Shropshire Star

Future Fit: Shropshire health chiefs deny decision has already been made on A&E closure

Health bosses have been accused of already making up their minds about the future of services in Shropshire.

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Residents attending a public meeting in Oswestry feel the Future Fit board has already decided to close the A&E department in Shrewsbury and have just one in the county operating from Telford.

But David Evans, accountable officer for both Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), denied the claim and said that any final decision made would be subject to full public consultation.

About 100 people attended the meeting at the Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry on Tuesday night to voice their concerns about the potential closure of one of the county's A&E departments.

They are particularly concerned about the extra time it would take to travel from Oswestry to Telford.

As well as Mr Evans, speakers also included Gill George, of Shropshire Defend Our NHS, and local GP, Dr Ian Rummens.

Resident Liz Evans said: "I live a considerable way from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. We have an ageing population and I am one of them. It doesn't make sense.

"We hear all this talk about centralisation. I am a former nurse and I do agree it is important to have the seriously ill or injured looked after in a large centre run by experts. But what is central? It is not Telford."

Another resident, who held up a map of the county at the meeting, said: "It is obvious Shrewsbury is dead centre and all roads lead to Shrewsbury. Why are they favouring Telford?"

Speaking ahead of the meeting, resident John Bickerton said: "It is cheaper to have the A&E in Telford. Future Fit is a cost-saving exercise so if you are in such dire straits for cash, it's not rocket science to decide where to put the A&E."

People at the meeting also said it was important family and friends were close to patients in hospitals as it helped with their recovery.

But Mr Evans said: "Having two A&E departments is not a viable option. We can't recruit enough staff.

"But no decision has been made where it will be – Shrewsbury or Telford. There will be public consultation before any decision is made."

"Travel time will be longer but the issue is about making sure people receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

"The NHS, both local and national, is facing a lot of challenges including increased demands, ageing population and recruiting staff.

"We need to make sure we deliver the right services for people in the future and spend the money that is available to us wisely."

Gill George, of Shropshire Defend Our NHS, said: "Whichever one they close people will die. We need both. The one that remains will be swamped with patients. It will be chaos."

Dr Rummens told the meeting that a lot of patients do not understand what is going on with the NHS.

A statement read out on behalf of North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, who was unavailable to attend the meeting, said: "I do not believe that the current acute arrangements serve the people of north Shropshire well.

"As it stands people face a 40-minute journey to A&Es in either Shrewsbury or Telford.

"My preferred option for the future is to establish a state-of-the-art emergency centre covering the whole of Shropshire.

"This would not just attract top class clinical specialists but would actually bring back skills and services to Shropshire, bringing them closer to local people.

"Balancing this, I want to see the bulk of care currently undertaken by the two distant A&Es delivered much closer to home in urgent care centres."

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