Poole Hospital's A&E unit set to close in 2026

Poole Hospital is being developed to become the major planned care site for Dorset

A hospital's A&E department is set to close in four years, health bosses have announced.

Poole Hospital's A&E will shut in 2026 and the site will have a 24-hour Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) instead.

The Poole facility is being expanded to house 15 operating theatres as it becomes Dorset's main centre for planned care.

A new bigger emergency department at Royal Bournemouth Hospital will open in 2024 ahead of the closure.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust said the 24-hour, GP-led UTC "will still be able to see a large proportion of patients who currently access our current emergency department".

A new BEACH Building (Births, Emergency, And, Critical care, children's Health) is being built on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site

The centre will be for people with non-life threatening conditions "such as fractures, cuts, abdominal pain and scalds/burns", the trust added. Major emergencies will go to Bournemouth.

It is part of a £250m revamp following the merger of the Poole, Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch hospitals.

The development plans are available on the University Hospitals Dorset website or from the main reception at any of the trust's hospitals.