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What did the PRH do for you?
Sunday 11th October 2009, 12:00PM BST.

Members of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust were today meeting to consider radical plans to shake up the county’s health services.
They were considering a report which recommends that all all acute services be on a single site from 2020, be it at the PRH, the RSH or a new site entirely.
Another recommendation is to transfer some accident and emergency, acute services, vascular surgery and in-patient paediatrics from the PRH to the RSH, or vice versa, by 2012/13.
Health bosses say moving these services to the RSH, and downgrading the PRH, is the best option.
- We want to know your views on the plans — and we want to know your experiences of the Princess Royal Hospital.
- Tell us what it did for you, and how you were treated, in the comment box below.
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The sheer dedication and commitment of all staff at the Princess Royal Hospital since it opened has been first class – many patients will support the excellent work. The proposed plans to downgrade PRH are a disaster and the public will not take such decisions without a fight – the hospital belongs to us! Please keep your HANDS OFF IT!
The decisions of the Shrewsbury & Telford NHS Trust over recent months have been a disaster. The CEO constantly comes on local radio assuring the public ALL IS WELL! Its time for every member of the Trust Board from the CEO downwards to consider their position and RESIGN IMMEDIATELY. This will allow good and effective management to be appointed as a matter of urgency in order to maintain an excellent hospital at PRH. They have lost their way so its time to go.
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I have never been treated at the PRH for anything major but several of my family have and I can only say that that the staff have always been excellent.
Last year we had to rush one of my sisters down on a sunday morning and she was rushed through A&E with Blood Pressure of 273 over 170. Not even the doctors could believe this and changed the machine several times. They told us that she could have had a stroke at any time within the next few hours. Would the extra distant to Shrewsbury have been the cause of the stroke or even her death. We will never no and thankfully we did not have to find out. Keep the PRH open at all costs.
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I have been treated for non hodgkins lymphoma at PRH in 2006, without a doubt the staff there saved my life by treating me promptly. The following year i suffered heart failiure due to damage caused by the chemo. Again, the staff who were under immense pressure due to a mass shortage of beds and staff looked after me and again saved my life. The biggest issue i had whislt in hospital were the faceless suits who run the trust. They have no idea what the staff go through just to help the suits recieve large saleries. I witnessed on more than one occasion nurses crying due to the pressure they were under working double shifts. I m not going to say all of the board should go but the ones that support the changes need to go now as they only have their interests at heart, not the staff or more importantly the people that the hospital was built for.
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They treated me for over 30 asthma attacks two of which I had to be revvied and I am only 18. I’ve been told if I had to travvel to Shrewsbury there is an 80% chance I will not survive the trip.
my mother had Ovarion Cancer and they treated her for 2 years.
And they treated my Grandfather through 3 heart attacks, two mini strokes and one big stroke.
To remove any part of this hospital is absolutely ridiculios. They would be ruining lives.
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18 years ago my daughter was admitted to PRH, 2 weeks before her 1st bithday , within an hour she was diagnosed with menoncocal menigitis ,she was treated there and there quick diagnosis saved her life, the care we recieved there was outstanding , i am totally against this move
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15 years ago I was admitted to the PRH after a serious road accident in Telford. My injuries included multiple skull fractures and bleeding within the skull. As it was my relatives were told that I had a 40% chance of living through the night – I’ve often wondered what might have happened if I’d had to be taken to Shrewsbury – the accident occurred during the early evening of Spring Bank Holiday Monday…….
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for me it made my wife redundant due to “job evaluation” and down grading of peoples roles after the merger with Shrewsbury, as such we had to sell our house, leave shropshire and move back in with the parents
thanks a lot PRH
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I have to say I am really happy with the treatment I recieved at the PRH. I was staying with friends in Telford one Sunday and was unable to move with pain in my hip. Having a heart complaint which, while nothing to do with my hip problem meant they sent the responder car out to me and it was with me in less than 5 minutes and the ambulance was only a few minutes behind even though it had to come from Bridgnorth.
After a few tests the doctor suggested I may have had a very rare infection in the hip and was admitted straight away.
On the Monday after some more tests it was confirmed that the doctors first thoughts were correct I was rushed to the oprating theatre and delt with very quickly and the after care was fantastic. The pain traveling the 3 miles to the PRH was agony and a longer trip to Shrewsbury would have been unbearable.
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The PRH is an amazing hospital. My daughter broke her ankle on her 7th birthday and all the staff were fantastic at making the A&E experience as friendly and celebratory as possible in the circumstances! When she had to have surgery 4 months later the surgeon rang us from his home at 10pm the night before to tell us about the free slot. That’s dedication!
Later the same year my husband was rushed to the PRH with pneumonia and had to stay in for a week. Everyone was efficient and friendly.
It will be a short sighted, ridiculous cost-cutting measure to reduce services and I hope that those who decide to cut services never need help whilst in the Telford area!
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aged 13 in 1964 & living in High St.,Wellington I was rushed to the old R.S.I. with acute appendics requiring surgery soon after arrival. I have never forgotten that journey after all these past years. No R.S.I now, a longer journey to the Shrewsbury Hospital surely the past winter patient numbers when both hospitals were stretched past their limits must be taken into account & commonsense must prevail.
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In 2002 my dad, a police sergeant, suffered a massive heart attack resulting from an existing heart condition whilst on duty. He was in the ITU and HDU wards for about 4 months before he was moved to Birmingham for open heart surgery & was then moved back to ward 7 at the PRH for a further 6 months.
