The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford is set to lose its acute clinical services, most of its accident and emergency department and be downgraded as part of a dramatic countywide health shake-up, the borough’s council leader warned today.

Councillor Andrew Eade claimed services were going to be moved to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the PRH downgraded without any public consultation.

Councillor Eade has condemned such a proposal in a strongly-worded letter sent today to Tom Taylor, chief executive of the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury NHS Hospitals Trust, and Simon Connolly, chief executive of the Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trust.

• See Councillor Eade’s letter to health bosses here

• Give us your views on the future of the Princess Royal Hospital here.

They have denied that any decision had been made and insisted the public would be consulted when one was.

But Councillor Eade is so concerned about such a move that he has handed the letter to the Shropshire Star.

He says in the letter: “I have been made aware of arrangements that are being made for the transfer of acute surgery, trauma services and associated specialties from Princess Royal Hospital to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. This is a matter of major concern for the council and residents in Telford & Wrekin.

“Such change should be subject to statutory consultation but it appears that you are not intending to meet that requirement on the basis of the change being needed to maintain clinical safety. This situation is unacceptable as the result will be to deprive local people of access to essential acute health care services.”

He says the findings of a review of acute health care are to be reported to the PCT board a week today.

But Shropshire County PCT, NHS Telford and Wrekin and The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said today: “We have reviewed all of the options for 2012/13 and 2020 and carried out non-financial and financial appraisals and the results of this will be considered at board meetings in September. No decisions have been taken and any proposals would of course have to be made subject to public consultation.

“The key concern is to ensure clinically safe services are provided across the county.”

Dr Paul Spencer, from Dawley Medical Practice, Telford, said: “I have been a GP in this area for 26 years and I have worked at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. I well remember the tremendous battle that the people of Telford had to go through in order to get their Princess Royal Hospital.

“Since we have got it in Telford we have continued to battle to keep the services that we worked so hard to get. I would be very sad to see it go, particularly for the patients. It’s where the patients are and, clearly this is where the hospital should be.”