Poole Labour has called for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH) to urgently revise its plans to avoid gridlock across the conurbation when the council considers the planning application on Thursday.
Campaigners argue that if the plans are not revised it will result in extra journeys across the conurbation, at a time when Bournemouth is already rated the 3rd worst place in UK for gridlock. This is likely to lead to maternity emergencies being at greater risk from delays.
Labour has calculated that the average stay for an emergency admission patient in Poole is 4 days, meaning one visitor a day would create an additional 8 journeys across the conurbation, creating a total approximate 450,000 extra journeys across the conurbation just for emergency admission patients from Poole. In addition to this, there will be 72,000 planned operation patients from the East crossing the conurbation to Poole, creating an extra approximate 320,000 journeys and half a million outpatients creating 800,000 extra journeys leading to a total anticipated journeys of 1.5 million.
Emma Lang, Chair of Poole Labour said: “Covid-19 has changed the way we live our lives, but the one thing we all recognise is the need for a first class health service. However, under the current hospital plans, 38,500 emergency admissions that are currently seen at Poole, from the West, will have to continue their journey across the conurbation to Bournemouth. These emergency admission patients aren’t going to be able to use public transport nor drive themselves, therefore meaning drivers will have to travel across the conurbation twice to drop them off and twice to pick them up when they come home, creating an additional 4 journeys per emergency admission patient. We are therefore urging the council to carry out further investigation before approving the planning application.”
