Future Fit: Telford & Wrekin Council moves closer to legal action over A&E proposal

At a meeting of the Future Fit Programme Board yesterday, members announced their preferred option for the future of hospital services in Shropshire.

They have said the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital should have the county's main A&E department, with Telford's downgraded and that Women and Children's Services that are currently provided in a £28 million, two-year-old centre at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, should move to Shrewsbury. The plans will go out to public consulation.

Now Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies has called an Extraordinary General Meeting, to be held on at 6pm on Wednesday, December 7, at Telford College of Arts & Technology where he will call on members to endorse the launch of a judicial review, if necessary.

Councillor Davies said: "I know people say we are only complaining because we don't like the outcome. However, I want to make it absolutely clear that we believe there are fundamental flaws and mistakes in the way this process has been managed.

"We seriously question and continue to question the manner in which the Board of Future Fit has come to this recommendation.

"Their proposal will go before the county's two clinical commissioning groups who pay for the health and hospital services we get and who we expect to jointly meet next week.

"But our preferred option is for two fully-funded and fully-equipped accident and emergency departments for the good of the whole of Shropshire and Mid Wales.

"I am bitterly disappointed that, despite writing to him several times, the Secretary of State for Health has not responded to our requests for him to intervene. I urge our two MPs to seek an urgent meeting with him and demand that he does step in and stop this fiasco."