'Oswestry needs an urgent care centre' says MP

North Shropshire MP, Owen Paterson, who found himself in Shrewsbury’s accident and emergency department at the weekend with severe back injuries, says talk of having urgent care centres across the county has dropped out of the Future Fit consultation.

Chairing a health meeting in Oswestry, hours before breaking his back when the horse he was riding fell, he said the town needed more health care facilities so that people did not have to attend the larger towns of Shrewsbury or Wrexham.

Initial suggestions from Future Fit, which is looking at the provision of hospital services in Shropshire, said one emergency centre would be supported by five urgent care centres, one probably in Oswestry.

But in 2016 David Evans, at the helm of the review, said that instead of a new building there would be bolt on extras to existing services, including care at home.

During the monthly, Oswestry for Health meeting, Mr Paterson said: “I don’t care what it is called, we need better health services in Oswestry and we need Future Fit to move forward.”

Speaking this week from his hospital bed in the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries at the Orthopaedic Hospital, Mr Paterson said he had now seen at first hand the high numbers using the A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

“I am sure that many, many of the people that were in A&E when I was there could have been treated in urgent care centres nearer their homes,” he said.

A delayed consultation on Future Fit is due to start once it is established if funding is available.

Niki McGrath from Future Fit said: “During the consultation, we will be asking for people’s views on two options; the CCG’s preferred option that the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becomes an Emergency Care site and the Princess Royal Hospital becomes a Planned Care site and option two that the Princess Royal Hospital becomes the Emergency Care site.”

Under either option, both hospitals would have an Urgent Care Centre.