Dorset County Hospital
Williams Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2JYContact details and Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
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Reviews
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Review titled Thanks to all the smiling, helpful, approachable staff
by Little Hobbly - Posted on 19 June 2023
I was brought into hospital in the very early hours (4am) after the ambulance crew suggested I should, following heart symptoms and temperature at the end of a week long treatment for a urine infection. The crew were amazing and their manner really put me at ease. I was prepared for a long wait at the hospital, but was seen fairly promptly once in the fast assessment ward. This was all done with care and kindness. I was then moved to a sit and wait area to see a doctor, but I hadn’t realised the junior doctors were on strike. Anyway, I had no choice but to wait for blood tests etc. The care and attention I received from every member of staff during my wait was amazing. It was very early (I think by then it was only about 6.30am) but one of the staff offered me tea, which was very welcome. They came over to check on me constantly and were always very kind. The doctor (Steve, I think) was lovely, too. I needed an x-ray, which, again, was a good experience. All the staff were very patient with me and offered to help carry my belongings because I currently use sticks to get around. I was taken to another waiting area to allow room for more patients, which initially seemed strange, but actually the change of environment really helps, I think. Bananas were brought around - very welcome after hours of waiting. And, once again, the staff were all wonderful. Although each member of staff took care to introduce themselves and ask how I would like to be known I’m afraid most names are forgotten. It feels good to report in such a glowing and positive way: I have a great deal of experience with Dorchester Hospital in several different departments and not all of it has been good. I saw a marked change. Thanks to all the smiling, helpful, approachable staff for making my stay pleasant and useful. Thankfully I feel so much better this morning and so much of that is down to my experience yesterday.
Visited June 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello Little Hobby, It is fantastic to hear about the care you received from the staff in the Emergency Department at Dorset County Hospital – this is the high standard of care that we hope to achieve for all our patients, and it is great to see we are getting it right. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback to let us know how we are doing – I will ensure the staff involved in your care are made aware of your lovely comments. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Waiting ages
Rated 3 stars out of 5
by Ian - Posted on 23 June 2023
Arived by ambo with chest pain as i have angina arived at hospital bunged in room it is now 7 hrs still no DR i am going to give 30 mins more then i walk, hear attack or not. Nurses are kind polite
Visited Accident and emergency services on June 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello Ian, I am sorry to hear your feedback regarding your care at Dorset County Hospital. I’m concerned to read your comments and would welcome the opportunity to look into this further. Should you wish me to do this, please do contact the Patient Experience Team on 0800 7838058 or email pals@dchft.nhs.uk to let us know some further detail and we would be very glad to help you further. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Excellent service, many thanks.
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Pat - Posted on 09 June 2023
The person I saw in the mammography department went out of her way to get me the results very quickly and put my mind at rest. Very professional, helpful and kind. Many many thanks.
Visited Breast cancer services on June 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello Pat, It is fantastic to hear about the care you received from the staff in the Mammography department at Dorset County Hospital. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback to let us know how we are doing – I will ensure the staff involved in your care are made aware of your lovely comments. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Thankyou A&E, ICU and Moreton Ward
by runningsr66 - Posted on 22 May 2023
I really want to say a huge thankyou to all the Staff in A&E, ICU and Moreton Ward for the Care and attention that my Husband received during his stay. My husband has never been in hospital before and was very frightened, all the Staff were very sensitive to his needs, and this helped him to stay calm. He was very poorly and I'm happy to say that he is now recovering well at home thanks to the amazing care he received. They also made me feel welcome allowing me to visit when I wanted really and offering me tea and coffee. All the staff work extremely hard and really deserve more credit than I can give them. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou
Visited May 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello runningsr66, Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback about your husband's stay at Dorset County Hospital. It is fantastic to hear about the care he received from the staff in the Emergency Department, ICU and Moreton Ward – this is the high standard of care that we hope to achieve for all our patients I will ensure the staff involved in your care are made aware of your lovely comments and send him our best wishes. Kind regards Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Excellent care
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 29 November 2023
My father in law was admitted to the stroke unit in May 2023. The care he received was beyond outstanding. Every single member of the team were brilliant. The HCAs in particular were so professional, kind, empathetic and warm in their attitudes. As a family we were quite frankly blown away by the shere dedication, kindness and empathy shown to us by the team. Nothing was too much trouble and they even let us have the use of their staff room so we had a place to regroup. The palliative care given to my father in law was second to none and this wonderful team made a heart breaking situation more bearable.
