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Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS trustSouth WestEngland
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How to read these chartsEach measure uses its own NHS England standard

Against the national standards

Each measure is drawn against its own NHS England standard: 95% for A&E within four hours, 85% for urgent cancer treatment within sixty-two days and 99% for diagnostic tests within six weeks. The charts do not share a standard and the three cancer measures are never added together.

Care Quality Commission

When CQC last rated this body

CQC has not rated Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust since 6 November 2018. Its judgements from then are still on CQC’s own site and are not shown here, because a rating more than 3 years old is not what CQC currently says about a body.

Read what CQC publishes on its own site

Monthly performance against national standards

Hover or use the arrow keys to read any month, with the figures the percentage was worked out from. Every chart opens as a table.

A&E Wait Times

Patients seen within four hours

76.9%

Aug 2026

8,079 of 10,503 attendances

−2.3 pts since Jul 2026

Below the 95% standard · −18.1 points

60%80%100%95% standardMay 2025Aug 2025Nov 2025Feb 2026May 2026Aug 2026

August 2026: 76.9 per cent, 8,079 of 10,503 attendances. Below the 95% standard.

All 17 months as a table
A&E Wait Times by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf attendances
Aug 202676.9%, Below the 95% standard8,079 of 10,503
Jul 202679.3%, Below the 95% standard8,382 of 10,575
Jun 202674.9%, Below the 95% standard7,530 of 10,053
May 202674.4%, Below the 95% standard7,591 of 10,203
Apr 202678.7%, Below the 95% standard7,490 of 9,523
Mar 202679.0%, Below the 95% standard7,183 of 9,089
Feb 202676.8%, Below the 95% standard5,835 of 7,597
Jan 202677.7%, Below the 95% standard6,710 of 8,640
Dec 202577.5%, Below the 95% standard6,937 of 8,956
Nov 202580.7%, Below the 95% standard6,872 of 8,513
Oct 202582.0%, Below the 95% standard7,645 of 9,324
Sept 202579.9%, Below the 95% standard7,274 of 9,105
Aug 202582.8%, Below the 95% standard8,619 of 10,405
Jul 202586.3%, Below the 95% standard8,993 of 10,426
Jun 202583.4%, Below the 95% standard8,102 of 9,717
May 202583.7%, Below the 95% standard8,001 of 9,560
Apr 202582.0%, Below the 95% standard7,502 of 9,149
Dips every January are national, not local. NHS England monthly A&E data

Waiting times (RTT)

Referral to treatment: waiting under eighteen weeks to start treatment

60.0%

Jul 2026

14,029 of 23,380 people waiting

−0.5 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 92% standard · −32.0 points

50%75%100%92% standardJul 2025Sept 2025Nov 2025Jan 2026Mar 2026May 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 60.0 per cent, 14,029 of 23,380 people waiting. Below the 92% standard.

All 14 months as a table
Waiting times (RTT) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf people waiting
Jul 202660.0%, Below the 92% standard14,029 of 23,380
Jun 202660.5%, Below the 92% standard13,700 of 22,644
May 202661.0%, Below the 92% standard13,635 of 22,351
Apr 202660.3%, Below the 92% standard13,253 of 21,967
Mar 202662.7%, Below the 92% standard13,480 of 21,497
Feb 202661.0%, Below the 92% standard12,895 of 21,139
Jan 202661.9%, Below the 92% standard13,130 of 21,209
Dec 202560.9%, Below the 92% standard12,691 of 20,838
Nov 202561.0%, Below the 92% standard12,891 of 21,127
Oct 202560.4%, Below the 92% standard12,824 of 21,240
Sept 202560.2%, Below the 92% standard12,899 of 21,411
Aug 202558.7%, Below the 92% standard13,088 of 22,300
Jul 202559.4%, Below the 92% standard13,303 of 22,406
Jun 202559.0%, Below the 92% standard13,219 of 22,414
Incomplete pathways: people still waiting, not those already treated. NHS England monthly RTT data

Diagnostic tests (DM01)

Waiting under six weeks for a scan, a scope or a test

80.3%

Jul 2026

4,737 of 5,902 people waiting

+2.7 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 99% standard · −18.7 points

70%85%100%99% standardApr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 80.3 per cent, 4,737 of 5,902 people waiting. Below the 99% standard.

All 4 months as a table
Diagnostic tests (DM01) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf people waiting
Jul 202680.3%, Below the 99% standard4,737 of 5,902
Jun 202677.6%, Below the 99% standard4,591 of 5,916
May 202676.2%, Below the 99% standard4,281 of 5,615
Apr 202677.0%, Below the 99% standard4,601 of 5,972
Fifteen test types together, from MRI to endoscopy. NHS England monthly diagnostics data

Cancer diagnosis (FDS)

Faster diagnosis standard: told the outcome within twenty-eight days

78.7%

Jul 2026

1,000 of 1,271 referrals

+2.8 pts since May 2026

Meets the 75% standard · +3.7 points

60%75%90%75% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 78.7 per cent, 1,000 of 1,271 referrals. Meets the 75% standard.

All 5 months as a table
Cancer diagnosis (FDS) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf referrals
Jul 202678.7%, Meets the 75% standard1,000 of 1,271
May 202675.9%, Meets the 75% standard844 of 1,112
Apr 202678.2%, Meets the 75% standard912 of 1,167
Feb 202683.8%, Meets the 75% standard919 of 1,097
Jan 202674.1%, Below the 75% standard860 of 1,160
Told whether they have cancer, not treated for it. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times

Cancer (31-day)

Decision to treat to first treatment within thirty-one days

91.1%

Jul 2026

185 of 203 treatments

−3.4 pts since May 2026

Below the 96% standard · −4.9 points

80%90%100%96% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 91.1 per cent, 185 of 203 treatments. Below the 96% standard.

All 5 months as a table
Cancer (31-day) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf treatments
Jul 202691.1%, Below the 96% standard185 of 203
May 202694.5%, Below the 96% standard172 of 182
Apr 202695.1%, Below the 96% standard193 of 203
Feb 202698.3%, Meets the 96% standard177 of 180
Jan 202694.7%, Below the 96% standard198 of 209
Starts at the decision to treat, so it excludes the wait to diagnose. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times

Cancer (62-day)

Urgent referral to first treatment within sixty-two days

61.4%

Jul 2026

83.5 of 136 treatments

+34.7 pts since Jun 2026

Below the 85% standard · −23.6 points

20%55%90%85% standardJan 2026Feb 2026Mar 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

July 2026: 61.4 per cent, 83.5 of 136 treatments. Below the 85% standard.

All 7 months as a table
Cancer (62-day) by month, with the figures each percentage was worked out from.
MonthPerformanceOf treatments
Jul 202661.4%, Below the 85% standard83.5 of 136
Jun 202626.7%, Below the 85% standard4 of 15
May 202663.1%, Below the 85% standard79.5 of 126
Apr 202671.7%, Below the 85% standard99 of 138
Mar 202626.9%, Below the 85% standard3.5 of 13
Feb 202676.3%, Below the 85% standard95 of 124.5
Jan 202673.1%, Below the 85% standard95 of 130
The standard usually meant by 'the cancer target'. NHS England monthly cancer waiting times