Dorset County Hospital
Encyclopedia
Dorset County Hospital is an NHS
district general hospital in the town of Dorchester, Dorset, England
and is operated by West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust
. The hospital is the hub of the district's inpatient facilities but community hospitals, owned by the North and South West Dorset Primary Care Groups are situated in the surrounding major towns and provide the 'spokes' to the central unit. Dorset County Hospital has 500 beds.
Phase Two was constructed in the mid 1990s, along with the Hospital Link Road (named Williams Avenue), connecting Bridport and Damer's Roads and giving access to the hospital. Phase Two's completion enabled all services to relocate from Princes Street, as well some facilities (including Accident and Emergency, which had not previously been present in Dorchester) from Weymouth. The hospital was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen
on 8 May 1998. The Somerleigh Road site has subsequently been redeveloped for housing, a retirement home, public car parking and tennis courts relocated from the adjacent Borough Gardens.
in England and it scores well with respect to most of the other performance indicators
. The mortality rate is 8% below the expected level and is among the best 30 nationally. The trust is just one of five in England where all inpatients are admitted within six months of referral and the proportion of outpatients seen by a consultant within 13 weeks of referral is among the 30 highest. The trust's facilities are also very clean: it is ranked in the top ten in England for the high standards of cleanliness in the A&E department and in outpatients' toilets.
In 2005 the hospital was awarded three-star status in the NHS's performance ratings.
for this procedure. Other future plans for the hospital include the creation of a sensory room with lights, music and textured surfaces to stimulate young patients in Digby Court, the Trust's residential centre for children with complex learning disabilities. Improvements have also been made to the environment in Hardy Ward, the Stroke Unit.
al services are organised into four directorates and provide the following services centralised on the Dorset County Hospital Site.
The hospital is also recognised as a cancer
unit for the provision of services for patients with gynaecological
, breast
, colorectal
, urological
, upper gastrointestinal
, lung
and haematological malignancies
. While most chemotherapy
is given locally, the radiotherapy centre is in the Cancer Centre at Poole Hospital
.
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
district general hospital in the town of Dorchester, Dorset, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is operated by West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
. The hospital is the hub of the district's inpatient facilities but community hospitals, owned by the North and South West Dorset Primary Care Groups are situated in the surrounding major towns and provide the 'spokes' to the central unit. Dorset County Hospital has 500 beds.
Origins
The hospital was founded in 1840 and the first purpose-built buildings were constructed in 1841 south of Princes Street in the town centre. The site's facilities continued to expand through the 20th century in a piecemeal fashion, leaving a crowded site with several old buildings unsuitable for modern clinical care. It was thus that a site for a new purpose-built District General Hospital for the area was identified to the west of the town centre, on the land sandwiched between Bridport Road, Damer's Road, Damer's First School and the Bristol to Weymouth railway line. This was adjacent to Damer's Hospital, originally the workhouse.Relocation
Construction of the first phases on the new site took place in the late 1980s, with Phase One at the north of the site adjacent to Bridport Road and the separate Children's Centre at the south of the site adjacent to Damer's Road. Phase One has a distinctive red and blue external colour scheme. Upon opening, Phase One was known as West Dorset General Hospital, to differentiate it from the Somerleigh Road site, from which several services continued to operate, and which continued to be known as Dorset County Hospital.Phase Two was constructed in the mid 1990s, along with the Hospital Link Road (named Williams Avenue), connecting Bridport and Damer's Roads and giving access to the hospital. Phase Two's completion enabled all services to relocate from Princes Street, as well some facilities (including Accident and Emergency, which had not previously been present in Dorchester) from Weymouth. The hospital was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 8 May 1998. The Somerleigh Road site has subsequently been redeveloped for housing, a retirement home, public car parking and tennis courts relocated from the adjacent Borough Gardens.
Performance
In the Sunday Times Good Hospital Guide 2004, West Dorset's patient satisfaction rating is bettered by only one trustNHS Care Trust
An NHS care trust, is a type of NHS trust in the English National Health Service and NHS Wales that provides both health and social care. They may carry out a range of services, including social care, mental health services or primary care services...
in England and it scores well with respect to most of the other performance indicators
Key performance indicators
A performance indicator or key performance indicator is an industry jargon for a type of performance measurement.. KPIs are commonly used by an organization to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity in which it is engaged...
