A MOTHER of eight is backing a campaign for paediatric services at Dorset County Hospital to be safeguarded.

As revealed by the Bridport & Lyme Regis News last week, as part of the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Clinical Services Review, it is recommended that children who have serious illnesses or need long-term care would have to go to the east of the county.

There would also be just one special care baby unit - again, in either Poole or Bournemouth.

It is recommended that instead of being admitted to hospital ‘the care of children could be delivered in a different and more effective way.’

The Dorset CCG says no decision has yet been made of the future of paediatric services and the Kingfisher Ward in particular.

Miranda Jones has spoken out about her positive experience at the Kingfisher Ward at Dorset County Hospital and labelled any potential closure of the ward as ‘a backwards step’.

Mrs Jones took her youngest two children to Dorchester last week, and said she couldn’t imagine having to travel any further.

“The care and service in Dorchester was absolutely brilliant. They were back in touch with me and my husband several times during the week. The aftercare was fantastic and it would be such a huge blow if it does close.”

Having moved with her family to Combpyne near Lyme Regis from Yorkshire, Mrs Jones says that any threat of paediatric services closing would have impacted her decision on where to live.

“It must be impossible for people that don’t drive or have other children to look after at the same time.

“A trip to Dorchester is bad enough on its own, especially with kids. But you cannot be having to travel even further for medical care. It makes it impossible. One of my children has a chronic condition and if I didn’t have the security of a hospital on my doorstep, it would just feel wrong.

“If it does close, it would be a backwards step. It should be part of your quality of life.”

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

What Dorset CCG is proposing

HEALTH bosses say no decision has been made on the future of the Kingfisher Ward.

Detailed proposals are still being discussed for a Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) based at Dorset County Hospital (DCH).

This unit would assess and treat children referred by their GP or 111 for a specialist paediatric opinion.

Children would stay on the PAU for a period of time for observation and treatment and beds would be available for short-stays.

Some very sick children may be assessed as specifically needing more complex care requiring acute inpatient overnight stays. This would require them to be transferred to a children’s ward at the proposed Major Emergency Hospital in the east.

Alternatively, they may have to go to Southampton General Hospital (SGH) where intensive care and major surgery is available, as would be the case now. The provision of children’s services from DCH is still being discussed to ensure a proposal that will deliver high quality care.

Their vision is to provide healthcare for the majority of west Dorset’s children in west Dorset’s primary, community and acute hospital settings.

By improving care outside of hospitals, the expectation is in the future parents would be able to “access care more readily in the evenings and weekends, closer to home”.

For children requiring acute hospital services there would continue to be a wide range of services available at DCH, supported by services available at Poole Hospital, Royal Bournemouth Hospital and SGH.

The review is not suggesting changing the availability or delivery method of blood tests, physiotherapy, and emergency medicine for children. It would stay as it is at DCH.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News:

West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin adds support to campaign

WEST Dorset MP Oliver Letwin has welcomed our campaign to safeguard children's services at Dorset County Hospital.

He said: "I welcome this campaign - because it will help me to ensure that DCH remains a full service district hospital, including for children with severe and persistent conditions."

His view is that children must be able to get the help they need without having to travel vast distances’.

That’s the view of West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin, who has backed the campaign to safeguard children’s services at Dorset County Hospital.

Mr Letwin said the campaign will help him ensure that Dorset County Hospital remains a full service district hospital – including for children with severe and persistent conditions.

He said: “Of course I recognise that the CCG is trying to produce the best possible clinical results, and of course that is a hugely important ambition.

“But, in a highly rural area, we also need to take account of what life is like for families with children who have serious and persistent conditions.”

“They must be able to get the help they need without having to travel vast distances.

“I shall raise these issues in my discussions with the clinical commissioning group and the hospital’s senior management over the next few weeks.”