Shropshire Star

'Changes needed' to secure services says Shropshire hospitals chief

The boss of Shropshire's two acute hospitals has said changes are needed now to ensure services can continue safely within the county.

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Simon Wright, chief executive of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), made his comments ahead of tomorrow's board meeting which will discuss the trust's fragile services.

SaTH has previously highlighted difficulties in the emergency department, ophthalmology, neurology outpatients service, dermatology outpatients service and the spinal service.

Mr Wright said he understood the public's concerns and was working hard to make sure all services can continue to operate safely and effectively.

He said: "We have secured locum consultant cover for dermatology outpatients. So that service is no longer classed as fragile.

"In regards to spinal services we are working hard on a new model with the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. That should be sorted by the end of the month.

"For ophthalmology we are looking at all aspects including creating a new department at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to improve quality while listening to patients and developing a plan to protect the service for the future. This could include building a new single centre in the future.

"We have been waiting long enough for Future Fit. There are a number of services that we need to take action on now in order to give patients the best possible service."

Mr Wright said a lot more work was still needed in regards to the neurology outpatient service.

The trust currently has two consultant neurologists supported by one locum. The national average is one neurologist per 80,000 people, which would equate to six neurologists for the population served by SaTH.

Despite various recruitment drives, the trust has so far been unable to secure additional full-time or locum consultants.

The service is temporary closed to all new referrals for a six-month period. Neurology deals with diseases of the nervous system.

This includes the brain, spinal cord, nerve, muscle and their connections.

To help meet the current demand for referrals, Shropshire and Telford Clinical Commissioning Groups have commissioned the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to temporarily provide a service for new patientsMr Wright said they were working with the University Hospital North Midlands in Stoke to employ consultants who can work at both hospitals.

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