Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) figures for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in the NHS England South West region. Patients waiting at the end of August 2026. Trauma and orthopaedics covers bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, for example hip and knee problems, back and spine problems, and hand and foot surgery.
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 3,432 pathways were waiting for consultant-led trauma and orthopaedics care at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Half had waited 19.4 weeks or less so far (England 13.9 weeks), 46.1% had waited under 18 weeks (England 60.9%; standard 92%) and 140 had waited over 52 weeks.
Source: NHS England referral to treatment (RTT) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.
Figures are for patients waiting at the end of August 2026 (NHS England RTT, published 8 October 2026). They show how long people had waited so far, not how long a new referral will wait, and they are not a guarantee of any wait. A pathway is one patient’s wait for one specialty; a person can be on more than one list.
Trauma and orthopaedics at Dorset County Hospital: summary
The median trauma and orthopaedics wait so far at Dorset County Hospital was 19.4 weeks for patients waiting at the end of August 2026, 5.5 weeks (40%) longer than the England median of 13.9 weeks. The share waiting under 18 weeks, 46.1%, was 12.9 percentage points below the figure for the South West region (59.0%). It was among the quarter of NHS trusts with the longest median trauma and orthopaedics waits: 7th longest of 124. The figures improved between the end of February 2026 and August 2026: the median fell from 20.5 weeks to 19.4 weeks and the list shrank by 198 pathways (5%). Over the same months the England median went from 15.0 weeks to 13.9 weeks. 140 pathways (4.1% of the list) had waited over 52 weeks, above the England share of 2.6%. 8 of the 8 other NHS trusts within 60 miles had a shorter median; the nearest were University Hospitals Dorset (about 21 miles away, median 16.7 weeks) and Somerset (about 36 miles away, median 12.7 weeks).
How does Dorset County Hospital compare for trauma and orthopaedics?
| Measure | Dorset County Hospital | South West region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathways waiting | 3,432 | 92,454 | 851,183 |
| Waited under 18 weeks | 46.1% | 59.0% | 60.9% |
| Median weeks waited | 19.4 | not calculated | 13.9 |
| 92nd percentile weeks waited | 48 | not calculated | 43 |
| Waited over 52 weeks | 140 (4.1%) | 2,271 (2.5%) | 22,043 (2.6%) |
Region figures are a Waiting Times UK calculation: we add up NHS England’s figures for the 38 NHS and independent providers in the South West region with this specialty. Medians and percentiles cannot be added up, so we do not show them for the region. The under-18-weeks share leaves out pathways with an unknown start date, as NHS England does.
Of the 124 NHS trusts in England with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting, 117 had a shorter median wait than Dorset County Hospital and 6 a longer one. See every trust on the trauma and orthopaedics waits page.
Has the trauma and orthopaedics wait at Dorset County Hospital changed?
At the end of February 2026, 3,630 pathways were waiting and the median wait so far was 20.5 weeks. At the end of August 2026, 3,432 pathways were waiting and the median was 19.4 weeks. Past changes do not predict future waits.
Dorset County Hospital: median trauma and orthopaedics wait (weeks) England trauma and orthopaedics
| Month end | Waiting | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 3,630 | 20.5 | 44.2% | 181 |
| March 2026 | 3,534 | 19.7 | 45.6% | 155 |
| April 2026 | 3,467 | 21.4 | 41.1% | 181 |
| May 2026 | 3,554 | 21.1 | 43.4% | 200 |
| June 2026 | 3,483 | 21.2 | 42.5% | 200 |
| July 2026 | 3,533 | 20.0 | 46.0% | 175 |
| August 2026 | 3,432 | 19.4 | 46.1% | 140 |
Which nearby trusts treat trauma and orthopaedics?
| Nearby trust | Distance | Median weeks | Under 18 weeks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust | about 21 miles | 16.7 | 53.7% | 8,476 |
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | about 36 miles | 12.7 | 62.8% | 9,296 |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | about 37 miles | 12.3 | 66.0% | 2,930 |
| Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | about 46 miles | 18.3 | 49.2% | 10,106 |
| University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | about 47 miles | 17.8 | 50.6% | 4,081 |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | about 47 miles | 11.8 | 68.8% | 2,696 |
Straight-line distance between the trusts’ registered addresses in the NHS Organisation Data Service. A trust may run several hospitals, so the site you are treated at can be elsewhere. Only trusts with at least 20 trauma and orthopaedics pathways waiting are listed.
Find trauma and orthopaedics waits near your postcode (England only).
Can I choose a hospital with a shorter wait?
In England you have a legal right to start consultant-led, non-urgent treatment within 18 weeks of referral, with some exceptions, and you can usually choose where you are referred for a first outpatient appointment. Each hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) that can help with questions about your wait. Your waiting time rights explained.
Not medical advice. If your symptoms change or get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the team treating you. If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.
More waiting times
- All waiting times at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Trauma and orthopaedics waits at every trust in England
- Search by postcode
- All specialty pages by trust
Other specialties at Dorset County Hospital
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Elderly medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General surgery
- Gynaecology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral surgery
- Respiratory medicine
- Urology
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for trauma and orthopaedics at Dorset County Hospital?
At the end of August 2026, half of the 3,432 pathways waiting for trauma and orthopaedics at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had waited 19.4 weeks or less, and 46.1% had waited under 18 weeks. This is how long people on the list had waited so far, not a prediction of how long a new referral will take.
How does Dorset County Hospital compare with England for trauma and orthopaedics?
Across England the median trauma and orthopaedics wait was 13.9 weeks and 60.9% had waited under 18 weeks at the end of August 2026. Of 124 NHS trusts with at least 20 pathways waiting, 117 had a shorter median wait.
Is this page from the NHS?
No. Waiting Times UK is an independent website, not part of the NHS, and this is not medical advice. The figures are NHS England’s, reproduced under the Open Government Licence.
How should I cite these figures?
Waiting Times UK, “Trauma and orthopaedics waiting times at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust”, NHS England RTT data for August 2026, https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/specialty-waits/dorset-county-hospital-nhs-foundation-trust/trauma-and-orthopaedics (accessed [date]). Where possible, cite the official publisher too.
Who wrote this page and where do the figures come from?
Written and maintained by the Waiting Times UK editorial team at Oaknest Media Ltd, an independent publisher that is not part of the NHS. Every figure is taken from an official publication, shown with its date, and linked below; where we add up or compare figures ourselves we say so. This page has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not medical advice. Page last updated 2 November 2026, from the data files named below. Figures change when the publisher releases new data.
- NHS England: Referral to treatment waiting times (August 2026, published 8 October 2026)
- NHS England: Referral to treatment waiting times, full CSV data files (February 2026 to August 2026; used for the month-by-month trend)
- NHS England: Organisation Data Service (trust registered addresses, used for distances), geocoded with postcodes.io (ONS Postcode Directory, OGL)
Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods and about Waiting Times UK.
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