Somerset health bosses have offered to meet with the county’s newly-elected MPs to discuss the planned changes to how stroke patients are treated.

The NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) voted in late-January to approve plans to remove Yeovil Hospital’s hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU), meaning the most urgent stroke patients will be transported to either Dorchester or Taunton for treatment.

The decision has proved immensely unpopular with local residents, with newly-elected Yeovil MP Adam Dance indicated in April (while still a candidate) that he would ask for the decision to be called in and reviewed by the health secretary.

The ICB has now stated that it had offered a meeting with all the newly elected Somerset MPs to give them an up-to-date picture of the proposals and the impact the changes would have.

Stroke services are categorised by the NHS into two camps – hyper-acute (where emergency treatment is required within the first 72 hours) and acute (where the stroke is less life-threatening).

Under the agreed reforms, Yeovil will retain its acute stroke provision but all hyper-acute stroke patients will be transported to either Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton or Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, whichever is closer.

Implementing the changes is expected to cost around £4m out of the county’s health revenue budget (i.e. day-to-day spending) – including £1.9m for additional staffing at pay at Musgrove Park Hospital and £1.8m for similar costs at Dorset County Hospital.

Around £1.8m of capital funding will be provided to ensure Dorset County Hospital has sufficient capacity for the additional patients.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service pressed health bosses for an update when the ICB met at South Petherton Community Hospital on Thursday morning (July 25).

The board was asked whether it had met with Mr Dance since his election victory on July 4, whether new health secretary Wes Streeting MP had requested any information on the proposals, and whether there would be an internal review of the business case over the summer.

Jonathan Higman, the ICB’s chief executive, responded: “We haven’t had any further discussions with Adam Dance since he was elected as MP for Yeovil, regarding the business case or the decision.

“We have received a request from the Department for Health and Social Care to update ministers on the implementation of the Somerset stroke reconfiguration programme before ministers break for the summer recess, and we’ve submitted the information they have requested.”

While Yeovil Hospital falls within Mr Dance’s constituency, the hospital is regularly used by patients within several of the neighbouring constituencies – particularly Glastonbury and Somerton (represented by Sarah Dyke MP) and Frome and East Somerset (represented by Anna Sabine MP).

While Musgrove Park Hospital lies within the Taunton and Wellington constituency (now represented by Gideon Amos MP), it is used by numerous patients within the western part of the Yeovil constituency, along with the neighbouring seats of Bridgwater (represented by Ashley Fox MP), Tiverton and Minehead (represented by Rachel Gilmour MP) and Wells and Mendip Hills (represented by Tessa Munt MP).

Mr Higman added: “We have been in touch with all of the new local MPs in the area and offered them an initial meeting and a conversation about ongoing engagement.

“That’s what we offered to previous MPs in Somerset and we’re keen to develop that relationship.”

Other improvements being made to Musgrove Park Hospital, including a new materity unit, are currently under review after chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves MP announced on Monday (July 29) that she would be reviewing the new hospitals programme, which was launched in October 2020.