Future Fit: Action plan agreed as NHS leaders and medics pledge to work together

Representatives from Shropshire's two main hospitals and the county's two clinical commissioning groups will seek the views of clinicians and patients over the coming weeks about the problems facing health services.

The pledge was made at a behind-closed-doors meeting yesterday that also included clinicians, social care providers and patient representatives.

Clinicians agreed that moving to one emergency centre supported by two urgent care centres in Shrewsbury and Telford and Wrekin, would deliver better care for patients. But it was recognised by all sides that further work was needed to review the impact on community and GP services.

It comes after Shropshire and Telford CCGs were split over whether to support the strategic outline case for the Future Fit programme.

If Future Fit is approved, the A&E department at either the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal Hospital will close. One emergency centre would cover Shropshire and Mid Wales, supported by urgent care centres for non-emergency care at Shrewsbury and Telford.

David Evans, accountable officer for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs, said: "This is a long journey we are on and it is important that we take this time to get the right decision for patients and clinicians.

"What we need to do is take time to listen to everyone who has voiced concerns and engage them in arriving at solutions to the challenges we face around providing services that are clinically sustainable.

"Something that everyone has in common is a strong desire to see NHS services that work for the people of our many diverse communities, and we owe it to them not to give up. The challenges we have been trying to deal with are not going to go away."

Simon Wright, chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust which runs RSH and PRH, said: "We will continue to work with all partners to find a solution that allows us to move forward together.

"Hospitals clearly cannot work in isolation. We have to find a solution which does not lead to other members of the local NHS community being given more work they are not resourced to deal with or feeling disadvantaged."