Shropshire Star

Call off A&E ruling or we'll see you in court, warns Telford & Wrekin Council

Shropshire health chiefs have been given one final warning to put on hold a decision which could see the A&E  unit shut at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital – or face a lengthy and bitter battle through the courts.

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Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, and the authority's managing director Richard Partington have penned a letter outlining "deep concerns" over the Future Fit process.

It was sent to Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group chief officer David Evans last night on the eve of the group preparing to announce a preferred option for the location of a new single A&E unit in the county.

It comes amid strong rumours that preferred option will be to shut the new £28 million Women and Children's Centre and A&E at Princess Royal – and move services lock, stock and barrel to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The letter says the council has already had advice and discussions with its legal team – and claims it would have "very strong grounds" to seek a judicial review into the decision.

Councillor Davies said: "The council again urges the CCG to pause the process to allow properly informed views in the decision making process and has asked for a response by the end of this week.

"I trust that this makes it clear that we are very serious about seeking judicial review if we have to. We have very serious concerns about the whole decision-making process, particularly for the non-financial appraisal.

"If this goes ahead, there is a very great risk that it would be a decision based on a questionable process by people who have not been given the right tools to make that decision, a decision would affect hundreds of thousands people's access to key health care services.

"We believe that we have a very strong case for judicial review, although we hope that common sense can prevail and this process put on hold.

"It would make no sense for one public authority – this council – which has already had its budget cut by tens of millions of pounds, to take on another public authority in an NHS organisation, through the courts.

And that is why health bosses must stop and take a pause.

"If the NHS agrees to pause the process, the CCG must do everything in its powers to ensure that both current A&Es are well staffed and maintained, drawing on spare capacity in other parts of the region's hospital services in order to keep them open. Any decision to move the £28 million Women's & Children's Centre from the PRH, built there because of clinical need just two years ago, makes no sense when that need has not changed."

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