FEARS have been raised that potential changes to paediatric care at Dorset County Hospital could leave people in west Dorset unable to attend appointments.

Concerns have been highlighted about those relying on public transport being unable to reasonably reach hospitals if services are shifted to Poole, Bournemouth or Exeter.

It has been suggested that there could be no bus services from Bridport on Sundays later this year at all – making it extremely difficult for those relying on public transport to attend appointments.

Bob Driscoll, committee member of the West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG), said that withdrawing funding from bus operators could impact on where people can travel to for medical appointments.

“You can certainly understand why people would be concerned about getting to appointments” he said.

“Anything is feasible in terms of getting to an appointment, but you have to be practical and realistic. If you take Lyme Regis for example, there’s a two-hourly bus service to Exeter during the day, but it is will take an awful amount of time for a round trip, and the feasibility would also depend on how sick a patient is who is having to use the bus and whether that is a practical possibility.

“There is talk that this coming winter, there’s an element of doubt that Bridport will have any bus services at all on Sundays. We believe it’s down to how many people are actually using them and if they are not making money, they may not continue. So withdrawing funding for buses would have a huge impact on where people can go in west Dorset and beyond.”

A Lyme Regis partnership group has urged healthcare leaders in both Dorset and Devon to work together across the county border.

Lyme Forward, a local area strategic partnership, has called on officials in both counties to co-operate in order to give the town a fair deal.

A spokesperson for Lyme Forward, said: “We will be considering all the proposed changes as a package once the formal consultation begins later in the year.

“But, as the most westerly town in Dorset, we know that patients in Lyme Regis already experience problems accessing existing services due to poor transport links. We would be concerned about the location of any health services which further disadvantaged residents.

“We would want assurance that Devon and Dorset commissioners are co-operating across county borders, so not leaving the town with services only in the far east of Dorset, far west of Devon and far north of Somerset."