THE boss of NHS Dorset CCG says proposals to shake-up Dorset’s healthcare may seem ‘radical’ but are ‘vital’ to sustain services for the next generation.

Chief officer Tim Goodson said ‘a do nothing’ scenario is simply not an option as the system is ‘crumbling under a financial and a workforce pressure.’

He told the Daily Echo: “It may seem like a radical set of proposals we are putting across but there’s no question change is needed.

“People generally get the NHS is under huge pressure at the moment, it’s in national headlines almost constantly and there is a requirement to change.”

Now with just one month to go before the end of the public consultation into the controversial plans, he has called for more views saying they will shape the decision.

He explained: “The whole process has evolved since the beginning and I think now we are getting more views, it will help that journey continue.

“This will never be fixed. I think any ideas are welcome and we are looking to hear them.

“What I can say is if anyone doesn’t have their say, we won’t know about it.”

Preferred proposals are to make Royal Bournemouth Hospital the county’s major emergency hospital with a maternity centre leaving Poole Hospital for planned care. The number of community hospitals would reduce from 13 to just seven ‘hubs.’

According to Dorset CCG health bosses, the time it takes and the distance to receive emergency care is the main concern.

Mr Goodson said: “We’ve found it isn’t necessarily the proposals themselves. Travel times and transport are certainly the main concern, particularly in the more rural parts of Dorset where it may only be public transport that is available.

“A lot of people have also said to me they’d like a single medical care record that all health professionals can access so they can have a more informed picture about a person.”

Critics however say increasing travel times could ‘put lives at risk’ .

However health bosses say they are adamant patient care will be improved by the model which has been successfully launched elsewhere in the country.

Mr Goodson said: “There are different ways of doing things than what we’re doing in Dorset. We absolutely think a major emergency unit will save lives and have better outcomes.

“If you have more consultant presence on site, it becomes not so much about the travel time but about the service you get at the other end.

“Similarly with the planned hospital, the reason operations get cancelled is because emergency work takes precedent. If there is a dedicated planned site, it would become more efficient and effective.”

Charles Summers, director of engagement and development for Dorset CCG, said once the public consultation ends on February 28, feedback will be analysed by an independent company before a report is made.

He said: “This is about finding the right solution to sustain healthcare services over the next generation.

“This can’t continue as it is and as painful as it may feel for people who are anxious, by making their views known, we can get a much richer tapestry of those views.

“We’ve reached about 10 per cent of people who live in Dorset. Now we need to find a way to compel them to take that moment in their busy lives to fill in the questionnaire where their views will be most heard.”

For information go to csr.dorsetsvision.nhs.uk.