. The mortality rate is 8% below the expected level and is among the best 30 nationally. The trust is just one of five in England where all inpatients are admitted within six months of referral and the proportion of outpatients seen by a consultant within 13 weeks of referral is among the 30 highest. The trust's facilities are also very clean: it is ranked in the top ten in England for the high standards of cleanliness in the A&E department and in outpatients' toilets.
In 2005 the hospital was awarded three-star status in the NHS's performance ratings.
Future developments
Work has begun on a new £2m cardiac unit that will provide services such as cardiac catheterisation, which means that patients will no longer have to be transferred to Southampton General HospitalSouthampton General Hospital
Southampton General Hospital is a large Teaching Hospital in Southampton, England, operated by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust...
for this procedure. Other future plans for the hospital include the creation of a sensory room with lights, music and textured surfaces to stimulate young patients in Digby Court, the Trust's residential centre for children with complex learning disabilities. Improvements have also been made to the environment in Hardy Ward, the Stroke Unit.
Services
The Trust's clinicClinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
al services are organised into four directorates and provide the following services centralised on the Dorset County Hospital Site.
Emergency and medical services
- A & EEmergency departmentAn emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
- Elderly Care
- General Medical Wards, Units and Specialities
- NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
- DermatologyDermatologyDermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
- Critical careIntensive care medicineIntensive-care medicine or critical-care medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and management of life threatening conditions requiring sophisticated organ support and invasive monitoring.- Overview :...
(ITUIntensive Care Unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, HDUIntensive Care Unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, CCUIntensive Care Unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
) - Renal (county-wide service)
- Clinical haematologyHematologyHematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
- NeurophysiologyNeurophysiologyNeurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...
Planned and surgical services
- Anaesthetics
- Day surgery
- UrologyUrologyUrology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
- OphthalmologyOphthalmologyOphthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
- ENTOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
- Outpatient (DCH & Weymouth)
- TheatresOperating theatreAn operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
- TraumaPhysical traumaTrauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...
and orthopaedics - RheumatologyRheumatologyRheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
- General surgeryGeneral surgeryGeneral surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...
Family services
- Child healthChild health nursingPediatric nursing or child health nursing is the specialty nursing care of infants, children and adolescents. A nurse who specialises in this area is usually referred to as a pediatric nurse, though there are many regional and sub-specialty variations in title...
- GynaecologyGynaecologyGynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
- MaternityMaternityMaternity or motherhood is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.It is specially related with the protection of the baby and the mother within and after the childbirth.-See also:...
- Oral, orthodontic & dentalDentistryDentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
services - Genitourinary medicineGenitourinary medicineGenitourinary medicine is a portmanteau that includes aspects of andrology, gynecology and urology. It is primarily related to medicine dealing with sexually transmitted diseases.- References :...
Diagnostic services
- PathologyPathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
and haematology - Medical physicsMedical physicsMedical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare...
- Diagnostic imaging including spiral CTMedical imagingMedical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
, MRI and nuclear medicineNuclear medicineIn nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
The hospital is also recognised as a cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
unit for the provision of services for patients with gynaecological
Gynaecology
Gynaecology or gynecology is the medical practice dealing with the health of the female reproductive system . Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women"...
, breast
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, colorectal
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
, urological
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
, upper gastrointestinal
Gastrointestinal cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer refers to malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, biliary system, pancreas, bowels, and anus. The symptoms relate to the organ affected, and can include obstruction , abnormal bleeding, or other associated problems...
, lung
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and haematological malignancies
Hematological malignancy
Hematological malignancies are the types of cancer that affect blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. As the three are intimately connected through the immune system, a disease affecting one of the three will often affect the others as well: although lymphoma is technically a disease of the lymph...
. While most chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
is given locally, the radiotherapy centre is in the Cancer Centre at Poole Hospital
Poole Hospital
Poole Hospital is an acute general hospital in Poole, Dorset, England. Built in 1907, it has expanded from a basic 14-bed facility into a 789-bed NHS foundation trust hospital...
.