CAMPAIGNERS have won concessions in their fight to save vital services from the axe at Bridport hospital.

It follows a 9,000-strong protest petition and a demonstration before a meeting of the Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee outside County Hall in Dorchester.

At the summit they heard that the NHS Dorset Primary Care Trust had ordered a review of services at individual community hospitals as well as consultation about proposals.

The trust has also decided to pay the Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for an extra three months of services at Bridport.

This means that the deadline for the proposed withdrawal of outpatients, some specialist nurse clinics, day surgery and radiography has been pushed back to July from March.

John Morton, who is director of commissioning and partnerships for the NHS Bournemouth and Poole and Dorset, stressed that no community hospitals would be closing as a result of the proposals.

Proposals for the commissioning of future services are due to be announced in January and members of the committee agreed to form a sub-committee to deal with the issue.

Coun Kayes welcomed the developments but insisted there must be meaningful consultation rather than just focus group exercises.

She said: “I am feeling more positive. We have got them worried and thinking about it more.

“I want to see what is in this review. There has to be consultation with ordinary people.”

Members of the Community Health Campaign group spoke at the meeting as well as people concerned about the future of services at community hospitals in Blandford, Shaftesbury and Sherborne.

Speakers from Bridport included Eileen Harding, Dominic Knorpel, Simon Williams, Barbara James, as well as Coun Kayes, district councillor David Tett and Bridport mayor David Rickard.

Concerns included transport to Weymouth and Dorchester hospitals as well as the viability of the Bridport hospital.

DCH NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Jean O’Callaghan and Mr Morton gave a presentation and answered questions. They stressed the financial pressures on the NHS, the changing emphasis on hospitals and the need for DCH to cuts its overheads at Bridport.

This included the cost of renting space, paying travel costs and lost travel time.

Members of the committee to speak included chairman Coun Ron Coatsworth of Bradpole, and Coun Gillian Summers, district councillor for Chideock and Symondsbury.

Coun Tett said after the meeting: “The wheels are moving, I hope they don’t come off.”

Demonstrators included Jim and Joan Wilkinson, of Bridport.

Mrs Wilkinson, 77, said: “It is important to keep the hospital open.”

Mr Wilkinson, 81, added: “Travel from Bridport to Dorchester is a concern. I can still drive at the moment but many people are getting to the age where they cannot.”

Supporters from Beaminster and neighbouring parishes got more than 500 names for the 9,000-strong petition in one morning.

Coun Rebecca Knox, county councillor for the Beaminster area, said: “We wanted to demonstrate that the hospital is well used and supported by this area.”

DCH provides an annual 16,997 new outpatients appointments and 50,482 follow up appointments across six community hospitals.

Three day surgery sessions are held per week between Blandford and Bridport.

MINOR INJURIES UNIT's HOURS TO STAY THE SAME

THE hours at Bridport’s minor injuries unit will stay the same as they were in the pilot.

The unit was previously open from 8am to 8pm but opened under reduced hours in the pilot.

Now the unit will open from 9am to 6pm from November to March and 9am to 8pm from April to October for the holiday season.

The hours will be officially adopted on December 1.

It comes after 4,800 people signed a petition objecting to any loss of service in Bridport.

CAMPAIGNERS BANNED FROM SURVEYING PATIENTS AT HOSPITAL

Campaigners are furious after being banned from carrying out a survey of patients at the hospital.

Now the Community Health Campaign (CHC) wants anyone who has used the hospital over the past year to fill in a form that can be picked up from, and returned to, the Bridport News office.

A spokesman from Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We do not think it is appropriate that patients, at a time when they are either unwell or vulnerable, should be surveyed. “We would encourage campaigners to find other ways to obtain patients’ opinions.”