How we are running our services
You must continue to wear face coverings when visiting our sites to help minimise the risk of infection. Guidelines around social distancing and the use of hand sanitiser will also remain in place.
This will help to keep all visitors, patients and staff safe. Thank you for your co-operation and continued support.
As a result of COVID-19, we had to close or reduce a number of services to help limit the spread of the virus and prevent the local NHS being overwhelmed. We have re-opened most of our services but we may have to deliver them in a different way. For instance, a service may use virtual or telephone consultations alongside or instead of physical service where appropriate.
In many cases, where possible, we are trying to reduce face-to-face contact and provide support over the telephone or via video calls. If you do need to visit one of our sites for an outpatient appointment, please follow social distancing guidelines, wear a face covering and use the hand sanitiser provided. If your clinician needs to undertake a physical assessment, you will be provided with a special fluid-resistant surgical mask to wear. For full details, see our ‘visiting sites and inpatient wards’ page. Likewise, if our staff need to see you out in the community, they will take every precaution to keep you safe.
Remember, your NHS is here for you. If you or your family members need care or support, please seek it out. Call NHS 111 or access it online for advice, or contact the service you need direct.
See below for a full list of all our services and how we are running them during the pandemic. Click on the service name you are interested in for more information.
Please continue to wear face masks on all NHS sites to help keep you, our patients and our staff safe.
1Mental Health Services
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Service |
Status
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Call 0800 652 0190 – 24/7 support. Our face-to-face drop-ins are back open for The Retreats and Community Front Rooms and we are continuing to offer virtual support. The Retreat is open for both face-to-face (4.30pm-midnight) and virtual drop-ins (4.30-11.30pm) seven days a week. Community Front Rooms are open Thursday-Sunday from 3.15-10.45pm in Bridport, Wareham, Weymouth and Shaftsbury for face-to-face and virtual drop-ins.
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Offering video and telephone support, and face-to-face when required.
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Community Adult Asperger’s Service
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Open for new referrals and offering telephone, video and face-to-face appointments.
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
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Appointments, therapy and regular contact are taking place via video and phone, and face-to-face appointments when required. The Gateway service is now available for support via a number of online platforms, and face-to-face when required. Inpatient services operating as normal. |
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Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) – adults
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Offering assessment, appointments and treatment, predominately via telephone and video but seeing patients face-to-face as required.
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Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) – older people
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Offering assessment, appointments and treatment, predominately via telephone and video but seeing patients face-to-face as required.
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Normal service. Alternatives to face-to-face contact will be used where possible.
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(day hospital and in-reach)
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The Intermediate Care Service for Dementia (ICSD) and day hospitals are running as normal. Other dementia services are running in a limited way and telephone support is available. |
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Early Intervention in Psychosis
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Normal service, using telephone and online support where possible.
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Supporting patients in the community via telephone and video calls, with face-to-face appointments where necessary. Inpatient and day programme services are running as usual.
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ECT
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Urgent/high priority needs only.
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Community Forensic Mental Health
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Normal service. Alternatives to face-to-face contact will be used where possible.
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Normal service, using telephone and online support where possible.
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Telephone support available, plus limited outreach work.
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Normal service.
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Intensive Psychological Therapies (IPTS)
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Taking new referrals from the Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) and treatment being offered predominately via phone and online, but face-to-face sessions are offered when required. |
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Community Learning Disabilities
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Supporting people via telephone and video calls, with face-to-face appointments where necessary. Usual referral methods remain in place.
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Memory Assessment Service (MAS)
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Offering assessments and treatment via telephone and video calls, where possible, but face-to-face appointments can be arranged.
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Community Perinatal Mental Health
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Offering assessments and treatment via telephone and video calls, where possible, but face-to-face appointments can be arranged.
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Services available as normal at acute hospitals (Bournemouth/Christchurch, Dorchester and Poole).
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Recovery beds are still open, subject to staffing.
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Offering group sessions as well as webinars, videos and podcasts. Tailored support is available for those unable to access online.
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Normal service.
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Open for all referrals. Telephone and online contact where possible but face-to-face appointments are available. IT skills and craft workshops remain closed.
