Shropshire MPs in talks with new chief of Shropshire hospitals trust
Shropshire MPs have met with the new chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals trust to discuss the continuing Future Fit programme.
Simon Wright travelled to London to meet north and south Shropshire MPs Owen Paterson and Philip Dunne.
The two politicians impressed on Mr Wright the need to have more health services based in the rural areas.
Future Fit is looking at how emergency care should be provided in Shropshire and how the current system of two accident and emergency centres, one in Shrewsbury one in Telford , should change.
It says that there should be just one emergency care centre in the area for those critically ill or injured with urgent care centres backing it up around the county.
But a final decision on where the accident and emergency centre should be based has been delayed after the initial consultation came to a close.
Now a revised time-line has been revealed by Future Fit bosses with a preferred option revealed in June 2016 and formal public consultation taking place from December 2016.
The final decision is due in June 2017.
Mr Paterson said: "Myself and Philip made it very clear to Mr Wright that, as part of the Future Fit programme we should have more services provided locally.
"The Primary Care Centre in Oswestry already has X-ray and plastering facilities.
"Turning it into an urgent care centre would mean that 70 to 80 per cent of those who now use Accident and Emergency in Shrewsbury, Telford or Wrexham, could be treated closer to home in Oswestry.
"Our meeting with Mr Wright last week was very encouraging and constructive and we are very grateful to him for his time.
"We have agreed that we will have regular meetings and will be seeing him again in January or February."
Mr Wright took over at the trust in September, taking over from Peter Herring, was previously a director at the Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust.
