Bournemouth hospital extension plans unveiled

Clinicians and staff have been involved in the design process

Royal Bournemouth Hospital could get a six-storey extension under plans to reorganise health services in Dorset.

Planning permission is being sought for new paediatric, maternity and intensive care units and an extended emergency department at the site.

The £147m reorganisation of services, which includes the closure of Poole's A&E, maternity and paediatric units, is being reviewed by a government panel.

The review follows concerns about longer travelling times for patients.

The reorganisation of NHS services in the county will make the Bournemouth site an emergency care hub while turning Poole into a centre for planned care.

According to the application by the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust, more than 800 jobs would be created at the Bournemouth site.

The six-storey extension will accommodate intensive care, maternity and paediatric units

The new intensive care unit would have 30 beds, six more than currently provided across Bournemouth and Poole, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The maternity unit would include six birthing rooms, with two designed for twins, and the trust said clinicians and staff had been involved in the design process.

The plans also include a multi-storey car park with 600 spaces.

Concerns over the reorganisation by Dorset County Council prompted health secretary Matt Hancock to request advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel which reviews proposals for changes to health services.

Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, which is overseeing the reorganisation, said it "welcomed the opportunity for further independent scrutiny of the changes".

The hospital extension plans will be considered by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.