The transfer of some hospital services from Telford to Shrewsbury should begin “as soon as possible”, according to a top level report today.

Health bosses are being asked to approve the “immediate” plan to consolidate emergency and major vascular surgery onto the Royal Shrewsbury site while retaining emergency general surgery on both the Shrewsbury and Princess Royal sites for three years.

But Andrew Eade, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, which is at the forefront of a campaign to prevent the downgrading of the Princess Royal, declared: “The fight must go on”.

The Shropshire NHS is looking at how it can sustain hospital services in the short to medium term, with the ultimate goal of consolidating all services on one site by 2020, possibly in a brand new hospital.

Four more consultants are being appointed to work acr-oss both A&E departments but still on the table is a plan to downgrade the Telford unit in three years time and transfer inpatient children’s services to Shrewsbury.

It is proposed there should be no public consultation on the future of A&E and children’s services until the middle of next year.

The report being presented to Shropshire’s health trusts next week also recommends that they agree to consult no later than the first half of 2012 on an option for moving all services onto a single site.

The series of proposals contained in the report from the chief executives of the trusts are similar to those revealed last month.

Since then, outside experts have examined plans. Councillor Eade said: “If we let them, they will slowly whittle away at PRH’s services, one by one, and grind down the fierce public opposition to any cuts in services at PRH.”