West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust was established in 1991. It is an Acute Services Trust with 480 beds and 719 nursing staff.

West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust manages two hospitals, Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester and Weymouth Community Hospital. As such, the Trust is a major local employer with around 2,400 staff, treating more than 100,000 patients each year, of which 38,000 are inpatients. Building work was completed in 1997, and Dorset County is a pleasant and modern hospital. With 450 beds, the hospital offers skilled and compassionate care to the people of West Dorset. The Trust provides excellent facilities to local people and many innovative services such as an award-winning art collection to enhance the environment for patients. The Trust is a NHS Beacon - recognised for excellence in managing Waiting Lists. Dorset County Hospital has also been recognised as an Exemplar site by the Department of Health. There are only eight such sites in the country which have been chosen because of the high quality of the patient environment. The hospital offers a comprehensive range of specialties including:

• General Medicine;
• Accident and Emergency;
• Cardiology;
• Renal Services;
• Care of the Elderly;
• General Surgery;
• Orthopaedic Surgery;
• Paediatrics;
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology;
• ENT;
• Ophthalmology;
• Oral Surgery,
• Orthodontics,
• Radiology and Pathology.