Telford A&E night closure would be 'last resort' say health bosses
Closing Telford's A&E department overnight would be a last case scenario, health bosses have said.
Members of the board which run Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital agreed to start working on a detailed plan to close Princess Royal Hospital's A&E overnight if they get to the position when they need to.
At the meeting held today at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital members discussed the situation Shropshire's emergency departments are in.
Debbie Kadum, chief operating office, said: "This brings together all previous conversations and meetings we have held over the last 18 months on this issue. It is not a new one.
"We have looked at the overnight closure of RSH's A&E but due to the trauma unit being at RSH it would not be possible to do in the time frame we are working to.
"The trauma centre has to be inline with emergency surgery.
"To move emergency surgery cannot be done in six months.
"Logistically it becomes a massive problem.
"Princess Royal Hospital over night was the only option.
"We have tried to over recruit on locums and we have recruited two. But one locum has recently resigned. Locums are temporary staff and can leave at any time.
"We have to have a plan if we can't recruit locums."
Dr Edwin Borman, medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "We do have a small amount of emergency surgery at PRH but most done at RSH.
"Patients from Powys come to RSH - that is the nearest emergency centre for them.
"RSH closure over night is not an option as we would lose our trauma status."
When quizzed about the closure of both of the county's A&E units, Simon Wright, chief executive of the trust, said that would be 'unthinkable'.
He said: "We see 50,000 emergency patients across the year.
"If we didn't see them then they would overwhelm and cripple all the other hospitals in the area.
"Losing both A&E's is unthinkable."
Board members agreed they would work towards the Telford A&E overnight closure plan and would involve as many groups and people as they can.
They insisted that any decision would not affect Future Fit.
Peter Latchford, chairman of SATH, added: "We want to keep recruiting consultants until we can make the appropriate changes via Future Fit.
"We don't want to close Telford's A&E overnight but we need a plan just in case.
"This is just creating a detailed plan but not triggering it."
