30,000-strong Shropshire hospital petition handed in
Monday 14th March 2011, 2:56PM GMT.
Health chiefs were today handed a hospital petition signed by more than 30,000 people from across both Shropshire and Mid Wales.
The petition calls for women and children’s services to remain at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
It comes as public consultation on plans to switch the services to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital, with Shrewsbury becoming the main surgical centre, was drawing to a close today.
Campaigners travelled in an open-top bus to deliver the results of the cross-border online and paper petition to Shropshire County Primary Care Trust at its Shrewsbury headquarters, William Farr House in Copthorne.
The petition was launched by Powys mother Helen Jervis, whose son Ryan was born five weeks early in 2003 at the hospital.
Ron James, former director at the RSH, who joined the protest, said: “Women and children in the north, south and west of the county are being put at risk.
“This is the culmination of three months of consultation which will hopefully all make a difference to the proposals on the table.”
Donna Benbow, of Newtown, whose daughter Lucy was premature and needed emergency neo-natal treatment at the RSH, joined today’s protest. She said: “There is immense support for the campaign.”
A decision on the plans to reshape services at the two hospitals will be taken on Thursday next week. Despite public opposition, the proposals have gained support from Shropshire Council’s cabinet and Telford & Wrekin Council.
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30,000 seems quite an impressive figure until you put it into context. The population of Shropshire + Telford & Wrekin but excluding Mid-Wales (where exactly does Mid-Wales start and finish?) is approx 450,000, so in a nutshell less than 7% of those available have signed the petition, hardly an overwhelming majority.
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7% in less than 6 weeks is impressive and actually the amount collected from montgomershire was 10,000 that is more than 10% of the population and spread alot of mileage that is impressive. WE ARE SCARED AND REALLY WORRIED. Consultants from neonatal and childrens have said it will cost lives. Our children, babies and mothers will be at huge risk if these proposals go ahead.
Also the petitions are still coming in across shropshire and montgomershire
Also many members of the public are not aware about these proposals in shropshire and montgomerhire
These people have worked hard to try and save the childrens and maternity services and i thank them for all their hard work
unless you have a very sick child or baby you will never know how it feels travelling 50miles to shrewsbury let alone telford.
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I disagree, 7% is woeful, even 10% in Montgomeryshire ( check the correct spelling and I don’t even live there) considering the 6 weeks available. If it was an industrial dispute such a turn out would be laughed out of court.
It seems the anti-Telford brigade that were so vocal in the 1960′s have not gone away at all.
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An interesting take on the story, so the chant “30,000 people can’t be wrong” that I heard on the radio yesterday should’ve been “420,000 people can’t be right”, that is if numbers really matter
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The numbers of petition signatories do not even represent a third of the people of Shrewsbury let alone all the other areas which goes to show most people aren’t particularly bothered one way or another. A case of the tail trying to wag the dog?
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Well done! Now let’s hope they listen.
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On this the final day of consultation the Childrens Ward at the RSH is FULL! Patients being directed to other hospitals. After reconfiguration the combined number of beds at Princess Royal will be LESS than the current two existing units. Presumably our single reconfigured Childrens Ward will be full at certain times throughout the year and our children sent ‘OUT of County’! Despite knowing the financial challenges facing the Trust and the need to act in order to try and achieve Foundation Status, the paediatric and neo-natal consultants of the RSH still strongly believe the wrong decision is being taken to move Childrens Services to the PRH and that there is acknowledged increased risk of harm to some children & babies. I have been to Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee Meetings, I have listened in detail to the Chief Execs presentation of the situation and have read the GP Assurance Panel Report – BUT some risks cannot be mitigated! I’ve no doubt the proposals will go ahead because it all comes down to money like everything else. Let’s hope we do not subsequently lose our wonderful Childrens cancer and neo-natal services as a result of locating them within closer proximity of Wolverhampton/Birmingham.
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Hmmmm, shame there was only 17 “campaigners” on the open top bus today!
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It does seem that everybody is wrong and should not be listened to if you believe that being in favour of a PRH unit is the best option.
There appears to be lots of scare stories, I’m sorry life doesn’t work that way, you have to look at the big picture and not base it on the what-if scenarios, I may just finish off my gardening this afternoon but I’m concerned, what if a helicopter from Shawbury has to do an emergency landing at Chez-Barbara?
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For years the people of Telford have been treated as second class citizens by those elsewhere in the county especially those from the county town.Just because those wanting to keep all services at Shrewsbury are quite vocal does not mean that they are right.
Telford hospital is state of the art and it makes perfect sense to put other units there, when the RSH is replaced or significantly upgraded then they can see about getting the unit back.People have said this choice is all about money,it may be especially when we haven’t got ~£30m to spare to keep it at Shrewsbury.If people this side of the border are that bothered have they approached the assembly to see if collectively as a principality/nation we’re prepared to put our ‘own’ money where are mouths are and put it into the RSH kitty?
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When it was proposed that services were moved from Telford to Shrewsbury, Telford residents were up in arms. Now it is proposed to move some services from Shrewsbury to Telford and Shrewsbury residents are up in arms. So, when will people learn that the RSH and the PRH together make up one hospital Trust and are two hospital sites which have to work together!
Yes, it is about money when money and resources are being wasted and there is a threat that more specialist services could be lost from Shropshire This is exactly what will happen unless a planned reorganisation goes ahead. As it is, there is no cardiothoracic service, no neurosurgical service etc etc in Shropshire.
It might be of interest to Shrewsbury and Telford residents that most of Shropshire’s population does not live in or near to either town. 25 miles to Shrewsbury or 20 miles to Telford? Some of us have to live with the mileage.
As for the patients from Mid Wales. Whilst I have no doubt that the English hospital Trusts welcome the cross-border funding, would going to Wrexham Maelor be more convenient than travelling to Telford? Just a thought…!
Regardless, this issue has to be sorted out and soted out in the very near future.
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