Future Fit: Tory MPs in battle over Shropshire A&E provision

Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard and Telford's MP Lucy Allan are both fighting to ensure hospital provision in Telford meets the needs of their constituents, for whom it is the nearest hospital.

But Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, says the final decision on Future Fit should now be left down to clinicians.

Rival meetings have been set up with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to argue the case for the future of A&E departments in their respective towns.

Mr Pritchard MP for The Wrekin, arranged Tuesday's meeting, which will be attended by Ms Allan and representatives from Telford & Wrekin Council to speak to Mr Hunt in a bid to keep A&E and women and children's services at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

He said: "I have arranged the meeting to make a powerful cross-party case for Telford & Wrekin and East Shropshire. This is a time to unite for the good of the whole community."

Ms Allan said the reorganisation of hospital services in ther county needs intervention at a "higher level".

Shropshire Council's elder statesman has called for a decision on accident and emergency for the region to be sorted out quickly.

Councillor David Lloyd, a former regional health authority chairman, said that bureaucracy was out of control in the National Health Service.

And he said he was horrified that Telford & Wrekin Council is mounting a legal challenge to the new emergency care centre being sited in Shrewsbury. Councillor Lloyd is stepping down in May after 50 years in local government.

He said he could not understand why Future Fit consultation into accident and emergency cover for Shropshire had now taken three years and more than £3 million.

In a call to health bosses he said: "What we need is a New Year Resolution that this will be sorted out, quickly. The consultation so far seems to have been a complete waste of time and effort.

"It seems that bureaucracy is out of control. We need a decision made and then stuck to."

Councillor Lloyd said that, as a former health chairman for Shropshire, he was concerned that added to the cost of what he called serial consultation there has been a loss in public confidence.

He also criticised Telford & Wrekin Council for considering a challenge to the initial Future Fit recommendation – having one emergency care centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with an urgent care centre at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

The Women's and Children's unit would also be moved to Shrewsbury.

"Any move to call in an arbitrator to referee the situation would be an abrogation of responsibility. I am horrified at the thought that a public body is mounting a legal challenge," Councillor Lloyd said.

The Future Fit process hit a brick wall earlier this month when Shropshire and Telford's Clinical Commissioning Groups split down geographical lines on a decision over the future location of the county's sole emergency centre.

That came after the three-year Future Fit process, which was designed to negate geographical interests, decided that the emergency centre should be based at the Shrewsbury site, along with women's and children's services.

The six members from Shropshire Clincial Commissioning Group voted to go ahead with the plans while the six from Telford voted against.

She says that the meeting was needed as people in Shropshire have no belief in the ongoing process.

Ms Allan said: "People have lost faith in Future Fit. I am keen to impress upon the Secretary of State the seriousness of the situation and the need for intervention at a higher level."

But Mr Kawczynski says he will meet the minister to express his support for the "excellent" work of Future Fit, the body planning the reorganisation of hospital services.

The developments pit Tory colleagues against each other as the review approaches a public consultation.

Mr Kawczynski, who met with Shropshire CCG last week, has now called for the introduction of an independent review after progress in Future Fit stalled.

He said a system is now needed to break the deadlock.

"Inevitably, as a result of my meeting with Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group I have contacted NHS England's regional director to ask them to review the structure and make-up of the Future Fit process, in that there is no casting vote from a chairman which we feel makes the whole process untenable and makes it impossible to make a decision," he said.

It comes after the Future Fit review, which is looking at reorganising hospital services in Shropshire, had recommended having one A&E serving Shropshire and Mid Wales at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Under the plans Princess Royal Hospital's A&E would be downgraded and its Women and Children's unit would also be moved to RSH. Earlier this month the plans were hit with a fresh delay after the groups representing Shropshire and Telford were split down the middle on whether to proceed.

Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) six members voted to back the proposals and begin public consultation, while Telford's CCG members voted unanimously against the plans.

The deadlock at the December meeting means the Future Fit process is now on hold, pending an independent review.

Mr Kawczynski, said that absolute inpartiality would be required from an independent chair.

He said: "This individual, whoever they are, that we would like to be put in place would have to be absolutely impartial, the selection criteria would need to be agreed."

The Conservative MP also raised questions about the motivation behind the split December vote.

He said: "A 6-6 vote purely along Shropshire v Telford gives me the impression that some people did not vote purely on what s the most viable or the best option.

"There needs to be a casting vote. All other major organisations have a casting vote, I think it is a big oversight from NHS England how this was set up."

Mr Kawczynski has been vocal in calling on local health officials to follow the advice of clinicians when deciding on the future of the county's hospitals.

The Conservative MP has always maintained that Royal Shrewsbury Hospital must retain its A&E, and since the announcement of the Future Fit board's preferred option he has called on officials to follow the advice of experts.

Mr Kawczynski said: "This is not about one town winning or losing; this is about building a modern, safe system for the next generation.

"We have had independent analysis from 300 doctors and clinicians of the situation and they have come up with the solution."

Speaking after the latest delay to the process, he said: "We are being told by medical experts that lives will be lost if this doesn't go ahead. There is a real risk that consultants are going to leave, and if that happens we could face the situation where, in three or four months' time, one of the A&E units will have to close."

There has been outcry from campaigners in Telford since the preferred option was announced earlier this year, but campaigners across the board have said it is not a Telford v Shropshire issue, rather that both sites need adequate provision.

Ms Allan said she was pleased to be able to have the meeting with the Health Secretary to discuss the situation on Tuesday. She said: "I'm pleased the Secretary of State for Health is able to meet with the area's MPs on this important issue. I'm also pleased council representatives are able to attend as well.

"I have repeatedly raised concerns about Future Fit process with the Secretary of State."Residents are seriously concerned about the current proposals as are local clinicians. There is disbelief that after three years of running with this process there is so much confusion and no consultation with the public.

"To move services away from areas with highest need goes against statutory requirements. The suggestion that the brand new women and children's unit should move to Shrewsbury, is extraordinary."

Ms Allan has previously said she is "disappointed" with the preferred option selected by the programme board.

She has concerns that the needs of her constituents will not be met by the plans and has backed calls for an independent review into the Future Fit Process.

She has also called for the Government to step in, telling the Health Secretary that Future Fit bosses are attempting to "ride roughshod over the concerns of local clinicians and local people".

She said: "I am very concerned that Telford's needs have not been given the weight they merit.

"These are concerns that have not been addressed by Future Fit despite the best efforts of local representatives.

"Telford is a town with a fast-growing population and which has significant pockets of deprivation. It is essential that funding follows needs and I am left to wonder if Future Fit have properly grasped the demographics and health inequalities of Telford and Shropshire."