Covid patients from Dorset and Yeovil have been transferred to the Exeter Nightingale unit for treatment.

The transfers are believed to have been made last week and earlier this week although Dorset councillors were unable to get further information from Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group urgent and emergency programme director, Sue Sutton.

All she would tell the county's people and health scrutiny committee on Thursday was that mutual aid arrangement across the region had been activated and that at least one Dorset patient had been moved to Exeter.

When pressed for the second time she said that during last week and into the start of this week there had been "particular pressures" on the workforce but that had now eased.

She had earlier told the meeting that a health and care tactical group which had been meeting three times a week was now meeting daily to cope with the influx of patients.

Owermoigne councillor Nick Ireland said he had been told that Yeovil Hospital had moved five patients to Exeter on Wednesday.

He asked if Dorset County Hospital had transferred anyone, but was only told: "We have sought mutual aid across the region. The South West has mutual aid arrangements for critical surge and we are part of that mutual aid arrangement. We did see particular pressures last week, coming into this week, around the workforce, but those pressures have now receded."

Cllr Bill Pipe asked the more direct question "Having heard the last question and the answer would Sue like to answer that question. Have we sent anybody down to the Nightingale in Exeter yet?"

The reply was simply: "Yes councillor Pipe we have."

Committee chairman Cllr Gill Taylor asked the officer to take the committee's thanks back to the Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS staff.

"We all hear the figures on the news…and what people are facing on the front line is really difficult and will have all sorts of ramifications long-term, so I think we would all want to say a thank you."