Telford & Wrekin Council today hit out at hospital services in the borough and demanded urgent action to reverse the slide in standards it fears.

Leader Councillor Andrew Eade voiced serious concerns over standards at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) and said he was speaking not only on behalf of the authority, but also the people it served.

In a separate development, other authorities across the borough represented by the Wrekin Association of Parish and Town Councils (WAPTC) have also called for action.

Councillor Eade has now written to Margaret Bamford, Royal Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospitals Trust chairman, and Tom Taylor, trust chief executive, highlighting a string of recent tragedies and crises at the PRH.

Concerns include excessive waiting times in accident and emergency, patients spending time on trolleys and in corridors and the case of one stroke victim who waited two hours to see a doctor, initially on a trolley, and later died after allegedly receiving sub-standard care.

Councillor Eade said: “The community and many hospital staff are telling this council about a number of serious concerns they have about the direction for this crucial service now and in the future. This is no criticism of hospital staff who work extremely hard for local people under difficult circumstances.”

Andy Rogers, trust spokesman, said: “Our priority is to provide the best possible care we can with the resources available to us.

“When we receive the letter from Councillor Eade we will be able to respond in full to outline the work that is under way between the Trust, Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust and the local authority itself.”