Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has opened a new outpatients therapies centre in Charlton Down.

The centre, on Sherren Avenue, hosts a variety of physiotherapy services, including musculoskeletal, respiratory and pelvic health, as well as speech and language therapy.

Over the last two years, teams have been operating from their Weymouth base as well as temporary locations in Dorchester due to the pressures of Covid-19 and ongoing building work on the main hospital site.

The trust received one-off funding from NHS England of £15million as part of a drive to upgrade several emergency departments across the country. This meant that some services at DCH had to be re-located to make room for the improvements to the emergency department, including outpatient therapy teams.

The centre at Charlton Down will offer appointments for patients who have been referred by primary care, secondary care or have self-referred.

It has six clinic rooms and a large gym space, plus parking for patients and visitors.

Having more space and a new base will help the teams see more patients and tackle appointment waiting lists.

Sandra Firth, head of physiotherapy at DCH, said: "We're really pleased to have moved into this centre. Our teams have done a brilliant job of working from various temporary locations and patients have been incredibly understanding.

"It's great to have a new dedicated space to treat patients with all the equipment and facilities we need. It's been very much designed with patients in mind, offering them the space, privacy and dignity that they expect when attending their appointments."