THE Purbeck and Poole Group of Dorset CPRE know that for communities to flourish it is crucial to maintain timely access to hospital services and facilities, particularly for communities in Purbeck.

I have been informed by Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group that the reason for the discrepancy between their predicted ambulance travel times (from Purbeck to Poole) and the actual "category 1 imminent danger of death" ambulance travel times (available from South Western Ambulance Services) cannot be provided, since they have no knowledge of such actual travel times.

This is astounding and raises three questions:

1: Why employ a consultant to produce a formula for predicting ambulance travel times (that underestimates such times), when real-time data is held by part of the NHS ?

2 Why claim that, once maternity and emergency care come to an end in Poole, all residents will be able to access such services within 40 minutes?

3 Why continue for the tree years (up to now), in court and in the face of what people know, that the alleged 40 minutes travel time is accurate?

GERALD RIGLER, chairman, Purbeck & Poole Group of Dorset CPRE