Dorset health reorganisation gets £15.2m funding

Money will go towards developing mental health inpatient services for older people in Poole

Healthcare services in Dorset have been awarded £15.2m towards the continued reoganisation of the county's NHS.

Our Dorset, a partnership of NHS trusts and councils, said the government cash would fund changes to mental health, pathology and community services.

Last year, the Department of Health awarded more than £100m to support changes to hospital services following the county's Clinical Services Review.

They include the closure of Poole's A&E, maternity and paediatric services.

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Our Dorset said £5.9m had been earmarked for the development of older people's inpatient mental health services at Alderney Hospital in Poole, which it says will "deliver a major upgrade" to existing accommodation at St Ann's Hospital in Poole.

Another £5m will be spent on improving the pathology digital information system for sharing test results across Dorset's three acute hospitals and partner trusts in Hampshire. It is forecast to save the county's NHS hospitals up to £2m a year.

And £4.2m will go towards creating a GP and community services hub at Blandford Community Hospital.

Tim Goodson, leader of Dorset's Integrated Care System and chief officer of Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "This money will support us to take another step forward to improve the quality of health and care services in Dorset.

"The three projects being funded are all quite different, showing the scale of our ambition and commitment to delivering the very highest quality services."