Royal Shrewsbury Hospital may shut children’s unit at night
Thursday 18th August 2011, 11:29AM BST.
A children’s assessment unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital could shut at night under controversial plans to downgrade some services at the site, health chiefs said today.
RSH and Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital both now have 24-hour paediatric assessment facilities for children admitted overnight with emergency needs.
But overnight opening at Shrewsbury is set to be axed under a major shake-up.
The plans, outlined at two public briefings this week, would see the paediatric assessment unit open for 13 hours a day.
But officials insist the A&E department will remain open 24 hours for children to be assessed.
There are also plans for four new advanced paediatric nurse practitioners to be based at the RSH.
Public consultation ended in March on a Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust bid to make the PRH a centre for women and children’s services and RSH a centre for acute surgery and major trauma cases.
But more than 30,000 campaigners signed petitions against the controversial proposals which they claim will put lives at risk.
Andy Rogers, trust spokesman, said: “The paediatric assessment units at RSH is projected to open for 13 hours a day and will close overnight in response to the demands this service is expected to meet. The exact opening times have not yet been confirmed and this is part of the ongoing work with our clinical teams.”
The trust is now preparing an outline business case for Strategic Health Board approval next month.
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