Telford council backs Shropshire hospitals shake-up
Friday 18th February 2011, 3:30PM GMT.
Shropshire’s planned hospital shake-up was today backed for the first time by council chiefs in Telford – in return for guarantees set in “tablets of stone” that A & E services will remain at the town’s Princess Royal Hospital.
Andrew Eade, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said the support was also on the proviso the future of the town’s hospital would never come under threat again.
He said the authority would support proposals put forward by health bosses which would see acute in-patient abdominal surgery moved from the PRH to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The plans would also see maternity and children’s services moved to Telford from Shrewsbury.
It comes as more than 1,000 people are expected to march through the streets of Shrewsbury tomorrow in a major demonstration against cuts in Shropshire.
Organisers say support is building for the Shropshire Fights Back protest march, which has been organised to show the strength of feeling about the Coalition Government’s programme of cuts.
Speaking today, Mr Eade said: “We fought long and hard to get our hospital built in Telford and Wrekin but it seems every few years we end up in a fight to save it. That clearly has to stop and stop now.
“We have to ensure that the A&E cover is safe and sustainable on both sites and we need this guarantee in tablets of stone.
“This is not a Telford issue or a Shrewsbury issue, it is a Shropshire issue.
“I know that what we are looking at is not ideal but we have two hospitals that will have to operate as one hospital on two sites. If we don’t back these proposals, we will lose services which will go outside the county — meaning people will have to travel further.”
To take part in the consultation before the deadline on March 14, log on to www. ournhsinshropshireandtelford.nhs.uk
By Paul Mannion
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It was reported only a few months ago that people are travelling to RSH to have fertility treatment as its one of the best in the country. So why move an award winning maternity unit to another location? – surely this would be a bad thing?? (let alone the cost)
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Irrespective of whether you agree or not with the proposed changes, this is just a plain daft argument. The unit, consisting of its people and facilities, could move lock, stock and barrel to any location – even to a portakabin in the middle of a field – and it would be no less effective than it is now.
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I’ll be at the march tomorrow. Totally against these plans.
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Supply and demand people of Shrewbury, Telford is bigger and will continue to grow in population and size.
Its about time the people of Shrewbury began to wake up and realise they are not the biggist fish in the pond anymore.
And if you actually look at the plans it’s about sharing and reorganising facilities accross the joint trust.
You have had it too good too long and that’s the problem.
All the best
Gareth.
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But it’s shrewsbury’s ward that sees by far the most patients. It doesn’t just treat Shrewsbury, it’s used by the whole of Shropshire. To a lot of us who live, spread out across this county, Telford is just to far to travel. You are also forgetting all those in Wales, who use Shrewsbury. Where will they go? They pay their way and should be considered in all this.
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Shrewsbury sees more patients, not because the catchment area is massively more populous, but because ENT (which has a large childrens elective practice) and obstetrics are already there. If those services were also provided as in patients in Telford the figures would be very different.
Remember, to get from Wales to PRH, just don’t turn left on the A5 to RSH, keep going for another 15 minutes on the M54 (and be thankful you don’t live or work in London, where every hospital is at least an hour away because of traffic)
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@ soap box John. They don’t care how good the services are at Shrewsbury they just want to close them and move it to Telford.
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so telford council don’t mind taking shrewsbury’s services away, so long as their services don’t come under threat again? talk about saving your own skin……
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If it’s a Shropshire issue then think about the whole of Shropshire. Moving the children’s ward to Telford is not fair on those that already have to travel along way.
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Despite living in Telford, I agree that certain services belong in Shrewsbury simply due to the fact that it’s geographically more central to the area being served.
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