The two trusts that run Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals merged on Thursday 1 October, 2020 to form University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD), with ambitious plans to improve and transform services for patients. The new organisation is designated as a ‘university hospital trust’, having formalised the links with Bournemouth University that both hospital trusts have enjoyed for many years. This reinforces the commitment of the new organisation to expanding research, fostering innovation and prioritising education and training. The new University Hospitals Dorset employs more than 9,000 staff and has an annual turnover of more than £630m. Each hospital – Poole Hospital, the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Christchurch Hospital – will retain its own name, and will benefit from significant future investment, planned for all three sites as part of the Trust’s ambitious capital programme. Establishing the new trust makes possible many exciting developments, both now and in the future. We will be a stronger, more resilient organisation, which means we will be able to deliver much improved services for our patients. The new Trust will be a great place to work, and we expect to see talented individuals from across the country choosing to join us, and be part of the exciting transformation plans in Dorset.