First of all, the staff in the ITU/HDU units were amazing. They were brilliant on the basic level of caring for my dad’s medical needs, but it went much further than that – they were always there for us and generally helped our family get through a horrific time. Spending long periods of time in hospital is so stressful and wearing for both the patient and his/her family, but following his operation the staff who cared for my dad, again were fabulous.
I agree with people who are saying that both hospitals need protecting, however having had an awful experience at the RSH, it can’t be denied that Shrewsbury would need a lot of money pumped into it to bring it up to the standards of the Princess Royal. So is it worth it?
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I WAS in hospital waiting a Hip operation when an ulcer[unknown to me burst ]my life was saved.6 months later 1 hip renewed ,the care both times was fantastic.I really cannot belioeve that the reorge is even being considered with such large populations involved.Is this the uk are father fought and died for to give us a country fit to live in.Tales when i was in over the amount of money received by agency staff of corse upset the staff.As were in an economic recession and crying out for staff the answer seems fairly simple.Offer the pen pushers agency staff a reduced wage.like it or lump it[times have changed].The majority won,t turn it down,theyv,e had the good times and need to pay their way.Then take on the new nurses who have been unable to find employment.Yes for a while they won,t have the experience but in the longer term we,ll all benefit
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The missing LINK (Local Involvment Network)
What has LINKs done since it replaced PP1 (Patient and Public Involvement In Health). Nothing-thats my personal opinion. LINKs replaced PPI as a new Government Project to get local people involved in Health and other Social Service Provisions. Where are they when we need them to stand up and represent our views on these proposed cuts to health services in the community? The PPI volunteers would be in their fighting for our rights, not attending meetings and nodding like dogs in the back of cars, going away and forgetting what they have heard. Come on LINKs grab the bull by the horns and get in there.
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my son was critically injured in an rta on sunday 15 april 2007, he was not breathing when paramedics got to him due to their care and quick transfere to prh he survived internal decapitation. i know my son whos now 33 years old would NOT have survived if he had to be taken to shrewsbury. i will be forever eternally gratefull to prh. this sevice is vital for everyone who lives in telford, i live in lawley where we are undergoing major redevelopment 3,500 new houses. plus all other developments in telford totales thousands more people. I say we need our hospital extending not reducing please think again, i lived in telford before the prh was built and had to rush both my children up to shrewsbury on seperate occations, not life threatening but a nightmare. when you are worried sick i cant begin to think what that journey would be like. for everyone in telford and surroungig areas please dont cut prh services
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They saved my mum’s life.
I’m not sure she’d have made it had she gone to the RSH.
Having grown up in Telford before PRH I can remember the arguments for needing a hospital in Telford.
It’s a step backwards.
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Had partial unsuccessfull partial knee replacement 3 years ago – care was very poor would never ever want to be admitted this hospital again.
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Six years ago I had a horse riding accident which left me with two broken vertebrae, broken clavicle and ribs. As it was just dropping dark I was taken to the PRH by ambulance. If I had gone to Shrewsbury who knows what the out come would have been. The prompt response of the first responder, the ambulane crew and the staff in A & E at the hospital most certainly saved my life. Leave our hospital alone. I like many others can remember the long trips to Copthorne with sick or injured childern and the long waits that we had to endure there. The two hospitals can only just cope now so it does not make sense that one should close, especially as Telfords population just keeps getting bigger!!
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i had my second baby boy at the prh and the overnight stay was lovely, but anyway they need to keep it open if in an emergency someone needs taking to hospital shrewsbury is a twenty minute journey and anything can happen in that length of time, not to mention all the job cuts its not fair and it shouldnt happen many people do not own a car and rely on other people for transport KEEP PRH OPEN!!!!!!!!!
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Earlier this year i was admitted to PRH and was there for a week. The care i received was second to none and all the staff were excellent, making me feel at ease and comfortable as being admitted caan be a scary experience,Why on earth should they be treated as second to RSH, they deserve better than this, and so do the people of Telford.
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Myself and my family have used the PRH for various reasons. I had a knee op earlier this year and the staff on the day ward were lovely, the care I received was first class. My son and daughter have been under the care of the PRH for eyesight problems. I couldn’t even begin to imagine dragging a 2 year old all the the Shrewsbury for a 20 min appointment every 2 or 2 months. The PRH must be kept open, Telford is an ever expanding town.
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I cannot comment on the PRH living in Shrewsbury, however one only has to look at the car parks especially those for staff to see that it would be impossible to merge any form of care to one hospital. Car parks were full when I walked there early this morning to the extent cars were parked on grass verges.
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I had to visit the Shrop Doc on New Years day and I was sent straight to the ward. I was in great pain and unable to eat and drink. My white blood cell count was also very high. In the end I had my gall bladder removed, but was in hospital for eight days. All the staff were fantastic. The nurses did not get a minute, one sister had to do a double shift which meant working through the night as well as her own shift she had done in the afternoon. I was looked after and reassured at all times.
On other occasions we have visited the hospital for other family members and at all times we have been looked after. We need the PRH and it should stay.
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12 months ago I had a heart attack, I could not have had better treatment at the princess royal I was in for one week and the care was excellent we must keep it we must fight for it.
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Only been there three times, first was when my partner went into labour and we were sent to Shrewsbury for the birth. Second we were there because my son had a bad foot and was shouted at for tapping on a radiator and the third was a few weeks ago for knee x-rays and they missed my knee and had to do them again..
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‘What did the PRH do for you?’…..gave me MRSA…….
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mrsa – CLOSE IT DOWN
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