Visited Stroke on May 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 18 April 2024
Dear anonymous. Thank you so much for taking the time to contact us at such a difficult time for you all. Please accept my deepest condolences and apologies that we are only now able to respond to you. This empathy, dedication and kindness is an example of the high standards of care we hope to achieve for all our patients and especially those in your situation. I am pleased to hear we were able to support you and your family at this time. I will make sure the staff from the team are aware of your lovely comments. Best wishes Julia Woodhouse Patient Experience Co-ordinator
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Review titled Thank you to everyone involved in my Dad's care
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 25 May 2023
My 84 year old father suffered a heart attack at home and was taken straight to Coronary care by ambulance. My Dad's case was compounded (if that is possible when having a heart attack), by his suffering with Parkinson's disease and being diagnosed with Alzheimer's (which comes and goes). On arrival at hospital the staff were extremely switched on and efficient regarding the whole situation they were also very friendly and reassuring. With acceptance of the risk Dad had an emergency stent fitted. Our special thanks to the doctor and team that carried out the procedure. Dad then went to Coronary Care ICU, again those looking after him were extremely attentive and caring. The stress of the heart attack along with Dad's other illnesses gave Dad an extreme chest infection which added to his needs, this was very well picked up and dealt with by the medical professionals. After a few days Dad was moved to the main area of the Coronary Care unit. The amount of tests, observations, scans etc carried out on Dad from arrival by ambulance through to discharge was very thorough. Management of his Parkinson's medications was exemplary throughout. The peculiarities of Parkinsons Disease can oft be misunderstood, but in this case it was not. Very big thanks for this. There were times when my father became very distressed, which I believe was due to a combination of the trauma, the early pain relief medications, his Alzheimer's etc. I would like to thank the staff for keeping Dad safe during these times and in particular those who went the extra mile to reassure him. Thanks to the nurse in charge of discharging my Dad who had a battle on her hands chasing Dads discharge medications. It was lovely to get Dad home, and he was back out on his motor scooter the next day. He has further challenges ahead and follow-ups to evaluate his on-going care and we feel reassured by the expertise of this Department. NHS, please ensure our thanks are passed on to those who helped my dad John Rogers.
Visited Cardiology on May 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello, It is fantastic to hear about the care your dad, John Rogers received from the staff in the Coronary Care Unit at Dorset County Hospital – this is the high standard of care that we hope to achieve for all our patients. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback to let us know how we are doing – I will ensure the staff involved in your care are made aware of your lovely comments and send John our best wishes. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled A rude member of admin staff
by aquariusfs46 - Posted on 01 June 2023
There is a member of staff on reception in orthopaedic outpatients dept who is in my opinion not professional enough for the job. My first encounter with them was in early May. They made me wait while fumbling around trying to separate 2 sheets of paper with patients names on. I had already given my details but they literally stood there fumbling for at least a minute trying to separate 2 sheets of paper! I didn't have the patience to wait and watch this fiasco so I walked off to section A, hand therapy. They shouted after me to ask where I was going!? The second encounter was later in May. I asked a question about the DEXA clinic. There was a helpful person working in the office who started to answer my question but the rude person at the front desk said not to talk over them. The helpful staff member appeared extremely upset at being humiliated in front of a patient and immediately got up and left the office I asked them later if the person was a volunteer and was told no.
Visited April 2023
Provided by Care opinion
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 20 June 2023
Hello aquariusfs46, I am sorry to hear your feedback regarding your experience in the Orthopaedic Outpatients department at Dorset County Hospital. I’m concerned to read your comments and would welcome the opportunity to investigate them further. Should you wish me to do this, please do contact the Patient Experience Team on 0800 7838058 or email pals@dchft.nhs.uk to let us know some further detail and we would be very glad to help you further. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
Provided by Care opinion
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Review titled First class service!
