THE failure to understand the health needs of largely rural Dorset by the centres of NHS administration has a long history severely exacerbated by the rural trusts of Dorset joining the almost exclusively urban trusts of Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch.

Nowhere has this been greater than in the changing provision of mental health services.

The following anecdote says everything an impartial observer needs to know about the situation.

During the meetings to redesign the mental health services a workshop was set up to discuss the communication needs of service users.

When they reported back there was absolutely no mention of the difficulties of travel communications.

I challenged this attitude, and one of the members of the working party said transport is not a problem. It only takes half an hour to get from Christchurch to Poole. This mindset pervades all the thinking of managers, and those over them, throughout the health services.

This has been further exacerbated by the total failure of the county council to provide basic rural transport.

SIMON WILLIAMS
HUGS chairman (Hughes Unit Group Supporters)