A protest to keep Portland Hospital will be taking place in Poole tomorrow.

The Keep Portland Hospital campaign group will be protesting outside of Sentinel House on Nuffield Road – the headquarters of Dorset Healthcare Trust.

The group will be arriving at around 12.15pm for a peaceful demonstration, followed by a petition hand-in.

Since December, the campaign group has been asking residents of Portland to sign a petition to stop the hospital being closed.

In August 2018, 16 beds at the hospital were axed with health chiefs quoting staffing shortages as the reason.

Since then concerns have been raised over the future of the hospital building.

The campaign group wants the hospital building to be filled with lots of services.

Giovanna Lewis, one of the group’s organisers, claims that if the hospital remains on the island there is also a chance the hospital’s beds could come back.

The group aims to hand over their petition, which has been signed by 5,000 people, to Eugine Yafele, CEO of Dorset Healthcare Trust at around 12.45pm.

The group had hoped to present the petition during the trust meeting, but have been told they are not allowed to.

If you would like to join the protest get in touch with Defend Dorset NHS via social media, lifts will be available from Weymouth and Portland.