Work to build a new £100m emergency department (ED) and critical care unit at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has reached a major milestone.

Contractor, Tilbury Douglas, has started the main construction phase of works for the new state-of-the-art building which will care for patients in need of urgent and life-saving care.

The building is due to open in 2027.

Funded by the New Hospital Programme (NHP), the building will provide two floors of clinical space, including a dedicated paediatrics area, 24 critical care beds, a mental health facility, and an ambulance arrivals and fast assessment area.

A link corridor will connect the new building to the existing hospital and a £2m rooftop helipad is being funded by the HELP Appeal charity.

Members of the national NHP team, local dignitaries, and scheme supporters joined trust teams to mark the completion of the enabling works and start of main construction.

Lord Lieutenant for Dorset, Michael Dooley, and renowned journalist and author, Kate Adie, supporters of Dorset County Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal, also attended the event.

Adie is the patron of the appeal, which is raising £2.5m for enhanced facilities in the new building, including overnight accommodation for relatives and staff.

Matthew Bryant, chief executive of Dorset County Hospital, said: “We are delighted that main construction of our new emergency department and critical care unit is underway.

“Once open, this state-of-the-art facility will make a difference for the population of Dorset and provide urgent and life-saving care to patients for many years to come.

“This is a major investment in Dorset’s economy and we are taking every opportunity to develop career pathways for local people and support local businesses as part of the build.”

Paul Mustow, senior responsible owner of the New Hospital Programme, added: “Reaching this milestone at Dorset County Hospital is a proud moment for everyone involved.

“It represents a major step forward in delivering a facility that will make a real difference to patients, families, and NHS staff across the county.”

Emergency department

The layout for the ED would be reconfigured to work better, with dedicated areas for a majors, minor, paediatrics, and a dedicated mental health facility. There will also be an ambulance offload and fast assessment area.

Patients would access this facility via a new entrance off Damers Road, with short-stay parking provided.

During construction the current ED will remain in operation, with construction managed around it.

The ED will then move into the new building once it is completed.

The existing ED will then be repurposed.

Critical Care Unit

With ongoing housing developments, a growing population, increased tourism, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the trust has never had a higher demand for our critical care services.

At present the hospital has 11 critical care bed spaces and the investment from the New Hospital Programme will enable it to build a 24-bed critical care unit, including a paediatric space.

The unit will sit directly above the new emergency department (ED).

Similar to the ED project, the current critical care unit will remain open until the new facility is built, with the space being repurposed once services have relocated.