Two new wards planned to help A&E at Shropshire hospitals
Two additional wards costing £4.8 million could be opened at Shropshire's two main hospitals to help relieve the pressure on A&E in winter.
Health chiefs want to create a "fit to transfer" ward with up to 25 beds at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for patients no longer needing emergency care.
It is hoped a similar ward would also be set up at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
It comes after the A&E units at both hospitals came under severe pressure in the winter leading to an increase in the number of cancelled operations and increased waiting times.
Debbie Kadum, chief operating officer at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, told board members yesterday that more needs to be done in order to prevent a repeat of last winter's problems.
She said: "At Royal Shrewsbury Hospital we hope to create up to 20/25 additional beds. We want to create a fit to transfer ward.
"We are currently working out costs but estimate each ward would cost £1 million to open and £1.4 million to staff. We would like to open an additional ward at Telford.
"We would prefer not to do it but it cannot carry on like this."
Peter Herring, chief executive of the trust, said: "To end the year on the figure for A&E patients being admitted, discharged or moved to their next place of care within four hours being below 90 per cent is disappointing.
"It has been a very hard period.
"The main part of the issue is the large amount of patients which are in a bed and are medically fit to transfer.
"Primary reasons of all breaches in the system are due to the lack of beds which impacts on capacity and flow out of the emergency department.
"We need robust plans in place so we are not in the same situation next winter."
