HospitalCheck

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Poole, BH15 2JB · 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
67.6% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
72.2% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
61.2% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
13.3% 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

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust reported 20,999 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 72.2% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the trust had 67,354 patients on its waiting list, and 67.6% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Additionally, 65.6% of staff said they would be happy for a friend or relative to be treated there.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 16 August 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
67.6%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 4.0 pts vs yr agoBetter than 56% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
12.2 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 0.5 wks vs yr agoBetter than 40% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
67,354
National median: 39,587
▲ 4,671 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
671
National median: 358.5
▼ 1,426 vs yr agoBetter than 33% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
72.2%
National median: 74.2%
▲ 0.8 pts vs yr agoBetter than 41% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
20,999
National median: 14,642
▲ 632 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
373
National median: 194
▲ 306 vs yr agoBetter than 36% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
20,999
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
72.2%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
373
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
7,071
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
16,317
Seen within 4 hours
64.3%

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)20,99972.2%
Type 1 — major A&E16,31764.3%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC4,682100.0%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
71.5%
2,289 of 3,202 treated in time
Target 75% · below target
Treatment within 62 days
61.2%
252 of 412 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
93.2%
660 of 708 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%61.2%68.1%April 202572.8%May 202568.7%June 202569.4%July 202568.4%August 202564.5%September 202572.2%October 202572.2%November 202575.0%December 202562.8%January 202667.1%February 202671.3%March 202665.7%April 202669.1%May 202661.2%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
70%75%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%71.5%71.9%April 202572.3%May 202577.0%June 202577.6%July 202578.0%August 202577.4%September 202578.8%October 202579.3%November 202579.4%December 202570.0%January 202679.8%February 202675.8%March 202667.1%April 202675.5%May 202671.5%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
92%94%96%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%93.2%96.2%April 202596.8%May 202597.0%June 202596.1%July 202596.1%August 202595.2%September 202596.6%October 202596.1%November 202597.2%December 202595.1%January 202696.2%February 202696.2%March 202691.0%April 202693.6%May 202693.2%June 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: June 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
94.0%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
2.9%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
1,919
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
15.9%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
76.9%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
15.5%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
749
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
6.6%
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
65.6%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 1.4 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.83
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
60.2%
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
148
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
70
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
47.3%
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
91.0%
945 occupied of 1,038 open
Adult critical care occupancy
77.3%
17 occupied of 22 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
42.6%
of 19,523 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
3.3%
of 19,523 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
216
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
34%
of 2,285 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

Maternity — patient experience

CQC National Maternity Survey, 2025 · scores are relative comparisons against other trusts, not a measure of absolute quality — based on 106 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
35.7%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
106
Of 300 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.5/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.8/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.7/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.3/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.5/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.8/10
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.

University Hospitals Dorset Stroke Service
D48.8/100
Wessex
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayD
ReperfusionD
MDT assessmentC
Therapy intensityC
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeC
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

University Hospitals Dorset 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.

Poole General HospitalBest-practice 39.3%924 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 481 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
41.6%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
481
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
8.4/10
National average: 7.6/10
Better than 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
9.3/10
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
7.7/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
7.3/10
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
7.2/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
7.0/10
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 386 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
32.2%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
386
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.8/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.5/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
3.7/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.4/10
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
8.1/10
National average: 7.5/10
Better than the national average
Felt safe around other patients
8.2/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
7.3/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.7/10
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 402 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
402
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
80%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
87%
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
79%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
89%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
73%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
67%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
89%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
49%
National average: 45%
About the same as 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)
22.3
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 22.2
Patients
173
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
97.7%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.43
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
18.3
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 18.6
Patients
160
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
96.3%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.33
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale

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

Diagnostic test waits

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

Waiting 6+ weeks for a test
13.3%
of 12,238 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Cardiology2,23241.7%9307
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy49829.3%14641
Cystoscopy12125.6%3121
Colonoscopy1,16723.4%27353
Gastroscopy8959.6%8629
Neurophysiology5568.5%470
MRI2,6043.3%8524
Ultrasound1,9561.1%210
DEXA Scan3360.6%20
CT scan1,6950.2%41
Respiratory physiology1770.0%00
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
0%5%10%15%Apr 25Jan 2613.3%9.6%April 20259.7%May 20253.7%June 20252.5%July 20252.8%August 20251.4%September 20251.7%October 20251.8%November 20253.4%December 20255.7%January 20266.4%February 20267.3%March 202612.1%April 202613.7%May 202613.3%June 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 bacteraemia195
C. difficile22079
E. coli bacteraemia48378
MSSA bacteraemia16837
Klebsiella bacteraemia13727
Pseudomonas bacteraemia4416
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
102030Dec 23Jan 25Jan 261628December 202328January 202420February 202421March 202421April 202418May 202416June 202428July 202430August 202421September 202423October 202419November 202431December 202431January 202525February 202532March 202522April 202517May 202518June 202516July 202526August 202517September 202522October 202526November 202512December 202512January 202618February 202620March 202627April 202624May 202622June 202616July 2026

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

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
0.87
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 3,530 deaths vs 4,050 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
0.850.900.951.00Jul 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.870.87July 20200.88August 20200.89September 20200.90October 20200.90November 20200.90December 20200.91January 20210.92February 20210.93March 20210.94April 20210.94May 20210.93June 20210.93July 20210.92August 20210.91September 20210.90October 20210.91November 20210.90December 20210.90January 20220.90February 20220.90March 20220.90April 20220.90May 20220.91June 20220.90July 20220.90August 20220.90September 20220.90October 20220.90November 20220.89December 20220.89January 20230.88February 20230.88March 20230.87April 20230.87May 20230.87June 20230.86July 20230.86August 20230.87September 20230.87October 20230.87November 20230.87December 20230.87January 20240.87February 20240.87March 20240.87April 20240.87May 20240.88June 20240.88July 20240.87August 20240.88September 20240.88October 20240.87November 20240.87December 20240.87January 20250.88February 20250.88March 20250.88April 20250.88May 20250.87June 20250.87July 20250.87August 20250.86September 20250.85October 20250.86November 20250.85December 20250.86January 20260.86February 20260.87March 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: June 2026 · Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics (incomplete pathways)

SpecialtyWaitingWithin 18 wksMedian wait9 in 10 wait under52+ wks65+ wks78+ wks
Other - Surgicals8,96363.2%13.5 wks42.1 wks13000
Trauma and Orthopaedic8,04654.6%16.5 wks45.4 wks20800
Gynaecology6,86953.0%17.1 wks47.8 wks20500
Ear Nose and Throat6,04560.4%14.5 wks38.0 wks500
Ophthalmology5,13473.2%11.1 wks31.2 wks200
Gastroenterology5,07083.2%9.8 wks23.7 wks100
Dermatology4,54267.9%10.3 wks40.4 wks3900
Cardiology3,86681.8%10.0 wks28.2 wks000
Other - Medicals3,33678.7%9.9 wks27.5 wks100
Oral Surgery3,09355.4%16.0 wks42.4 wks1200
Other - Paediatrics2,57675.9%11.0 wks31.5 wks100
Urology2,57468.8%9.8 wks41.1 wks5800
Neurology1,81178.1%10.8 wks27.5 wks000
Respiratory Medicine1,55565.5%12.8 wks37.8 wks000
Rheumatology1,23787.8%8.3 wks28.1 wks000
General Surgery1,10693.8%3.4 wks17.3 wks700
Elderly Medicine76381.3%8.3 wks22.6 wks000
Other - Others56394.1%8.5 wks17.8 wks200
General Internal Medicine20599.5%7.1 wks13.3 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.