NHS body defeats legal challenge to health services reorganisation

NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has defeated a judicial review challenge to its proposed reorganisation of health services brought by the Defend Dorset NHS campaign group.

The dispute centred on plans to reduce Poole’s accident and emergency department and close its maternity ward, and to close community hospital beds at five locations.

CCG chief officer Tim Goodson said: ‘The court has confirmed that Dorset CCG has taken into consideration all the matters we were required to consider during the clinical services review and consultation processes.

“We hope that the High Court’s decision will reassure local people that the CCG has acted properly and in the interests of healthcare services in Dorset.”

Mr Goodson said the consultation had established a need to change local service delivery and the judicial review had “involved considerable cost to the publicly-funded NHS”.

He cited benefits from the reorganisation including a £147m investment in acute hospital services, more services being provided closer to people’s homes and ensuring that care level in stroke, cardiac and cancer services were the same across the county.

Defend Dorset NHS had crowdfunded the action, raising £10,505.

It said in a statement that it was “very shocked to hear....hat our case was not upheld at judicial review”. It will consider an appeal.

The group said the judgment did “nothing to address the clinical risk to Dorset residents of having to travel further in an emergency” and said its calculations showed 180 people a year now going to Poole A&E by ambulance “are at risk of dying as a result of these changes”, not including any risks to expectant mothers no longer able to use maternity services at Poole.

Mark Smulian