HEALTH chiefs are being urged to address the ‘many concerns’ over its controversial plans to shake-up the NHS in Dorset.

It comes after the public’s response to NHS Dorset CCG’s Clinical Services Review was revealed at an event yesterday ahead of the release of what is ‘one of the biggest reports ever written in terms of the number of responses’ by independent analysts Opinion Research Services (ORS.)

In the 71-page presentation of the consultation’s headline responses from the 250 page report, independent analysts ORS said 18,713 questionnaires were submitted along with 245 written submissions, 1004 telephone interviews. 1900 attended drop-in events across the county, 14 focus groups took place and nine petitions were submitted with a total of 75,570 signatures.

The consultation, which cost nearly £100,000, asked for feedback on options for Dorset County, Poole and Royal Bournemouth hospitals, the configuration of maternity and paediatrics, changes to community services and the redistribution of community beds.

There was support for the CCG’s preferred plans to make RBH the county’s major emergency hospital leaving Poole Hospital for planned care with a 24-hour urgent care centre. However there were ‘many concerned with travel to Bournemouth and the accessibility of the major emergency hospital’ as well as comments plans were ‘unsuitable, unsafe and financially motivated.’

An open questionnaire of 7,838 people found 44 per cent would choose the CCG’s proposals while 34 per cent preferred Poole as the major emergency hospital. The remaining 22 per cent said they wanted another option. 

Of a telephone survey, 51 per cent preferred Poole as the major emergency hospital with 40 per cent choosing the CCG’s proposals.

Meanwhile maternity and paediatrics proposals were found to be ‘most contentious’ with ‘little support’. with many rejecting both the CCG’s options mainly due to accessibility for residents in the west of the county.

In April, independent watchdog Healthwatch Dorset released a damning report of the consultation after claiming many members of the public gave up filling in the ‘full of waffle’ 48-page questionnaire saying it was full of jargon and too long.

Tim Goodson, chief officer of Dorset CCG, admitted there were ‘a lot of concerns about travel times’ adding more advice is already being sought.

The CCG will review the report carefully before decisions are made in September ‘at the earliest.’

Healthwatch Dorset manager Martyn Webster said: “While there’s a lot of support from local people for some of the general principles of what our NHS is proposing - like having more services in the community and keeping people out of hospital wherever possible - when it comes to the detail people do also have concerns.

“Two of the biggest concerns are how accessible services will be for some people, and whether some of the changes needed (and on which others depend) will actually take place at all. Centralising some services in one hospital may result in people getting better care, but if they can’t get there in the first place (or get there in time) then they won’t get the benefit.

“There are still concerns about travel and transport which need to be addressed. And it has to be said that there’s a lot of concern that, in reality, hospital services might be cut without at the same time the necessary investment being put not only into community health services but into social care services as well. People are asking where the resources are going to come from to make all this happen.

“What’s going to be important over the coming months is that before Dorset CCG take their final decisions they make themselves available to listen to the concerns people have, take those concerns seriously and work together with local people to develop the best way forward.”