Shropshire Star

Meeting over future of Ludlow Hospital is delayed

A public meeting to talk about rising concerns over the future of Ludlow Hospital has been put back.

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Ludlow Community Hospital

A preliminary date for the meeting was pencilled in for tomorrow at Ludlow Methodist Church by Ludlow Town Council, but with the date fast approaching it had become clear arrangements could not be finalised for that date, according to town clerk Gina Wilding.

Calls for a fresh public meeting have intensified since December as concerns continue over the lack of detailed plans for the future of both the hospital and future urgent care provision in the area.

Ms Wilding said new date for the meeting was still to be set.

Philip Dunne MP, David Evans, accountable officer for both Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), as well as Mike Ridley and Jan Ditheridge, chairman and chief executive of Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (ShropCom) were all invited previously.

Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North, said there were a lot of issues to be debated with just one A&E centre at Shrewsbury or Telford intended to serve the whole county, and talk of urgent care centres in rural parts shifting to "urgent care services" rather than a dedicated unit.

He said: "The rest of the county will have to make do with urgent care services bolted onto GP practices and community hospitals. There is no information about how these will be funded.

"I can't see Ludlow Hospital surviving under this regime unless all of our local health service providers can get together and draw up a plan.

"We must have contingency plans and offers in place.

"The alternative could be that everything except GP services will be sucked into Shrewsbury and Telford. That will not work for south Shropshire with its ageing population.

"People will be forced to travel huge distances just as public transport is being cut back," he said.

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