Star comment: It's time to deliver on health care
We're trying to treat the situation with the gravity it deserves, rather than taking bets on having to make the same comments 12 months from now.
And yet there have been so many delays with the county's Future Fit programme that few would bet against a further year of stasis.
Inertia seems to have gripped Future Fit. Though there is talk about moving forward, about getting things done, about providing better health for residents across Shropshire, little happens.
There is a slight to-ing and fro-ing, a new political spat in which campaigners for one hospital outline why theirs should be the site for the single A&E unit, while campaigners for the other hospital respond passionately with an opposing view. And yet we seem to be no nearer to the shake-up that many agree is required.
During 2016, the NHS has created a number of documents that have sought to forecast how facilities will look in years to come.
And yet frequently they pose more questions than they ask. There is talk of new, automated services; of consultations being carried out by video link. Yet there is no detail of how that might be enacted.
There is talk about either the Princess Royal Hospital's A&E unit or the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's A&E unit being downgraded, so that the most serious of emergencies can be treated at one centre. And yet the costs of doing so appear to be astronomical, crushing any potential savings that such a move might bring.
There are times when it seems the only sensible thing is to go back and reflect on what Future Fit actually is. The programme is about shaping healthcare together. It is about finding a balance between what the NHS can deliver in a large county where money is scarce and the population is widespread.
Sadly, the process has been mired by delays. In recent years, millions of pounds have been spent but the improvements have not been forthcoming. They say that patience is a virtue and those expecting improvements to local health care have needed that quality in great volume. They have not yet seen the fruits of the Future Fit process and it seems unlikely that conclusions will follow soon. It is to be hoped that our health executives grasp the nettle and finally deliver.
