Two further public drop-in events are being held to gather feedback from local people about changes to NHS services in West Dorset.
Clinicians from Dorset County Hospital and Dorset HealthCare will be in attendance to outline the changes and explain how Bridport Hospital will remain a vibrant hub for healthcare in the area.
The changes involve some services moving location – there will be no reduction in any of the services provided.
Dorset County Hospital (DCH) currently provides procedures at Bridport Hospital for the treatment of kidney stones (lithotripsy) and a diagnostic investigation of the bladder (cystoscopy). These services will be relocated to Dorchester to help reduce waiting times and improve services for patients. The change will allow specialists to see more patients and provide more comprehensive care with the latest, state-of-the-art equipment.
Alongside lithotripsy and cystoscopy, gastroscopy services (where clinicians use endoscopes to look inside patients’ stomachs) will also be based at DCH. They were temporarily moved from Bridport last April and patients have since been benefitting from an enhanced service. Making this change permanent will ensure services are meeting best practice standards and provide certainty for patients and staff.
Dorset HealthCare also provides a range of musculoskeletal (MSK) interventions from Bridport Hospital. It is proposed that these local services continue, with the exception of a monthly half-day caudal epidural list (pain injections). It is proposed to relocate this list, which services people from across Dorset, to Blandford, making it accessible to more patients around the county.
Bridport Hospital was identified as one of the county’s key community health and care ‘hubs’ in the recent Dorset Clinical Services Review and will continue to be the base for a wide range of local and community services.
The engagement events are being held to gather feedback from local people about how these changes could affect patients and what can be done to mitigate any issues:
- Wednesday, 20 March – 6pm-8pm, Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, Burton Road, Bridport DT6 4PS
- Thursday, 11 April – 10am-12pm, Women’s Institute Hall, North Street, Bridport