Concerns have been raised that NHS services in south Dorset will not benefit from a funding award of £147 million for the county.

Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) confirmed that the money has been awarded solely to expand services in Bournemouth and Poole.

Dorset County Hospital - as well as Portland and Wareham hospitals, which have recently closed beds - will not receive any of the funding. It is being used to create "major emergency and planned care sites" in the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation following a national bidding process, the CCG said.

In 2017 the CCG announced the need for Dorset County Hospital to expand its own planned and emergency services to meet demand, however the source of funding for this is yet to be confirmed.

Concerns have been raised by Cllr Nick Ireland, who represents Crossways ward. Cllr Ireland contacted the Echo to say he welcomes the cash injection for Dorset - but expressed dismay that the money has been ringfenced.

"I note with concern that the investment into our local NHS is actually all being spent in the far east of the county - not at all local to the several hundred thousand residents of the rest of Dorset", he said.

"Dorset County Hospital (DCH) struggles with A&E demand in an undersized facility. DCH has recently announced major expansion plans, including a much larger A&E, yet at its open day to publicise this it was clear that only the new multi-storey car park is currently funded."

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said plans to extend its clinical facilities are still in the early stages of development.

"We will be refining costs and our funding approach as we develop the business case further,” they added.

Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about ambulance travel times when Royal Bournemouth Hospital becomes the major emergency hospital for east Dorset in 2023/24 when Poole Hospital A&E and Maternity units close.

"Nearly all residents in Purbeck will face longer blue-light travel times to the A&E at Royal Bournemouth, just a few miles from the Hampshire border", cllr Ireland said.

Tim Goodson, chief officer NHS Dorset CCG, said the CCG's Clinical Services Review set out plans for Dorset County Hospital to expand its Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit. However the CCG declined to comment on how the expansion would be funded.

"The £147 million was awarded specifically to the scheme at Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital to create major emergency and planned care sites, this followed a national bidding process", he confirmed.

"The £147 million is therefore explicitly for this scheme that formed the bid.

"As both Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital already fulfil a number of more specialist services, the benefit will extend far beyond just the conurbation as residents already use these services from across Dorset and west Hampshire.

"Under these plans Poole Hospital will remain a thriving acute hospital complete with a 24/7 urgent care centre that will continue to treat thousands of patients who currently attend the A&E.

"The Clinical Services Review clearly set out that Dorset County Hospital will continue to be an emergency and planned hospital for its communities and the CCG is committed to working with DCH to ensure that it has the right level of investment now and in the future to continue to provide high quality services.

"DCH has plans to expand its Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit as well as establish an Integrated Care Hub as part of a long-term project to deliver the recommendations of Dorset’s Clinical Services Review.”