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Innovation and fresh thinking is in our DNA

  • We were the first mental health NHS trust in the south west to be rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for our mental health services
  • We are rated as one of the top four NHS trusts for providing an extremely high level of care for people with mental illness
  • We have a strong track record of research and delivering innovative change, like setting up the first leg ulcer clinic in the county
  • We have received national recognition for end-of-life care and endoscopy work
  • We were the first radiography department in the county to receive national accreditation from the Quality Standard for Imaging
  • We are working with University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) on a pioneering national trial of a treatment to help people regain use of their arms after a stroke.
  • We were the first NHS trust in Dorset to be awarded the prestigious NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award for embracing and supporting internationally-educated nurses.

What happens here changes people's lives

Dorset HealthCare  is one of the biggest trusts in the south west. Across 300 locations, including 12 community hospitals, our dedicated team of 8,000 staff looks after a population of more than 800,000 people, with more than 1.3 million care contacts during 2024/25. These included:

  • 473,226 outpatient visits
  • 300,696 mental health visits
  • 79,431 attendances at our minor injuries units.

Our community hospitals run a host of services including inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient appointments, theatre, therapy services, radiology and minor injury services.

We have several community mental health teams, as well as specialist inpatient care services, providing care for conditions such as depression, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress and personality disorders.

Our community services include district nursing, health visiting, audiology, speech and language therapy, learning disabilities, podiatry, dermatology, end-of-life care, sexual health, brain injury services, safeguarding children and addiction services.

Sharpen your skills at the cutting edge

Our vision as an organisation is to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all that we do.

Our size and multiple locations offer you unrivalled career opportunities and a forward-thinking approach to working that fits with your lifestyle. From flexible hours and generous benefits, to next level training, we support you on your career journey.

We enjoy a fruitful partnership with Bournemouth University which provides great opportunities for clinical research and innovation, as well as wide-ranging professional development pathways for our staff.

We also offer apprenticeships and high level training across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical areas for anyone aged 16 and above. We offer on-the-job training programmes which lead to nationally recognised quali­fications, so you can earn while you learn.

Find the role that's right for you