Health bosses in Shropshire have revealed their position on the future of services in the county after coming face-to-face with almost 200 patients in a Question Time-style session.

Scores of patients turned up to hear what Shropshire’s health chiefs had to say on the future of the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals at a meeting at The Place, Oakengates, Telford yesterday.

It was attended by Dag Saunders, of the Senior Citizens Forum; Dr Jo Leahy, acting medical director of NHS Telford; Julia Clarke, director of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, and Dr Quentin Shaw, chief GP of Stirchley Medical Practice.

With recent fears over some services being transferred to RSH and the PRH downgraded, the panel was asked if services could simply remain as they are.

Mrs Clarke said: “It’s not an option, but that does not mean that either hospital is going to be put at risk of closure. It’s really important to the trust that we have two healthy, thriving hospitals in Shropshire.

“There are some linkings that sit better together, a number of options were looked at, such as emergency surgery, paediatrics and vascular surgery.”

Mrs Clarke said nothing would be decided without public consultation and she ruled out a new hospital, which she said would cost £300 to £400 million.

Dr Shaw said there was a need for radical thinking, aside from hospitals.

He said: “I think we should only be using hospitals if we absolutely need one.

“But not that many people will be thinking radically because there is nobody to promote this. There should be other options like cottage hospitals, step down care and nurses in the community.”

Echoing the sentiment, Dr Leahy said: “One of the few excellent things that the department has done is to encourage more care in the home, that has been going on for several years.”

Mrs Clarke said people were likely to be consulted on health care plans in early summer.

By Jason Lavan