you need urgent medical help but you are not sure where to go, use 111 to get assessed and directed to the right place for you.​ Call, go online or use the NHS App.

27/02/2026

This week we celebrated Sue Homer who marked an incredible 37 years in the NHS!

Sue started her career in July 1989 at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham as a Clinical Coder, before joining the West Midlands Cancer Registry eight years later. In 2000, Sue relocated with her family down south and joined us at as a Clinical Coder. Two years later Sue became a Multidisciplinary Team Facilitator in Cancer Services, a role she was very passionate about, before progressing to Cancer Services Delivery Manager.

Sue said: "I have been lucky to have had a good management team that have given me so many opportunities in my career. I also couldn’t be in the position I am without my wonderful MDT Team and Cancer Appointments Team, that show up every day and are a pleasure to work with.

"A big thank you to all the teams, consultants, CNSs and departments that have made my 25 years at DCH fly by - there won’t be another 25 but hopefully a good few more years yet!"

Congratulations Sue! Thank you for your ongoing dedication, commitment, compassion and professionalism! We are very lucky to have you! 🥳👏🩵

26/02/2026

The NHS Forest, run by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, has launched a crowdfunder to raise money to support both tree planting on healthcare sites and the work of Nature Recovery Rangers. Our Nature Recovery Ranger Ruth has been doing incredible work since joining us at ! 🌱

Planting trees and meadows on unused land at health and social care sites across the UK to develop green spaces for nature and communities.

24/02/2026

📢 As part of our ongoing site developments, there will be some disruption and changes to the parking arrangements outside North Wing, Entrance 1 and South Wing, Entrance 1 this Thursday (26 February).

We are expecting construction equipment to arrive first-thing in the morning and lorries will be arriving throughout the day to deliver materials. To allow this to happen safely, there will be some changes to parking arrangements in this area during the day:

▪️ The parking bays for chemotherapy patients will be temporarily relocated to the pick-up and drop-off area nearby outside North Wing, Entrance 2.

▪️ The Emergency Department 20-minute drop-off bays will temporarily relocated alongside South Wing, Entrance 1.

Our staff will be on hand to direct people and manage the traffic flow. Ambulance access to these entrances will be maintained at all times, and pedestrians will still be able to enter through North Wing, Entrance 1 and South Wing, Entrance 1.

We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and thank you for bearing with us.

23/02/2026

Absolutely fantastic news from Dorset County Hospital Charity! A big thank you to all our supporters for helping us to reach this incredible milestone! 🎉🎉🎉

23/02/2026

Dorset patients can now find all local pregnancy, maternity and children’s health information in one place, alongside wider NHS guidance. Find the link to the Healthier Together website in the comments below.

Maternity information for Dorset is now on Healthier Together

Local pregnancy and baby advice is now part of the Healthier Together website. This brings pregnancy, baby and children’s health advice together in one place, making it easier to find clear, up-to-date information.

Find out more about this update here:
www.staywelldorset.nhs.uk/update/maternity

21/02/2026

NHS Talking Therapies treatment gives you practical skills and techniques to overcome conditions like OCD, social anxiety disorder and PTSD.

Find out more, including how to refer yourself, via the link in the comments below.

19/02/2026

Our urology and theatre teams recently launched a newer, less invasive treatment for benign prostate enlargement. REZUM involves water vapour (steam) ablation treatment to shrink an enlarged prostate. This is a fantastic and exciting development and our teams should be incredibly proud of all their hard work on this project. 👏

19/02/2026

This must have been such a scare for Ian and his family - we are so glad he is recovering well. Thank you to the team at Weymouth Research Hub and at DCH for acting so swiftly!

Read Ian's story below. 👇

When Ian Whitehead arrived at Weymouth Research Hub, he expected the usual health checks and paperwork involved in taking part in a clinical trial. Instead, the visit revealed a life‑threatening medical emergency he didn’t even know he was having - and ultimately saved his life.Mr Whitehead, 70,...