Views sought on Portland NHS 'community hub' plan

The changes at Portland Hospital are part of a wider reorganisation of Dorset's services

Residents are being asked for their views on the future of NHS services in an area of Dorset after all of its hospital beds were axed.

Portland Hospital's 16 beds closed in August amid staff shortages. The beds are now at Westhaven Hospital in Weymouth.

Dorset HealthCare said it wanted to discuss the possibility of developing a "health and wellbeing community hub".

Public meetings on the plans will be held on 22, 23 and 24 October.

Dorset HealthCare chief executive Ron Shields said: "In July, I met with around 200 people to try and explain why beds at Portland Hospital were going to close.

"Understandably, many of the people at the meeting were angry and all were sad that this element of the NHS on Portland was to stop.

"I made an unequivocal commitment to start a discussion with people on Portland about how we, together with GPs, councils and other partners, could make sure that Portlanders get the very best services."

Campaigners have held several protests against the planned shake-up

Other services currently being carried out on Portland include sexual health, school nursing, speech and language therapy, podiatry and occupational therapy, health visiting and district nursing.

Changes are part of the reorganisation of the county's services, which currently faces legal action.

Dorset's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is continuing with the shake-up, including shutting Poole's A&E, after winning a judicial review in July.

However, Defend Dorset NHS, which brought the initial challenge, is seeking to overturn the High Court decision.

The shake-up aims to avoid a projected funding shortfall, estimated to be at least £158m a year by 2021.