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Community Services
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Services |
Status
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Normal service. |
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Video / phone consultations are taking place where appropriate, though face-to-face appointments can be arranged if required. We are offering a postal service to obtain hearing aid batteries and repairs. All walk-in repairs are still currently closed. The team’s on hand to support queries over the phone. If you need help or advice please call 0300 303 8640 or email at dhc.audiologyenquiries@nhs.net
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Blood services (anticoagulation and phlebotomy) |
Normal service. |
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Normal service.
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalopathy (CFS/ME)
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Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible. Also supporting long-COVID rehabilitation. |
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Normal service.
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Community Neurology Service/Parkinsons/MS
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Normal service. |
| Complex leg ulcer service |
Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible. |
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Essential visits only. |
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Community therapy and rehabilitation services
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Normal service with potential for longer waiting times. |
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Providing telephone consultations with a limited number of face-to-face clinics available. The minor op clinics have resumed. |
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Normal service.
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Dorset Bladder and Bowel Continence Service |
Normal service. |
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Normal service. |
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Normal service. |
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Normal service. |
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Urgent, priority cases only. |
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Normal service.
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Victoria Hospital (Wimborne) ios providing services as per normal.
Urgent endoscopy is being carried out in Dorset’s acute hospitals (Bournemouth/Christchurch, Dorchester and Poole).
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Heart failure/cardiac diagnostics (Echo, ECG)
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Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible. Heart failure service – home visits and clinic appointments will be arranged if required. |
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Normal service. Capacity increased through redeployment of staff.
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Normal service.
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If you require urgent care, please call 111 or go online for an assessment. This help us to provide the right support/treatment as quickly as possible, and could save you an unnecessary journey. If you turn up unannounced at a MIU, you will be assessed but could be directed elsewhere or given an appointment later that day or the next. |
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Multiple Sclerosis (MS) service |
Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible.
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Initial consultations for people with urgent/high priority needs will take place via phone or video call. Appointments will be face-to-face, if required.
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Outpatient services at:
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Outpatient clinics are running. Appointments are via video call but a face-to-face appointment will be arranged if required.
The NHS e-referral service is open for booking. |
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Physiotherapy services (outpatients) |
Normal service. |
| Parkinson's disease | Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible. |
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Urgent/high risk patient appointments are available. New referrals are accepted, with those of the highest foot risk being seen first. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible. If you are concerned about your feet or need advice, call 0300 303 8630.
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Radiology (x-ray and ultrasound)
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Services at Blandford, Bridport, Weymouth, Swanage and Sherborne are available. Booked appointments only, or urgent appointments arranged via each hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit (Urgent Treatment Centre in Weymouth). Wimborne and Shaftesbury services will return soon. |
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Service running via telephone and video calls where possible, with some face-to- face support available. Clinic appointments are available for all urgent cases. On-going online testing and contraception offers can be accessed via SH:24. All services for HIV and LGBTQ+ clients continue to be available. |
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Speech and language therapy (SALT) |
Normal service. We are contacting patients by video or phone call where possible.
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Reviews will take place via telephone. Face-to-face appointments are available for priority need.
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Normal service.
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Tissue viability (wound management) |
Normal service. |
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Open for all referrals. Telephone and online contact where possible but face-to-face appointments are available. IT skills and craft workshops remain closed.
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Referrals will be progressed based on priority. There may be a delay in being seen or receiving equipment.
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Children and Young People
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Services |
Status
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Children’s Speech and Language Therapy
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Service running via telephone and video calls, with some face-to-face support and visits available if required.
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| Contraception, sexual health, genitourinary medicine (GUM) and HIV |
Service running via telephone and video calls wherever possible, to help minimise clinic appointments. Online STI testing and contraception offers can be accessed via SH:24. All services provided for young people under 18, for HIV and LGBTQ+ clients continue to be available.
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Service running via telephone and video calls where possible. Face-to-face support is available for families with new babies and vulnerable families.
Chat Health continues to provide confidential text message support for children and young people aged 11-19. |
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Service running as normal, via telephone and video calls where possible.
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Newborn Screen Hearing Programme
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Service running as normal in community clinics. |
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School Age Immunisation Service |
Due to school closures, this is now being delivered in clinics.
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We fully understand that some people will be unsettled and concerned by any changes to NHS services. However, these changes are absolutely necessary to ensure we can effectively manage the current outbreak, limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safe.
For more information about how Dorset HealthCare is managing the impact of the pandemic, and how you can help stop the spread of the virus, visit our COVID-19 information page.
We thank everyone for their patience and understanding at this
challenging time.