HEALTH chiefs have spoken out to reassure patients their voices will be heard ahead of a controversial shake-up of health services in Dorset.

Tim Goodson, Chief Officer of NHS Dorset’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which is carrying out the Clinical Services Review, said the view of local people are ‘vital’ in the public consultation this autumn.

The CCG’s proposals are to designate Royal Bournemouth Hospital as the county's major emergency hub and Poole Hospital for planned care with a 24-hour urgent care centre. However, around 50,000 people have signed petitions calling for Poole to keep its A&E trauma unit.

%headlines(article_ids=214639248,14639254", display='headlines')

Mr Goodson, said: “As we have been clear about since the launch of the Clinical Services Review, our proposals will be subject to a full and thorough public consultation, and no decisions will be made until after this has been completed and local views taken into account.

“The views of people who use local services are vital and during the consultation we will be seeing these in a variety of ways; with details of how to get involved being made widely available to ensure people living throughout the county are aware of how to have their say.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, watchdog Healthwatch Dorset expressed fears NHS bosses are making decisions without listening to the public. It came after Poole Hospital chief executive Debbie Fleming said the hospital must recognise ‘the majority view’ of their partners that RBH is the preferred option as national health chiefs told both Poole and RBH to look again at the possibility of a merger of the two trusts.

Tracey Nutter, director of nursing and patient services, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s important to remember that the clinical services review is a Dorset CCG-led initiative and hasn’t even got to public consultation stage yet. As such no decisions have been made and our preferred option still remains becoming the county’s major emergency hospital for reasons previously stated.

“The views of the public are an important aspect of the clinical services review, and we are confident that they will be fully taken into account by the CCG. However, we also have to be aware of the views our partners and we are conscious that many in the health and social care sector support the CCG’s recommendation that Royal Bournemouth Hospital should take on this role. Therefore, it would be short sighted not to factor that into our current considerations.”