Conservative Party leader David Cameron visited a Shropshire hospital with a pledge that he is committed to creating a “strong and growing” NHS.

He was at Telford’s Princess Royal yesterday as part of a programme of fact-finding visits to hospitals and other NHS organisations which will help formulate party policies for the health service.

Mr Cameron told the Shropshire Star that the NHS was suffering from “top-down” targets which distorted clinical priorities, resources being taken from front-line services, and pointless reorganisation.

He said he was keen to build on the good things that had been achieved in the NHS and he supported the aim of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust to gain Foundation status.

It is the key priority of the trust this year and a successful bid will free it from central Government control, allowing it to decide how best to improve services. But it will also improve its finances and it will be able to retain any cash surpluses it makes.

Mr Cameron said under a Conservative Government there would be a “real focus” on directing money to front-line services as well as much more trust being placed in local managers.

He said he was impressed by the “turnaround” in the finances of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust and praised its dedicated staff.

Mr Cameron was greeted at the Princess Royal by trust chief executive Tom Taylor and chairman Dr Margaret Bamford and spoke to them in private before taking a tour of the renal and paediatric units.

Before visiting the Princess Royal, Mr Cameron stopped off at the Shropshire Star’s head office in Waterloo Road, Ketley, Telford, where he had a tour of the press room and watched the latest edition being printed.

By Dave Morris