Dorset County Hospital Charity works with its valued supporters to raise vital funds for your hospital to help ensure it is equipped to deliver the highest standards of care and wellbeing for patients, their loved ones and its staff. 2026 marks our 30th Anniversary of supporting healthcare at DCH.
Together, we are committed to making healthcare even better.
Dorset County Hospital is the main provider of acute hospital services to a population of around 300,000, living within Weymouth & Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset and Purbeck.
Dorset County Hospital Charity has been raising funds for enhancements to care for patients using these services which go above and beyond the NHS budget, for 30 years. Working with our staff, the local community, corporate partners, volunteers, and individual supporters we raise money to fund those important extras, which make care for our patients, their loved ones and staff, even better.
We manage fundraising programmes to provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment for patients, and enhanced training opportunities and welfare initiatives to look after our valued staff.
Find out more about the DCH Charity team and why we’re so passionate about working to support Dorset County Hospital here.
We are currently running our most ambitious Appeal to date: The Emergency and Critical Care Appeal. Dorset County Hospital’s new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit is due to open in 2027. Our £2.5 million Appeal will fund enhanced facilities and state-of-the-art medical equipment for the new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit. Together, with your generous support, we will make a positive, lasting difference to healthcare for our community.
The provision of excellent healthcare is often expensive and many key projects that make a difference are only possible with the help of all our fundraisers, donors and supporters. The impact of your support will be felt across every corner of the hospital and will directly touch the heart of the community it serves.
Dorset County Hospital Charity will be celebrating 30 amazing years of fundraising in the local community in 2026, with a series of fundraising events and special challenges for the local community to take part in, and help to achieve our £2.5 million target for the Emergency and Critical Care Appeal.
Patients and families who have benefitted from the services at Dorset County Hospital often express their gratitude by considering donations to a department or ward close to their hearts.
Donations to our Greatest Need Appeal are directed to services and teams that could benefit the most from funding but do not have a specific fund or additional NHS funding to cover their needs.
This ongoing general appeal supports a range of projects to help us achieve our mission of delivering excellent care at the heart of the community. Your generous donations to our Greatest Need Appeal have funded improvements to green spaces in around the hospital, equipment upgrades, and advanced staff training programmes, which improve patient care and support staff in the Trust.
There’s also the option to donate to our current Appeal: the Emergency and Critical Care Appeal. Your support plays a critical role in helping enhance these new facilities. By donating, you have the power to choose where your contribution goes – whether you want to target a specific area of the appeal or make a general donation. More details about the various areas you can support are outlined on our Appeal page, making it easy for you to direct your generosity where it is needed most. Your donation can truly make a significant impact. To learn more about how you can be part of your local hospitals Emergency and Critical Care facilities, click here.
Social Value describes the wider role of an organisation in helping to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of its local communities.
Dorset County Hospital is an Anchor Institution – alongside its main function, it plays a significant role in a locality by making a strategic contribution to the local economy. It is also committed to reducing inequalities and improve the wellbeing of the community it serves.
Find out more about Dorset County Hospital’s Social Value Pledge here
Dorset County Hospital provides acute hospital and outpatient services (including ED) in Dorchester and specialist and outpatient services from a number of other locations including Weymouth and Portland. For more information about the hospital and the services provided, please click here to visit the Dorset County Hospital website.
Read our Annual Report – 2023-24-Annual-Report-Dorset-County-Hospital-Final-Fully-Signed.pdf
Read the Dorset County Hospital Charity Privacy and Security Policy : Privacy Policy – dchcharity.org.uk
