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Dorset County Hospital

Provider Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Type NHS Healthcare Organisation Region South West

Overall rating: Not Yet Rated  View full CQC report

Domain ratings

Five CQC key questions
Safe
Not Yet Rated
Effective
Not Yet Rated
Caring
Not Yet Rated
Responsive
Not Yet Rated
Well-led
Not Yet Rated

Current CQC assessment

Single Assessment Framework

From 2024 CQC rates services through ongoing assessments rather than comprehensive inspections.

Ratings by service

Maternity
Good
Apr 2025

Regulatory breaches & enforcement

Current-framework "must do" equivalent

Breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, stated verbatim in the CQC assessment.

Warning notice Overall
This was a follow up assessment following a section 29a Warning Notice issued in June 2023.
· 26 Sep 2025 · CQC source

Earlier inspection findings

pre-2024 framework · 6 must-do 9 should-do

Must-do actions (6)

Legal requirements based on regulation breaches identified during inspection.

Must-do action 1 of 6
Must do
Well-led
The servicemustensuregovernanceprocessesareeffectiveincludingbutnotlimitedtocompletegovernance documentation,actionplansandprogresstracking,accuratedatacollectionandanalysis,andregularmonitoringof safetymeasures,outcomedataandkeyperformanceindicators.
Regulation: Reg17
⚠ Leadersdidnotoperateeffectivegovernanceprocessesthroughouttheservice.Therewasnoeffectiveauditprogrammeandtherewasnoeffectivematernitydashboardinplace.Leadersdidnothaveaccuratedataormonitor,review,andactoniteffectivelytoimproveormaintainthesafetyoftheservice.Sustainabilityoftheservicewasnotmonitoredorreviewedeffectively.
Must-do action 2 of 6
Must do
Well-led
Theservicemustensureaneffectiveandcomprehensive,rollingprogrammeofauditisinplace,andresultsare monitoredforusetoimproveservices.Thisincludesbutisnotlimitedtoeffectivemonitoringofwaittimesand appropriatecareinmaternitytriage,andthequalityofrecordkeeping.
Regulation: Reg17
⚠ Theservicemidnothaveaneffectiveauditprogrammetogainassuranceandoversightthatsafetywasmaintained.Theauditprogrammewasad-hocandauditswerenotrepeatedtocheckforimprovementovertime.Waitingtimeswerenotappropriatelymonitored.Managersdidnotregularlyauditthequalityofrecords.
Must-do action 3 of 6
Must do
Well-led
Theservicemustensureguidelinesarein-date.
Regulation: Reg17
⚠ Processesforensuringguidelineswereuptodatewereineffective.Therewere8guidelinesflaggedasoutofdateatthetimeofinspectionwhichmeantstaffmaynothavebeenprovidingthemostappropriatecare.
Must-do action 4 of 6
Must do
Safe
Theservicemustensurethesafemanagementofmedicines.
Regulation: Reg12
⚠ Theservicedidnothaveeffectivesystemsandprocessestosafelyprescribe,administer,recordandstoremedicines.Someemergencymedicineswerenotavailableinstandarddosages,orineasy-to-makeorpre-madesolutions.Someemergencyboxescontainedunrelatedmedicines.Hardcopiesofseveralout-of-dateguidelineswereattachedtoemergencymedicines.Somemedicineswereoutofdate.A refrigeratorusedtostoremedicinesintheatrewasnotlockedwhentheatreswerenotinuse.Patientmedicineschartsandprescriptionswerepaperrecords,writingwasnotalwayslegible,andprescriptionswerenotalwayssignedanddated.
Must-do action 5 of 6
Must do
Safe
Theservicemustensuretheprocessforopeningandstaffingasecondtheatreisriskassessed,safe,andfamiliarto staff.
Regulation: Reg12
⚠ Processesforopeningasecondemergencytheatrehadnotbeenappropriatelyriskassessed.Staffwerenotalwaysclearontheprocessesinplace,andtherewasnoformalriskassessmentinplaceforopeninganduseofasecondtheatreintheeventofanobstetricemergency.
Must-do action 6 of 6
Must do
Safe
Theservicemustensurewomenandbirthingpeopleareseenaccordingtoclinicalneedandastandardised frameworkisinplacetosupportpatientsafety.
Regulation: Reg12
⚠ Theservicedidnotuseastandardprioritisationframeworktoensurewomenandbirthingpeoplewereseenaccordingtoclinicalneed.Thispresentedariskthatwomenandbirthingpeoplemayreceivedifferentcarefromdaytonight,orthatstaffcompetenttoworkinatriagesettingmaynotavailableovernight.

Should-do actions (9)

Recommended improvements to enhance service quality.

Should-do action 1 of 9
Should do
Safe
Theserviceshouldensureallstaffcompletemandatorytrainingincludingbutnotlimitedtosafeguardingandbasic lifesupport.
Should-do action 2 of 9
Should do
Safe
Theserviceshouldmonitorinfectionrates.
Should-do action 3 of 9
Should do
Safe
Theserviceshouldensuremaintenanceissuesareresolvedinatimelyway,dailysafetychecksarecompletedand documentationregardingmaintenanceisclearandcomplete.
Should-do action 4 of 9
Should do
Safe
TheserviceshouldensureMEOWSandNEWSchartsarecompletedcorrectlyandusedtoeffectivelyidentifyand escalatedeterioratingpatients.
Should-do action 5 of 9
Should do
Safe
Theserviceshouldreviewtheprocessforcontactingmedicalstaffinanemergencytoensuresafeandtimely management.
Should-do action 6 of 9
Should do
Well-led
Theserviceshouldensureincidentsareharm-gradedandratedappropriately.
Should-do action 7 of 9
Should do
Well-led
Theserviceshouldconsiderthevisionandstrategyforachievable,well-definedobjectivesandtheabilitytomeasure andmonitorprogressdelivery.
Should-do action 8 of 9
Should do
Responsive
Theserviceshouldconsiderwaystoimproveeffectivetacklingofhealthinequalitiesaffectingthelocalpopulation.
Should-do action 9 of 9
Should do
Safe
Theserviceshouldimplementaneffectiveprocessforin-uterotransferswithneighbouringunitsofferingahigher levelofneonatalintensivecare.

Location details

CQC ID: RBD01
Local authority: Dorset
Region: South West

Inspection report

Type: Location
Date: 2 November 2023
Rating: Requires improvement
Actions: 6 must-do 9 should-do
AI-extracted 2 Jun 2026

Related PFD reports

2024-0285 — Christine Booker (May 2024)
2018-0172 — Rosemary Scott (Jun 2018)