Well that’s bloody rich!

Wales has its own elected assembly – England is governed solely by the UK Parliament.

The Welsh do not pay prescription charges – The English have to pay £7.20 for each item.

The Welsh are able to have minor conditions operated on in English hospitals – for the English, such conditions are not deemed serious enough to warrant an operation.

And now the Welsh demand where hospital services should be located in England for their needs, over and above the needs of the English.

Sorry, you lovely Welsh people – you wanted and demanded your assembly. You got it. Moan to them about the lack of a hospital in Powys. How dare you involve yourselves in our affairs!

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Surely the point here is that health services have been so appallingly mismanaged over many years that the only way to provide adequate services for one area is for another to suffer.

It may or may not be relevant – but exactly HOW are the members of the various NHS Trusts appointed, and HOW MUCH are they paid?

Certainly the “lay members” of the Telford & Wrekin PCT haven’t exactly been vocal in their opposition to loss of services in Telford – but perhaps rocking the boat could cost them lucrative seats on the board…..?

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Well, let’s hope that whatever changes are made they are made with sound common sense and clinical priorities in mind, rather than with the moronic comments of Mr ‘Pasteur’ and Mr ‘Peasbody’ eh?

Ambulance staff in Powys have anough problems to contend with which aren’t of their making, thanks to remote senior managers who have no real idea of the area (as they don’t work in it). I’m sure they will take any changes hospital destinations in their stride. It’s not as if they’re not *already* having to take people to Telford when bed shortages strike – as someone else says, there are wider problems within the NHS nationally (England AND Wales) which people should be concentrating on, not stupid and childish territorialism. Grow up.

Incidentally, when it comes to serious road accidents in Powys (of which there are many, often involving motorcyclists) you would be amazed how many casualties actually come from the ENGLISH side of the border – ie Shropshire and the West Midlands. Funny that, eh?!

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The argument should be irrelevant, towns the size of Shrewsbury and Telford and the surrounding areas, both need an A&E department or people will die, both Hospitals are under size and in need of investment not cuts.

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The point that Helen makes about long journey times to hospital is of course a crucial one for anyone who ever has the misfortune or suffering a life threatening accident or illness in Powys. Obviously, that’s of no concern to the ‘I’m alright Jack’ people like the first two posters, who clearly think it’ll “never happen to them…”

What is important in this particular issue is that there are a lot of people around who have suffered serious illness or injury in Powys and who – if they haven’t died as a result – owe much to the skill of ambulance staff who have to treat and stabilise them on route to hospital. Often for trips of 30 miles or more. And likewise they owe much to the skills of A+E staff in places just like the RSH.

So let’s hope it never happens to either of you two….!

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Basically, “Simon M” and Helen would like to see Telford and its population of almost 200,000 people without an A&E department so that a couple of people in Wales don’t have as far to travel. Interesting comments from you both now the shoe appears to be on the other foot with regards to A&E provision in Shropshire.

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The above should have read: “….Try to be a little LESS self-centred.”

I’d hate Mr Peasbody to get the impression he should be even more self-centred than he already is :-)

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Nah, people like Mr Peasbody aren’t worth a fight;-)

I’m just trying to get him to see that there are numerous aspects to the RSH/PRH A+E debate. To a large extent, the proposed changes are being forced onto the Trust – I imagine that no matter WHAT government gets in next time round, money is going to get very tight and more reorganisation and rationalisation is going to be needed in various parts of the NHS. I don’t imagine for one minute that in an ideal world the hospital Trust Board would want to consider such changes but I am also hopeful that a consideration of all the facts and issues will be made and that above all, clinical priorities and considerations will be at the top of the list.

Stupid territorialism and naive and childish comments do not help anybody.

As I’m sure you’d agree, ‘Mr Hill’…!

;-)

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Mr Peasbody: read your opening comments again. THEY are the offensive comments.

Next.

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Harold you really asked for the criticism that came your way! I am all for Telford keeping its services but do care that our Welsh neighbours are looked after too.

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Harry Hill is right though – this forum and it’s differing opinions isn’t going to make any impact on what is finally decided.

We can only hope that a degree of common sense prevails. There are reportedly several senior medical and clinical staff who are supporting change, so it is not just a reorganisation driven by admin and finance people. I do not really think the views of ordinary people will play any part in whatsoever the final reconfiguration will be, although the views of various authorities in Wales will have to be considered. (The Welsh Ambulance Service management itself will probably have little say in the matter; they’ve probably had their atlases out in North Wales and Swansea HQs trying to remember where Powys is, and how it relates to Telford and Shrewsbury…)

I am also sure there will be an equal number of medical and clinical staff within the hospital Trust who do not support the reconfiguration, but who cannot openly criticise it.

Apologies to Mr Peasbody is he feels personally offended or that he has been treated with a lack of respect but you can’t make outrageous statements like you did in your first post, and THEN splutter that someone is picking on you. If you make ill-considered remarks like that, then expect someone to hit back and don’t start whining about it.

Now can we please move on….

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Being shrewsbury born and bred I have used RSH for years and continue to now I live in Powys. We have no DGH within the whole of Powys which stretches from south of Oswestry all the way down to Swansea.
As for Shropshire paying for Welsh patients, this simply is not true – Powys Health Board has contracts worth millions with SATH NHS trust.
Working for Powys Health Board I know too well just much we relay on services in England – we don’t even have minor Injuries after 6.30 week nights and at the weekend and I live in the largest town in North Powys!!. in an ideal world we would love our own DGH as well as our community hospitals but this is not likely to happen as we already have been told of the budget reductions in Powys for next year and some services are stretched to the almost the maximum already but that another issue, surely the point is that no matter where you live you should be able to access emergency medical care within a responable time/distance, which I believe is already too much for some areas of Powys – it’s a choice of 35 miles to Shrewsbury, 42 miles to Aberystwyth or 50 miles to Wrexham from where I am. I think that both Shrewsbury and Telford should keep their services. Knowing only too well on a daily basis the pressures of having “reduced” services has, it is vital that we fight to keep what services we have as the closure of any A&E service in Shropshire will have a massive impact and increase pressures on an already stretched services including the Ambulance Service. We cannot adopt this “each for their own mentlaity” on this, we need to unite and try to get our voices heard on this

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