The decision to commission beds at a Weymouth hotel for NHS patients when community hospital beds remain empty has been criticised as ‘making no sense.”

Dorset Council has been criticised for not answering questions about the policy – with the council leader, Spencer Flower, saying that the issue is ‘beyond the scope' of the authority, although it is sharing the cost.

He also admitted that some of the questions for the Cabinet meeting had inadvertently gone into a council quarantine email inbox and were not seen in time, although he promised an answer later.

Swanage town councillor Debby Monkhouse, co-ordinator of the Defend Dorset NHS residents group, says she is upset that a question to Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, signed by 28 councillors and hospital governors, was not read out.

The question asked why hotel beds were commissioned when community hospital beds lay empty - 74 local community hospital beds having been closed in the last 20 months, claims the group.

“This was not addressed despite Dorset Council's acknowledged ongoing statutory duty to scrutinise health services on behalf of residents, and the fact that the money used was joint emergency COVID funding operated by Dorset Council and Dorset Healthcare,” she said.

The group also says that three questions on the same subject, from Dorset Cllr Paul Kimber, Bridport Town Councillor and DCH Governor Sarah Carney, and Portland Town Councillor Giovanna Lewis, that were submitted on the same issue, were also not addressed.

But the one question which was answered about the beds – from Lib Dem’ opposition leader on the council, Cllr Nick Ireland, revealed that £590,000 has been spent over 12 weeks commissioning hotel beds in the county- just over £49,000 a week

Although requested, no statistics were provided about how many of these beds have been taken up. The campaign group says that it understands the numbers have been ‘very low.’

Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting heard that the normal formal tendering process was not used to award the hotels contract because of the time it would have taken.

The accommodation, at the Rembrandt Hotel in Weymouth and at another in Sherborne, were commissioned to take acute hospital patients who need rehabilitation and supervised recovery, including those who will return home when reliable homecare is in place.

Campaigners say local community hospitals should have been used instead: “Community hospitals are purpose-built for health care. They have easy clean floors and working surfaces, special kitchens and toilets, and sluices for safe disposal of waste. They are equipped with special beds and facilities for health professionals who prepare patients for their return home. Hotels, built for a different purpose, cannot play the same role - especially during a health crisis. Why have they suddenly appeared as part of local health strategy?”

Adult social care cabinet briefholder Cllr Laura Miller did not give figures to the meeting but said that having the facilities in place had given confidence to those dealing with the crisis. She said that although the use had not been at capacity that was a good thing – and might yet change.

"The aim was to increase capacity for those leaving hospital who were unable to return home immediately and provide an alternative additional care provision. The fact that this capacity has not been needed at scale to date is a very positive outcome in this unpredictable pandemic," she said.