LABOUR Party members gathered to oppose plans to close Poole Hospital's accident and emergency department on Saturday.

The group handed out leaflets and urged residents to sign a petition, as well as to respond to the ongoing NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) consultation on its hospital plans.

At present, the CCG has proposed to reform Poole Hospital as a planned care site, with its A&E, maternity, neonatal and cancer services transferred to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Poole Labour Party chairman Katie Taylor said: "We are not happy with the proposed cuts to our NHS services in Dorset. It is being dressed up as sustainability but the reality is we are losing a tremendous amount of funding from our NHS."

She said the move would make it more difficult for patients from Poole and Purbeck to get A&E and would "put lives at risk".

For more information on the Clinical Services Review proposals, or to take part in the consultation, visit csr.dorsetsvision.nhs.uk.