Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has been ranked as one of the top 10 hospitals in the country for emergency care.

The 2020 Urgency and Emergency Care Survey looked at the experiences of patients who attended DCH's emergency department between November 2020 and March 2021, in comparison with 126 others.

The results ranked DCH above most other hospitals for eight of the questions and highlighted three areas patients believed the emergency department excelled in; arrival, waiting times and leaving the department.

Patient feedback highlighted the efficient ambulance handover times, privacy at reception to discuss their condition, not having to wait too long before first speaking to a doctor and being examined, being told about any symptoms to watch for after going home and the discussion of transport arrangements.

Patients also ranked the hospital highly for involving them in making decisions about their care and treatment, the cleanliness, treating them with respect and dignity and for providing an overall positive experience.

Clare Turnbull, emergency department matron, said: "The team work extremely hard to provide high quality care and strive to give our patients the best experience they can, in an often very busy, unpredictable and stressful environment.

"The results reflect just how hard everyone works and the team should be very proud of themselves and I want to thank each and every one of them for all their hard work and dedication."

Patricia Miller, DCH chief executive, said: "I am so proud of our teams for achieving such fantastic results in this survey, despite the continued unprecedented pressure on our emergency department.

"The results are evidence of the huge amount of commitment and hard work from staff and we are incredibly grateful for their unwavering dedication to providing the best possible care for our patients."

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