Shropshire doctors warn of need for hospital changes
Wednesday 23rd February 2011, 7:30PM GMT.
Some of Shropshire’s most senior doctors today warned of “dire consequences” if changes are not made to how services are delivered at the county’s two main hospitals.
The say that as a group of senior clinicians working in both the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal Hospitals they want to place on record their “personal concerns” about health services in Shropshire.
Under proposals now out for consultation, women’s and children’s services would be concentrated at Telford’s Princess Royal with acute inpatient abdominal surgery at the Royal Shrewsbury.
The Shrewsbury site would also see the creation of a vascular surgical centre
The group, including 15 consultants, warns: “If decisions are not taken quickly to resolve the long-standing problems that exist in our hospitals, we believe that there will be dire consequences for all health care services in Shropshire.
“The maternity building at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is in a very poor state and at risk of significant failure which puts the future of safe and effective paediatric maternity and neonatal services at risk.
“We are very close to securing significant improvements and developments in some services and will lose these if we are not able to centralise emergency and inpatient surgical care. The reconfiguration proposals will offer significant improvements in the quality of care for many patients.”
The statement adds: “There is wide acceptance that the reconfiguration proposals do not represent a perfect solution but they do offer a sustainable, high quality future for health care in Shropshire.”
Meanwhile a report today warns that more than 50,000 NHS jobs face being axed. A study by the TUC supported False Economy, an anti-cuts campaign group, found that health trusts across the country were cutting staff or warning of job losses.
But the trust which runs Shropshire’s two main hospitals said it had no redundancy plans. However it warned that if services are lost in the county, some jobs could be at risk.
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After all the people wheeled out by the lobby to keep services at the RSH we now find numerous professionals are for them to be moved to the PRH.
Having heard the interview on Radio Shropshire of a consultant surgeon who suggested any increased risk because of travel was more than outweighed by better clinical care at the newer facility I wonder where it leaves the pro-RSH lobby.
They said before we should take great notice of the professionals, will we now receive advice to ignore them?
I’m not sure what or who to believe anymore.
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Funny how those in charge told staff not to speak out, but they allow a group to speak in favour of their plans. They keep quiet about the group of consultant who work in childrens services and who said that this move would be a disaster. So who knows best, the faceless group or the consultants who risked their jobs to speak out at the Shrewsbury meeting and who actually know how these service work?
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A great move by the Trust so close to the end of the public consultation period! However, the fact remains that every PAEDIATRIC & NEO-NATAL CONSULTANT AT THE ROYAL SHREWSBURY HOSPITAL DOES NOT SUPPORT the proposals to move the children’s services/neo natal to telford and that is because they believe that the safety of their patients is paramount and they do not feel able to simply say what their chief exec wants them to say and not rock the boat!! The other proposals included in the reconfiguration may well be supported by clinicians but the paediatric proposals are most certainly not supported by those who currently carry them out with the utmost professionalism at the RSH. The consultants at the RSH think the services should remain at Shrewsbury if this is where the acute surgery is to be located and the neo natal consultants have serious concern regarding extended travel times for premature babies from the rest of Shropshire & Mid Wales.
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Who are these consultants? Why no names? Those that work in paediatrics have said they are against the move. Is this another scare story, design to get all protestors to give up, like the story about the dangerous roof in maternity.
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Are these the same consultants that wanted the move from Telford to Shrewsbury just 12 months ago? How can things change so much in that space of time? I don’t believe what they are saying, you can’t say one thing (close Telford wards and A@E) and then just turn it around a year later and claim it’s now Shrewsbury services that should shut.
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I thought staff weren’t allowed to comment? They change it though as long as they say the right thing.
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not one single neonatal or peadiatric consultlant on the list who are all against it , how can a pharmacsist and opthamologist determine that services for womens and children will be better of at prh madness that the 15 dont work in the areas that will be most affected makes me belive the move will be a danger to our children now even more , its not what the building looks like its what happens within it i would far prefer the old buliding with full clinical services than a brand new building with half the services we currently have.
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It sounds like they’ll say what ever they have to to force these changes through.
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First the ceiling is dangerous and now the staff want and agree to this move. Next week we’ll hear that all the families with sick children across shropshire are desperate for this move. They know it’s the wrong move and will say anything to make it happen.
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Why have the neo-natal and paediatric consultants not openly come out with their concerns? All the consultants I’ve ever met have never been shy to express their opinions, even if it upset the boat. This is an open debate, Dr John Brice (retired consultant) has expressed his concerns, and his opinion should be respected. Some of the consultants at RSH have expressed their opinions and they should be respected. If the consultants you refer to object to these plans so strongly, it is their duty to come out with their objections, as at the moment they are not helping their cause by staying silent.
The future of services should be decided by reasoned argument and facts, not by anecdotal evidence and trading insults.
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