COUNCILLORS have hit out at the lack of public transport in west Dorset as a potential stumbling block to a proposed shake-up of health services.

Members of Bridport Town Council’s environment and social wellbeing committee discussed Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) clinical services review ahead of submitting a formal response to the public consultation.

Councillors raised fears about public transport and estimated travel times to Bournemouth if some services are moved as proposed.

In order to travel to Bournemouth Hospital with blue lights, the CCG’s travel time analysis, which was carried out in March 2015, states that 68 per cent of the population can reach the service in 20 minutes, while 51 minutes is given as the maximum time for a blue lights vehicle to reach Bournemouth from anywhere in the county.

Cllr Dave Rickard said: “If we are going to lose ambulances being stationed locally, then that is a real issue. I think relying on public transport as part of your travel plan to hospital is highly dubious.

“We need to also make sure that we preserve the services at Bridport Hospital. It is easy to forget how much of a tourist hub Bridport is - it is becoming more of a 12 month thing. “There’s an awful lot of people in this area who need that sort of cover. What is at risk in Bridport is we don’t know what services are going to be located further away.”

During peak times, the CCG predicts that it will make no more than 60 minutes for any resident in Dorset to reach Bournemouth Hospital in a private car, while this is reduced to 56 minutes off-peak.

Cllr Kelvin Clayton said: “I am increasingly concerned about the travel times, particularly for emergency care if it is going to the east of the county.

“I am struggling to believe the timings if I am being honest. These times are home to hospital, it does not account for the time for the ambulance to get to your home in the first place.”

The CCG believes that 22 per cent of residents taking public transport at peak times would be able to reach Bournemouth within 30 minutes, it would take 47 per cent of people one hour and 75 per cent would take up to two hours.

Cllr Sarah Horniman said: “They are making huge assumptions about the number of buses that will be around.

“The NHS is meant to use evidence-based practice.”

Cllr Anne Rickard believed people cannot rely on public transport to attend appointments.

She said: “We don’t have a bus service, that’s the reality and it’s going to get worse and worse.”

The town council will discuss its response to the review in a working group.