Enter and view: Emergency Department, Royal Bournemouth Hospital
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Healthwatch Dorset undertook an enter and view visit to the Emergency Department at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital on 25 November 2025. They spoke to 12 people.
Healthwatch recognised that staff are making a big effort, and they were open to suggestions for continued improvement. Staff appeared to take pride in the brand new environment that they are working in. All Authorised Representatives were impressed with the new building design. The new environment has been well thought out and patient feedback has been sought, (e.g. with the bereavement suite.)
Generally, people felt welcome and confident that they could trust staff in the department (rated 4/5)
The environment was calm and clean. Although it was made clear to us by staff that it was a very, very quiet period. A large area of the ED area Healthwatch saw was currently unused in preparation for the transfer of staff from Poole A and E.
A holistic approach is evident, particularly to support mental health and neuro divergent needs and we were told it is a collaborative environment.
Healthwatch had mixed feedback on the level of communication that patients felt they received about the treatment pathway they were on.
The reason for the 8-12 hours wait time whilst Healthwatch were present, wasn’t fully explained or understood by the Authorised Representatives. This was the same as was found in the previous HWD report, when the average wait time was 4 hours.
The NHS 111 service is giving inconsistent advice quality and creating incorrect expectations on the service that the ED can provide, such as telling people that they can have appointments, which is putting additional pressure on the department.
The current self-triage system is not suited to everyone, and discriminates against those with additional needs, such as those with English as an Additional Language (EAL), learning disabilities, those who are not confident with using digital devices, or those who are unwell. It is also subjective. Healthwatch were told that is currently being audited monthly when a safety check is carried out.
There is no phone signal in the department. The department said that it is difficult to overcome the problem due to the large number of extenders which would be needed.