HEALTH chiefs in Dorset have come under fire for proposed costs of nearly £150million for plans to transform local services.

The investment required has been described as “alarming” and “unachievable” by a body representing medics.

A study by the British Medical Association (BMA) national revealed that the capital cost of funding Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) was at least £9.5billion.

All Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were required to submit their STPs to set out their future plans for healthcare provision in their areas.

The proposals set out in Dorset’s STP include those that are being consulted on with the public as part of the CCG’s Clinical Services Review.

They include changes to acute care in Dorset, with Bournemouth designated as a Major Emergency Hospital and Poole a Major Planned Care Hospital.

Dorset County Hospital will largely remain as it is at present, continuing to provide acute emergency care.

The bulk of the investment required would be used for the reconfiguration of the hospitals in the east of the county.

The BMA claims the total investment required is £148m but the CCG says is £147m.

BMA South West regional chairman Helena McKeown said: “Dorset told NHS England that they would need an alarming £148m in capital funding in order to deliver these so called ‘transformation’ plans.

“This is on top of millions of pounds needed for a backlog of other repair work.

“With NHS budgets severely strained, funding from capital budgets is often used to prop up day to day running costs in the NHS.

“The reality of what is needed to implement ‘transformation’ plans is unachievable if the government does not provide the long-term investment desperately needed.”

She added: “The NHS and social system is at breaking point and the STP process could have offered a chance to deal with some of the problems facing the NHS.

“But from its very beginning, this process was carried out largely behind closed doors, without proper consultation and input from those on the front line.”

Chief officer for the NHS Dorset CCG Tim Goodson said: “As we have detailed in our consultation document Improving Dorset’s healthcare our preferred option would require an investment of £147m. However, we would like to make it clear that as no final decisions have been made, no capital request has been put forward to NHS England.”