Ambulance service 'happy with single A&E for Shropshire ' if funding is enough

The ambulance service said it would not object if Shropshire's hospitals end up with just one emergency care centre under the Future Fit review.

But it said it may need more resources to ensure that the new arrangement works.

A review of hospital services in the county has suggested downgrading the A&E department in either Telford or Shrewsbury and moving all emergency medicine to the other site.

Mark Docherty, clinical commissioning director at WMAS, said he was confident it could provide a safe service, but if it has to transport patients further, it will need paying more. He said: "What we would have to do is look at a different type of payment system.

"The current system is that we go to the nearest hospital. So if we are travelling greater distances, we would have to be recompensed appropriately. There are clearly situations where we already take patients a further distance. So where patients have had a heart attack or a stroke or major trauma – those patients are already travelling much longer distances to specialist centres.

"The model is a safe model as long as it is resourced appropriately. The important thing for us is that the ambulance service is re-sourced according to the model that is being delivered.

"As long as we have the proper resources we can provide a safe pre-hospital service.

"The important thing is what is best for the patient. The clinical evaluation is an important part of it. If it is the case that clinical services can be enhanced concentrated on fewer sites then as long as our ambulance service is resourced to deliver our part of it then yes we would support a single accident department.

"I think a lot of people are frustrated that we do not have an answer because once we have an answer then we can all safely work towards that solution."

The Future Fit review was thrown into chaos last month when NHS bosses for Telford and Shropshire could not agree on a recommendation to take to public consultation. The preferred option suggested that A&E at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital be downgraded to an urgent care centre and that Royal Shrewsbury Hospital would house the county's A&E unit and children's centre.