AM I alone in wondering why the Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council seem to be unable to speak up on behalf of their residents and challenge the appalling decision to merge the Poole Hospital with Bournemouth Hospital?

There is little justification in having just one A&E for a population of 680,000 which is swelled by large numbers of tourists from April until September.

Why would the councillors not fully back the thousands of residents, who objected to the proposals, because having an A&E on one side of the county of Dorset rather than in the centre of Dorset logistically made no sense?

This strategy can only lead to the worsening of health outcomes for patients travelling long distances to access emergency care and many will not make the journey from their homes within the “golden hour”.

The Dorset Clinical Commissioning proposals should continue to be challenged. Getting the Dorset CCG to provide credible and factual information in respect of the nine issues raised with them would be a good starting point.

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The nine issues are access to A&E, community services, community hospitals, capacity, clinical risk assessment, specification of what can be treated at any proposed UTC, the ambulance service provision, health inequalities, and the impact of the substantially increased number of journeys across the conurbation.

It is hoped that councillors and indeed local Members of Parliament will wake up and realize that the public is not going to accept the demise of the well-respected clinical services including maternity, paediatrics and the loss of A&E at Poole. Targets and obfuscation have been spouted for too long.

Destroying the effective healthcare teams at Poole is sheer vandalism, a short term strategy from which no one gains in the long term, as it promotes the need for urgent journeys across a congested conurbation and involves the sale of a local NHS land assets (for more housing), to offset the cost of this dubious exercise. This does not address the implications of the expected population increase. The matter must be re-thought (upon the basis of sound evidence) and a strategy that actually “fits” local needs must be found. Politicians are expected to do what is best for the people who elected them and they should remember this and not delegate their responsibilities.

SIOBHAN COLEMAN

Honeysuckle Lane, Poole