HEALTH chiefs have backed plans to withdraw services from three community hospitals in Dorset.

The Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body supported proposals for a shake-up of community hospitals that will see the number of sites with beds reduced from 13 to seven.

Under the proposals, which will now be subject to a national assurance process before going out to public consultation in the autumn, services will be withdrawn from St Leonards Hospital, Westhaven Hospital in Weymouth and Alderney Hospital in Poole - although no decision has yet been made on mental health services at the Poole site.

Community hubs with beds will be located at Weymouth Community Hospital, Bridport, Wimborne, Blandford, Sherborne, Swanage and the major planned hospital proposed for Poole or Bournemouth.

Community hubs without beds will be at Shaftesbury, Christchurch, Portland and Wareham with some community services provided at Dorset County Hospital.

At the governing body meeting the CCG's assistant clinical chair Dr Karen Kirkham said the proposals had been drawn up following extensive public and stakeholder engagement.

She said that access to sites, travel times, affordability and workforce requirements had all been considered in coming up with the proposed model.

Dr Kirkham stressed that there would actually be an increase in 69 beds across the county and that the proposals were all about providing a wider range of integrated care in the community rather than in major acute hospitals.

She said: "There was very strong support for care closer to home."

Dr Kirkham said that, while CCG would withdraw NHS services from three of the community hospitals under the proposals, they "may be used for other services in the future".

Director of engagement and development Charles Summers said that, while there was an acknowledgement that some staff might be asked to work differently under the new proposals, there would be new roles created and some "exciting opportunities".

Chairman of Dorset Healthcare Ann Abraham voiced her support for the proposals, stating: "Dorset Healthcare is supportive of the overall ambition that we have head in the CCG's proposals."

However, she did say that she was "disappointed" to learn that the review of mental health services currently being carried out would not definitely be included in the same consultation process as the plans for the Clinical Services Review looking at acute hospital and community services and not be considered until a later date.

The news comes as the Friends of St Leonards launches a call to arms to stop the hospital from closing.

The group has posters and petitions and will be canvassing the local area as part of their battle to make sure the hospital stays open.

Friends chairman Jacqueline Moss has also been invited to a private meeting with members of Dorset CCG to discuss plans for the hospital early next week.