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Vision of a new hospital for Council leader
Wednesday 9th March 2011, 11:29AM GMT.
Farming health services out US-style to the community — including offering scans on the high street — could allow a new hospital to be built in Shropshire, it was claimed today.
Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow said he believed a new hospital between Shrewsbury and Telford was still the best long-term option for the county, cutting down on services it provided could be a way of driving down costs of building it.
It comes as the authority’s cabinet was due to meet today to discuss proposals to move services.
A document produced by council officers recommends the authority broadly supports plans to move women’s and children’s services from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to Telford’s Princess Royal, with Shrewsbury becoming the main surgical centre.
Councillor Barrow said he believed it was the best short-term option as long as safeguards were attached.
But he added: “No change is not an option, we have got to do something. But I still think we have got to have a vision for the future. Why settle for second best?
“A new hospital is the best option in the medium to long term and I have yet to be convinced it cannot be done.
“What we need to think of is what we need in hospital — accident and emergency, acute surgery — and what we can do in town centres.
“In America for example, you can get scans done in the high street. I think we should be looking at how services can be provided in the community.
“How much would it cost for a new hospital? It’s not right for us to sit back and say there is no money.
“I want the best for the people of Shropshire, not second best.”
It comes as Shropshire Liberal Democrats claimed they had succeeded in getting a special council meeting called to debate the planned changes
In addition to cabinet discussions today, a full council meeting will also discuss the proposals on March 17.
l Unit — See Page 12
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A hospital in the middle of nowhere is an absurd idea.
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What is absurd about serving the largest town in shropshire while still remaining central to the remainder of Shropshire?
In fact it would make a lot of sense – not sure we should be copying the US on healthcare though – that is absurd!
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Oh dear me. What a waste of money that would be. And doesn’t ‘US-style’ mean privatisation?
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Yet another councillor living in cloud cuckoo land! Unless of course he knows how to fund it at no cost to the Tax Payer
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If there was one major hospital in the county, then no matter which town it’s in it’s as good as the middle of nowhere to the majority of Shropshire’s population.
How about building one in the geographical centre of the county? That’s in a field just north of Condover. Which is about 4 miles from RSH.
Oh.
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The centre of the county geographically is quite different from the centre demographically and I doubt whether that changes much either when you include the subjects of mid-wales.
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I considered that. I would love to see a demographically adjusted map. It would be quite interesting.
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Yet another Tory Councillor who wants the private sector to bleed dry the NHS. Who would rather see money put into private shareholders pockets rather than patient care.
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Oh dear – council leader having visions – his “Farming health services out US-style to the community” wouldn’t involve preachers doing the old laying on of hands routine by any chance?
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Which parts of “No suitable land” and “no money” does councillor Barrow fail to grasp?
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I hear that the North Shrops MP has put his backing behind the transfer of certain services to Telford.
It’s just a matter of time now before those that thought he was brill whilst he listen to the views of those behind the RSH will now consider him persona non grata.
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Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow.
Well I trust those who voted for this Clown will remember his stupidity when he is next up for election, and help relieve us of such councilors.
His comments are a joke! But guess what? he really believes that is what you people who voted for him wants. RIGHT!
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You’re getting it all wrong, folks.
This is exactly what Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms are about.
Get the private sector into the NHS.
They want to get in – there’s £billions annual budget to get a thick slice of.
As an aside this isn’t the UK private sector it’s the US heath insurance industry.
So, if you want to have a pre-Obama US health care system then you have nothing to worry about.
Just don’t get sick.
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[So, if you want to have a pre-Obama US health care system then you have nothing to worry about.
Just don’t get sick.]
Or just don’t get old, but hang on isn’t that one thing that is guarenteed to happen?
Old & sick are somehow synonymous too.
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what a stupid idea, building on the green belt is not acceptable telfords expansion into green shropshire should be checked not encouraged
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anyone who thinks our world reowned NHS could learn from the disaster of US healthcare is either evil or incompetent. This is true colours coming out, showing a vision of people having to pay for healthcare, so the rich get a better service and the poor get nothing, these kind of evil twisted ideas have no place in UK politics and must be stamped out, remember the tory pledge to protect the NHS at the last election, well suprise, suprise, they were telling porkies…
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Just make sure that Telford And Wrekin handle the budget and not Shropshire Council. They’ll only blow all the money on plant pots and river ladders..
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what an ill thought out comment that is barrow, it shows are real lack of thought and attention to detail and frankly im afraid to say a lack of intelligence
lets leave the hospitals to the NHS to manage hey mr barrow and get on with sorting out the pr disaster that is the overpaid senior management at shropshire council
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scans in the high street and other positive things that they do in the USA are a good idea, profit in the healthcare system and millions of uninsured people are not good, but you shouldnt dismiss all his ideas just because of the mere mention of the word USA, although as a politican i would expect he would choose his words more carefully
remember the USA leads the world in pharmaceuticals and cancer research etc and since the Obama reforms its not all bad there
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what a nonsense idea, demolish two perfectly reasonable hospitals and build a new one on greenfield land, how will that save money? let alone me sustainable
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