A SENIOR emergency department doctor has backed proposals to merge two hospital trusts in the conurbation.

Doctor Farhad Islam, lead clinician for the emergency department at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, said the plans to centralise emergency care will help to reduce bed pressures.

The reconfiguration will see Poole Hospital downgraded to an urgent care and elective centre.

Campaigners against the merger, primarily the Defend Dorset NHS group, have battled the plans, which have now been referred to the Health Secretary.

They have questioned the suggested travel times in the proposal documents.

Dr Islam said clinicians believe the proposals are worthwhile.

“A lot of people locally are concerned about the reconfiguration of health services in Dorset, but clinicians feel it is the right thing to do for the public,” he said.

“I live in Poole, but people don’t realise if they collapsed with a heart attack and it was out-of-hours, an ambulance would take them straight to Bournemouth.

“For major trauma, you will bypass both Bournemouth and Poole and go straight to Southampton.”

Dr Islam said there was evidence to support centralised services.

He added: “We’re happy that all emergencies will be brought to one hospital because when the services are split, ambulances criss-cross between Bournemouth and Poole.

“A number of beds get filled up, elective surgery gets affected and is slowed down over the winter period.”