CAMPAIGNERS fighting the major shake-up of NHS services across the county have welcomed news Health Secretary Matt Hancock has ordered an independent review into 'specific aspects' of the proposals.

Dorset Council announced, yesterday, that the Secretary of State had responded to their concerns about the move, saying he would be requesting 'initial advice' from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP).

The IRP, a national body, reviews proposals for major changes to health services where there are safety concerns.

In November 2018 Dorset County Council wrote to the Health Secretary outlining their concerns, and these concerns were later backed by the Borough of Poole.

Under the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) Clinical Services Review, Poole Hospital's A&E will close, with an expanded emergency department at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Investigations have been carried out by senior doctors, which concluded that in 34 cases of higher risk patients, increased travel times would not have changed the outcomes for any of them.

However, campaign group Defend Dorset has argued that travel times from more isolated areas, particularly areas like Purbeck, would risk lives.

Speaking to the Daily Echo yesterday, after learning of the Heath Secretary's decision to seek advice from the IRP, Defend Dorset NHS member Debby Monkhouse said: "We've been pretty fed up that the Secretary of State has been sitting on the referral for the past seven months and hasn't passed it to the independent panel. So if the news is that he is now going to pass it to that independent panel, that is brilliant."

Ms Monkhouse also said it was important to stress the county council made its referral because of fears of risk to life, and fears over lack of community hospital facilities in the shake-up.

"When Dorset County Council sent their referral they said they were concerned that the travel times by the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust have not been satisfactorily scrutinised, and that the evidence needed further investigation to the current claim that these travel times would not cause loss of life," said Ms Monkhouse.

A statement released by Dorset Council late yesterday afternoon said: "The Secretary of State has now responded by letter to Dorset Council regarding the referral.

"It states that he has requested ‘initial advice’ from the IRP.

"The Secretary of State has given the IRP specific aspects of the referral to investigate. These include in particular the matters raised by Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee and matters relating to the future vision for the NHS and the extent to which Dorset CCG’s proposals align with that vision.

"It is hoped that this will provide some reassurance to residents and we await the outcome."

The Dorset Council statement explained the original referral reflected concerns over plans to relocate A&E and maternity services from Poole General Hospital, and the capacity of ambulance and community services to cope with demand arising from these changes.

Ms Monkhouse said: "We would hope that the independent panel will have a proper look at this evidence and will decide that it is foolhardy to move major emergency services and maternity services for the whole county to a hospital located on the border with Hampshire, miles away from most of the residents."