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Dorset County Hospital waiting times

22,624 people were waiting for planned treatment at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at the end of September 2026. Half had waited more than 14.1 weeks, 1.9 weeks longer than England's (12.2).

NHS waiting times · Dorset · Dorset County Hospital

All specialties, September 2026

22,624

waiting

up 1,213 (5.7%) on a year earlier

14.1 wk

median wait

England 12.2

60.4%

under 18 weeks

England 65.9%

404

over a year

England 113,490

Waits by specialty

Every specialty with people waiting at Dorset County Hospital, beside England's median. Select a column heading to sort.

median wait, in weeks (scale 0 to 40)England's median for the same specialty

SpecialtyWaitingMedian wait, weeksAgainst England's medianUnder 18 weeksOver a year
All specialtiesEvery consultant-led specialty together22,62414.160.4%404
Trauma and orthopaedicsHip and knee replacements, shoulders, feet, hands and spines3,48820.145.0%180
Eyes (ophthalmology)Cataracts, glaucoma and other eye conditions2,52711.769.1%4
General surgeryHernias, gallbladders and other abdominal operations1,44119.348.1%15
GynaecologyHysterectomies, endometriosis, prolapse and other gynaecology1,54913.864.8%38
Ear, nose and throatTonsils, sinuses, ears and hearing2,53714.061.4%29
UrologyProstate, kidney stones and bladder1,28812.364.1%3
Oral surgeryWisdom teeth and other hospital dental surgery1,86517.551.4%51
DermatologySkin conditions1,4178.076.4%17
CardiologyHeart conditions1,70018.549.2%8
GastroenterologyStomach, bowel and liver conditions99410.473.8%0

The last 13 months

September 2025 to September 2026.

21,41122,624September 2025September 2026
People waiting at Dorset County Hospital, by monthLowest 20,838, highest 23,380. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202521,411
October 202521,240
November 202521,127
December 202520,838
January 202621,209
February 202621,139
March 202621,497
April 202621,967
May 202622,351
June 202622,644
July 202623,380
August 202623,100
September 202622,624
13.9 wk14.1 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Median wait at Dorset County Hospital, weeksLowest 12.5 wk, highest 14.1 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202513.9 wk
October 202513.9 wk
November 202513.5 wk
December 202513.5 wk
January 202613.6 wk
February 202614.0 wk
March 202612.5 wk
April 202613.2 wk
May 202613.9 wk
June 202613.8 wk
July 202613.7 wk
August 202614.1 wk
September 202614.1 wk
20.0 wk20.1 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait at Dorset County Hospital, weeksLowest 19.4 wk, highest 21.6 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202520.0 wk
October 202521.0 wk
November 202520.9 wk
December 202521.6 wk
January 202620.7 wk
February 202620.5 wk
March 202619.7 wk
April 202621.4 wk
May 202621.1 wk
June 202621.2 wk
July 202620.0 wk
August 202619.4 wk
September 202620.1 wk
14.3 wk13.9 wkSeptember 2025September 2026
Orthopaedics median wait in England, weeksLowest 13.6 wk, highest 15.2 wk. The scale starts near the lowest value.
The figures
MonthValue
September 202514.3 wk
October 202514.4 wk
November 202514.3 wk
December 202514.7 wk
January 202615.2 wk
February 202615.0 wk
March 202614.5 wk
April 202613.9 wk
May 202614.2 wk
June 202613.8 wk
July 202613.6 wk
August 202613.9 wk
September 202613.9 wk

Waiting for an operation

A woman at her kitchen table reading a hospital appointment letter
Illustration

People admitted for orthopaedic treatment here in September 2026, which includes hip and knee replacements, had waited a median of 38.2 weeks from referral (England: 24.2).

People whose consultant has decided to admit them for treatment, usually an operation, and people admitted in September 2026 with how long they had waited.

SpecialtyWaiting to be admittedTheir median wait, weeksAdmitted for treatment this monthHalf had waited over, weeks92% within, weeks
All specialties5,99321.21,5428.052.7
Trauma and orthopaedics1,86830.421338.261.0
Eyes (ophthalmology)65412.13893.626.4
General surgery40529.85743.553.7
Gynaecology53126.110717.859.4
Ear, nose and throat41518.59625.356.3
Urology31212.51629.146.0
Oral surgery77231.29231.056.8
Dermatology8027.51826.443.2
Gastroenterology23.0693.511.7

Other trusts in Dorset

You can often choose where you're referred. These are the other NHS trusts in the same area.

TrustWaitingMedian wait, weeksOrthopaedics median, weeks
University Hospitals Dorset66,98412.417.3

Use these figures

Free to quote and reuse, for journalists, researchers and AI agents. Please credit "Thera Travel, from NHS England data" and link to theratravel.co.uk/nhs-waiting-times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times. Open Government Licence v3.0.

This trust as JSON: /nhs-waiting-times/dorset-county-hospital.json. NHS England organisation code RBD.

Source: NHS England, Referral to Treatment waiting times, September 2026 (published November 2026). Next figures expected 10 December 2026. Journalists: press page.

Questions

How long is the wait at Dorset County Hospital?

At the end of September 2026, 22,624 people were waiting for planned treatment at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited more than 14.1 weeks, against 12.2 weeks across England. 60.4% had waited under 18 weeks and 404 over a year. Source: NHS England.

How long is the orthopaedic wait at Dorset County Hospital?

In trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacements, 3,488 people were waiting at the end of September 2026, with a median wait so far of 20.1 weeks (England: 13.9). People admitted for treatment that month had waited a median of 38.2 weeks.

Where do these figures come from?

NHS England's referral-to-treatment statistics for September 2026, published November 2026. We update this page every month.

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