Shropshire Star

MP Daniel Kawczynski will take Shrewsbury A&E fight to Theresa May

The fight to keep Shrewsbury's A&E services in the town will be taken to the Prime Minister by MP Daniel Kawczynski.

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Mr Kawczynski today revealed he would bring the issue to Theresa May's attention at an upcoming Prime Minister's Questions.

The Shrewsbury & Atcham MP said: "I have secured a question for the week we get back in early October.

"I am going to be impressing to Theresa May directly the importance that I advocate to keeping A&E services in Shrewsbury.

"There has been a very long exercise going on which I am told will ultimately come to its conclusion next month.

"I want the Prime Minister to be aware that A&E services must be retained in Shrewsbury, not just because it cares for people from all over the rural county but also those in Mid Wales as well."

The news comes after it was revealed that options developed by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as part of a plan for the future of the county's two largest hospitals will be considered later this month.

The outline options could result in one hospital losing its A&E – something opposed by campaigners in both Telford and Shrewsbury with each hoping to keep the services on its site.

The options will undergo an appraisal and will then be ranked, before going to the Future Fit programme board with public consultation expected to begin in December and lasting for about 12 weeks.

Mr Kawczynski said taking the fight to PMQs was the "most important tool" left.

He said: "We are very much a growing town. We have plans for major development in Shrewsbury and if there is going to be a reconfiguration, if they are telling us they need to have those services on one site, it must be Shrewsbury.

"It is very important to raise it at PMQs as a politician when you reach an impasse, when you have been trying very hard – such like we did when lobbying for direct train services to London.

"We were told that would never get off the ground, that is when I raised the question directly with Prime Minister David Cameron and low and behold it materialised.

"Using a question at PMQs is the sort of most important tool we have at our disposal.

"A lot of people are watching and it is my chance to publicise as strongly as possible the importance of these services."

It was announced yesterday that the next stage of the Future Fit review of the county's hospitals is on track to take place before the end of the month. Options developed by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust as part of a plan for the future of the county's two largest hospitals will be considered later this month.

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