A&E closure plans: Shropshire MP Philip Dunne will not speak on 'speculation'

As papers leaked this week revealed Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is the preferred site for Shropshire's only A&E, with Telford's Princess Royal Hospital earmarked to lose both its emergency unit and its new Women and Children's Centre, Mr Dunne, Ludlow MP and minister of state for health, said he will not comment on the proposals at this stage as no final decision has been made.

The leaked papers came from a "non-financial appraisal" of future options for healthcare in the county, but David Evans, boss of the NHS Future Fit review, has said that while this was an important meeting, there is still a long way to go before an official recommendation is made.

Mr Dunne, who is now second only to secretary of state Jeremy Hunt in the Department of Health, said: "I am not going to comment today on speculation about what recommendations may emerge from the Future Fit work on acute hospital services.

"All I can say is that I want to ensure that whatever proposal emerges it needs to meet the primary test for me of maintaining safe emergency care for all patients in south Shropshire."

However, Mr Dunne is likely to be asked about it at a public meeting tonight, where he is set to answer questions on local health matters at Ludlow School, in his home constituency.

He said: "Ludlow Town Council invited me to attend a public meeting with local NHS leaders to discuss local health issues.

"I am pleased to do so, having spoken at the well-attended League of Friends annual meeting last month and chaired a Ludlow Health Forum meeting in August.

"This has now been conflated by Ludlow's Shropshire Councillors to cover wider issues and none of the NHS leaders are able to come.

"I shall be announcing at tomorrow's meeting the date of the next Ludlow Health Forum, which will be held in public at a time when health leaders will attend and be able to discuss the status of important proposals for making Shropshire's health services fit for the changing needs of the 21st century."

At the Ludlow Hospital League of Friends meeting in August, which took place shortly after he was made a health minister by new Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Dunne said in his new role he would be advocating what was best for Shropshire but it was agreed he would not take final decisions about anything that happens in the county, to avoid a conflict of interest.

Tonight's meeting will be held from 7pm to 9pm.