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mr & Mrs F Paddock - Posted on 23 April 2023
We attended the hospital following 2 dog bites and were amazed at the friendly and efficient treatment that we both received. A kind member of staff even brought us tea and sandwiches. We are so lucky to have such a great hospital in Dorset.
Visited Accident and emergency services on April 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello Mr & Mrs Paddock, It is fantastic to hear about the care you received from the staff at Dorset County Hospital – this is the high standard of care that we hope to achieve for all our patients. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback to let us know how we are doing. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Nurses or Technicians?
Rated 4 stars out of 5
by Mr Brian Marlow - Posted on 22 April 2023
This is not a criticism of the nursing staff at, dch rather a comment on the general standard of nursing care. I suspect that the lowering of standards is a sign of the times, where they have fallen across all professions, trades and other walks of life. In my recent hospital admissions an attempt to insert a Nasal Gastric Tube has been made on six occasions; two were successful. Why is it that nurses do not know how to do this? It is not an uncommon procedure. (Out of six patients in the last bay in which I was accommodated, three of us had these things sticking out of our nostrils.) My sister did her training in the early seventies. All her peers were instructed in how to insert ng tubes - and all of them had a tube inserted themselves in order to understand how it felt. (They were also given tips to ease the procedure, at least one of which appears to have been forgotten - to immerse the tube in warm water for a couple of minutes to soften it before inserting it.) Observations were taken every four hours. For much of the rest of the time I was not bothered. Sometimes I was in pain. On many nights I was awake. Often, at night I was cold. Very rarely was any enquiry made of how I was feeling. Never was I asked if I needed another blanket, even though I was huddled under a thick dressing gown. As a Police Custody Sergeant, before retirement, I was required to ensure that all prisoners were checked every hour. Vulnerable prisoners (i.e. drunk) were checked every 30 minutes. The hospital is full of vulnerable patients who, it would seem, are required to press their call-bell if they are in distress - if they can find it, or else wait until their 'obs' are done again. Again, as the person taking charge of a Custody Suite, on change-over, I would visit each of the detained persons. At no time was I ever informed who was in charge of the wards on which I was a patient. I may well have met the person, but I did not know that they were in charge. In fact, although I did look through one publication showing the uniforms of the different professionals in the hospital, I never did fully recognise the difference between the various uniforms. (Sister, Staff Nurse, HCA? Who knew?) The only truly recognisable staff were the domestic staff - who were unfailingly cheerful and helpful. As for change-over on the ward. Does this really have to sound like 'House Party'? Do people have to carry on very loud conversations about private matters immediately outside the door of the bays - or from one end of the corridor to the other? Sick people really do not want to hear this. And, although it is easy to forget this basic consideration, why was it allowed to continue? And I think that this is my basic complaint. Why is it allowed to continue? Is it a general lack of basic training, not taught at university, or is it a failure of leadership and supervision? Technical procedures were mainly followed. But where was the basic nursing?
Visited Don't know on April 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 03 July 2023
Hello Mr Marlow, I am sorry to hear your feedback regarding your admission at Dorset County Hospital. You make some very valid comments and concerns and we would welcome the opportunity to investigate or discuss them further. Should you wish us to do this, please do contact the Patient Experience Team on 0800 7838058 or email pals@dchft.nhs.uk to let us know some further detail and we would be very glad to help you further. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience & Public Engagement
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Review titled Difficult times
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Mr Simon Throw - Posted on 15 April 2023
I would just like to thank all the doctors and nurses in the urology department and the prostrate biopsy department for the excellent service that I received in these difficult times. Having been given full details by friendly doctors and nurses also taking the time to ask and answer any questions I might have asked
Visited Prostate Cancer Service on April 2023
Review titled Dorset County Hospital
Replied on 18 April 2023
Hello Mr Throw, Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback - it is fantastic to hear about the care you received from the staff in the Urology Department at Dorset County Hospital. I will ensure the staff involved in your care are made aware of your lovely comments. Best wishes Alison Male Head of Patient Experience
Information supplied by Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust