Dorset County Hospital has teamed up with the Healthcare retail business of Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services firm, to extend the retail space and offer at the hospital.
Starting in April, the 10 year partnership will see an investment of £550k to extend the main hospital building into an unused courtyard, providing much needed space for visitors, patients and staff. The new retail offer will include a Costa Coffee and an amigo shop, which will incorporate new healthier ranges, and will generate an estimated £1m for the Trust to invest in its services.
Dorset County Hospital, Director of Strategy and Business Development Nick Johnson, said: “We are really pleased to welcome Costa Coffee and the amigo shop to our hospital and offer our visitors and staff more choice in food and drinks available on site. The extension will also provide much needed space for seating, where people will be able to relax and enjoy their refreshments.
“This will also generate significant income for the hospital which we will use to further enhance our patient services and facilities.”
Andrew Jones, MD Healthcare Retail, Compass Group UK & Ireland, said, “This partnership will see obvious enhancements to the hospital building and will offer improved retail services. We’re confident that this development will improve the experience for everyone visiting the hospital and we look forward to working with the team at Dorset over the years to come.”
The new Costa Coffee and amigo shop will run alongside The Friends of Dorset County Hospital shop.
Dorset County Hospital was established in 1991 as part of a long–term project to bring together all the local services for acutely ill patients onto one site. The new hospital, just outside Dorchester town centre, was completed in 1997 and was awarded Foundation Trust status in June 2007. The hospital serves a population of around 250,000, living within Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset and Purbeck.