- SERVICE PROVIDER
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
This is an organisation that runs the health and social care services we inspect
Assessment report published 31 July 2026
Contents
Ratings - Community urgent care service
Our view of the service
The date of assessment: 06/05/2026 – 18/05/2026
We carried out this comprehensive assessment as we had not assessed this service since July 2019. At our last assessment, the service was rated good overall and good for all key questions.
We visited 2 Minor Injury Units (MIUs) as part of this assessment, based at The Blandford Community Hospital and Victoria Hospital in Wimborne. The Trust also provided urgent care services at the following MIUs: Bridport Hospital; Swanage Hospital; Weymouth Hospital; Westminster Hospital in Shaftesbury and Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne. MIUs offer an alternative to using emergency departments. They can treat minor injuries and illness that are not emergencies but are urgent.
Both the Blandford Community Hospital MIU and the Victoria Hospital MIU are nurse-led services, supported by a combined team covering both sites. These services operated as a walk-in service for non-life-threatening injuries. Since December 2020, the MIUs have been fully integrated with the Dorset Integrated Urgent Care Service, which includes 111, Clinical Assessment Service (CAS), Out of Hours visiting services (including GPs and Night Nurses), Single Point of Access (SPoA), and Out of Hours Treatment Centres. The shared management structure allows for seamless transfers of care between local services with people receiving a tailored response to their needs and the application of governance processes which monitor performance. The Blandford Community Hospital MIU is open Monday and Wednesday between 9am and 5pm. Victoria Hospital MIU is open Monday to Sunday between 8am and 8pm.
The service made improvements which were recommended from the last assessment in July 2019. In particular, staff rotas were designed to prevent lone practitioner working with processes to record lone working as incidents. All waiting areas gave practitioners a clear view of people waiting to be treated to identify risks and early deterioration of symptoms. A clinical audit programme had been introduced which was regularly reviewed to demonstrate care and treatment was provided in line with evidence-based guidance.
People's experience of this service
We spoke to people using the Minor Injury Units (MIUs) on the day of the assessment. All the people we spoke to said the service was good and had met their needs. People told us staff were polite, respected their dignity and explained what treatment they needed. We reviewed feedback the trust had received and found most people reported a positive experience. For example, between April 2025 and March 2026, Blandford Community Hospital MIU received 12 responses with a 92% positive feedback score. Whilst Victoria Hospital MIU had received 137 responses with a 97% positive feedback score between the same period. Positive themes noted service efficiency with waiting times and clear communication. Some people noted improvements were required in relation to staff attitude and lack of availability of treatment to support their immediate needs.