A HOSPITAL governor is urging patients to "speak out loudly" in a bid to prevent services being transferred to other hospitals.

Michel Hooper-Immins, who represents patients in Weymouth and Portland, has raised concerns at proposals that have emerged during the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) clinical services review that suggest the Dorchester hospital could look to integrate services with or transfer services to hospitals in Bournemouth, Poole or Yeovil.

Speaking as an individual governor rather than on behalf of the governing body, he said: "I observe recent suggestions that our sick children might be better treated at Yeovil than at Bournemouth Hospital.

"Yeovil Hospital has now said that such moves will not benefit their patients. 

"I believe patient representatives should speak out loudly and say that being sent off to other remote hospitals is not to the benefit of our patients. 

"Every patient I speak to says they want to be treated as near to home as possible and do not want to be sent off to Bournemouth, Poole, Yeovil, Salisbury or anywhere but our Dorset County Hospital at Dorchester."

Mr Hooper-Immins said he believes the NHS is "in the grip of centralisers' and said there needs to be clarity on any other services or clinics that could be relocated from Dorchester.

Mr Hooper-Immins said that as well as causing problems for families in terms of travel, sending patients to other hospitals also resulted in "extra expense and trouble".

He added: "What concerns a lot of patients who talk to me is what happens if they collapse with a heart attack or a stroke and there is a delay with finding an ambulance, then they are bumped along the A35 to Bournemouth. 

"I know of instances where patients have had to wait 40 or 50 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. 

"All our doctors talk about the "golden first hour" after a stroke or heart attack when they have the best chance of reversing the damage. 

"So sending patients off to Bournemouth, rather than treating them at Dorchester, could be incredibly costly to patients’ health and some may not survive the journey.

"So we need to fight to maintain all the services at Dorchester, so that all patients who are currently treated at Dorset County Hospital will continue to go there."

Dorset County Hospital has said it broadly welcomes the independent report conducted into maternity and paediatric services and will work closely with other hospitals to ensure "high quality, financially sustainable services for our community into the future".

It added: "There will be changes in Dorset but we will be working hard to ensure the needs of our local population are met with the very best services we and our partners can provide."