THE chief executive of Royal Bournemouth and Poole hospitals has hit back at claims their A&E departments could struggle to cope with future demand.

It follows a letter to the Bournemouth Daily Echo which said recent warnings about the departments’ struggles over the Easter weekend “confirmed” the concerns of campaigners about the merger of the two hospitals.

But Debbie Fleming the joint chief executive of the hospitals said the changes were planned specifically to meet increasing demand on their services.

As part of the planned overhaul of the NHS in Dorset, it is proposed that the emergency department in Poole be downgraded to an urgent treatment centre in 2023 with a more specialised A&E centre developed in Bournemouth.

However, the move has prompted concerns from campaigners about the impact longer travelling times could have on those needing treatment.

In his letter published earlier this week, Martin Fry from Upton said the hospitals’ struggles over the Easter weekend meant it was time to “start planning for an additional A&E” department.

In response, Ms Fleming said they were investing £147 million “to ensure a sustainable future that will improve patient outcomes”.

“The changes we are planning have been developed with our partners across Dorset to ensure we do cope with the increased demands on emergency departments and indeed all our services,” she said.

Proposals to develop Poole Hospital into a “major planned hospital” would see a new theatre complex built alongside improvements to its outpatient, cancer and diagnostic services, she added.

She said the changes would take place in the 2023/24 financial year and that the majority of cases seen at its A&E department would continue to be seen at its urgent treatment centre.

She added: “The emergency department on the Royal Bournemouth Hospital site will become three times bigger than it is now, as it becomes the major emergency hospital for east Dorset.

“Staffed by teams from both hospitals, this new facility will offer emergency services and other specialist support for patients, including cardiology and stroke, with consultant-led care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“National studies demonstrate that by concentrating services in this way for major conditions, patient outcomes are significantly improved.”