THE decision of a Dorset County Council committee to refer plans for a countywide shake-up of NHS services to the health secretary have been criticised as ‘unwarranted’ by Bournemouth councillors.

On Wednesday, members of Bournemouth council’s health scrutiny committee agreed to send a letter to the Secretary of State saying that campaigners opposed to Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) proposals were ‘ignoring the facts’.

Drafted by its chairman, Cllr David d’Orton-Gibson, the letter says that would be ‘great benefits’ as a result of the planned changes and that they have been backed by ‘clinical evidence’.

Revealed by the CCG last year, its proposals are aimed at addressing a projected £158 million-a-year funding shortfall as well as improving treatments standards across the county.

It has proposed developing more specialised hubs at Bournemouth and Poole hospitals with the closure of Poole’s A&E and maternity departments in favour of expanded centres in Bournemouth whilst Poole would become a ‘major planned care’ centre.

However, campaigners have said that longer travel times for people to access A&E services would contribute to the deaths of “at least 183” people a year.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, councillors criticised the media for ‘misrepresenting’ the CCG’s plans and said that they hoped that letter would correct this.

Cllr Jackie Edwards said: “I think this [opposition to the proposals] has come about from articles in the media with regards to misrepresentations of what the hospitals are planning to do.

“Just because the sign over the door doesn’t say A&E anymore doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get your sprained wrist looked at.”

The referral to the Secretary of State for health, Matt Hancock, was agreed by Dorset County Council’s health scrutiny committee in October over concerns about travel times and the role of community hospitals.

The letter says: “The clinical services review is much bigger than the two issues referred and it would seem a shame to lose all the agreed points and great benefits for this when the clinical evidence does not support it.

“For this reason, we write to register our view that the proposed clinical services review does not warrant the referral and felt it necessary to write in order to provide a more balanced picture.”