DORSET County Council has accused the government of ‘moving the goalposts’ after a move to cut funding by over £14million if emergency hospital admissions are not reduced.

Local authorities in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole were set to get a funding boost worth at least £54million as part of the Better Together Fund, which aims to encourage local government and the NHS to work closer together in health and social care.

But a report presented to the county council’s cabinet said this funding will be slashed by 30 per cent – £14.3million – if emergency admissions are not reduced by 3.5 per cent in 2015/16.

The target applies to all hospitals across the area, including Dorset County Hospital, a county council spokesperson said.

Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Jill Haynes, said: “This is a particularly tight time frame for these changes. It now makes balancing our books extremely difficult for the next year if this amount of money is removed at short notice.”

The report states: “For Dorset, 30 per cent of the Better Care Fund is at risk if the reduction in emergency admissions is not achieved. This equates to £14.3million.”

Catherine Driscoll, director for adult and community services, said: “The goalposts have changed quite significantly since the original plan was submitted. The percentage of admissions has increased in the past year locally, so there is significant concern. The challenge for us is not to let national shifts damage local authorities.”

Corporate resources director and deputy chief executive of the council Paul Kent said the cut would have implications for the council’s budget, adding: “It is complex but it will potentially put that in jeopardy so we do need to monitor this situation very carefully.”

Councillors noted the report, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

l Cllr Haynes said: “The county council acknowledges that the plans carry a high level of risk due to the size of the budgets and challenging targets, but we are determined to work with local authorities and health bodies to improve services for Dorset’s residents and achieve value for the public purse.”