A BOURNEMOUTH health support group has claimed that services for people suffering with swollen limbs are not adequate.

Anne Milward of Ferndown, who is a member of the Bournemouth and Poole Lymphoedema and Lipoedema Support Group contacted the Bournemouth Echo to lambast the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group for its services for people with lymphoedema who have not suffered cancer.

"Secondary lymphoedema as a result of cancer treatment is well understood and patients receive appropriate care through the local hospice services," she said. "However, patients with Primary lymphoedema and lipoedema can wait so long for an accurate diagnosis that their conditions, with swollen limbs and infections, deteriorate dangerously."

She said the Dorset CCG's protocol for access to services states that care 'can be provided by GPs and District Nurses'.

"However, our members all report that their GPs know very little about lymphoedema and that practice nurses have not been trained to provide the necessary bandaging or measuring for hosiery," she said.

"The nearest specialist clinics are in Salisbury and Dorchester and have reached capacity. Our attempts to attract support from the CCG have been unsuccessful so far."

She claimed the situation was; 'an example of the effect of the Clinical Commissioning Group failing to commission services for sufferers of a chronic lifelong health condition'.

When the Bournemouth Echo contacted the Dorset CCG it produced the following statement.

"The Primary Care Workforce Centre in Dorset was established in 2016 to commission, provide, facilitate and support education, training, research and development across the entire primary care workforce in Dorset.

"A training needs analysis is currently taking place in conjunction with key partners and wider stakeholders and further training around lymphodema will be factored in following this feedback."