WEST Dorset could see hospital services retained as health chiefs today revealed their recommendations for the biggest shake-up of services in a generation.
It comes one week ahead of a meeting where the NHS Dorset CCG governing body will meet to make its final decisions on its controversial Clinical Services Review which aim to plug a £158 million projected deficit by 2020.
Royal Bournemouth Hospital is still the preferred major emergency centre which would leave Poole Hospital with no A&E but a 24/7 urgent care centre.
This would mean Poole’s maternity and paediatric services would move to RBH to service the east of the county.
However due to a successful public campaign and petition, CCG bosses have conceded there will now also be a maternity and paediatrics unit for the west of the county which will be considered by both Dorset County Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital under new proposals due to go out to a second public consultation.
As previously reported, health bosses said the number of community hospitals in Dorset would be cut from 13 to just seven ‘community hubs with beds’ and a further five ‘community hubs without beds.’ This included proposals to close Alderney, St Leonards and Westhaven hospitals, in Poole, Ferndown and Weymouth.
Alderney and St Leonards are recommended for closure under the radical proposals.
However today CCG bosses revealed beds will be maintained at Westhaven Hospital until the community hub with beds at Weymouth Hospital is established.
They also now plan to keep a community hub with beds at Westminster Memorial Hospital, Shaftesbury, until ‘a sustainable model for future services’ is established.
Final decisions will be made at a meeting in Dorchester next Wednesday.
Under new recommendations the CCG propose to commission an additional community hub with beds at the major emergency site, RBH after listening to concerns over travelling to what would be the nearest hubs with beds at either Wimborne or Poole for patients in the east of the county.
Article originally apepared on Dorset Echo
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