Future Fit: Consultation should start in June, says Shropshire hospitals chief
People should get their say on a controversial hospital shake-up in June, a leading health official has said.
Simon Wright, chief executive of the trust which runs Shropshire's two main hospitals, says that if the Future Fit consultation does not take place then the county risks losing out on funding for its plans.
The hospital chief said a consultation in June would allow for a decision on the plans to be taken in September.
He said: "The public is exhausted by all the delays. There is certainly no reason why the public consultation into Future Fit cannot take place in June. The window for opportunity for change will only stay open for so long. Change has been needed for a very long time now. If we don't take this opportunity now it will be years and years before we can bid again."
"I don't know if we will be able to keep all our services if that happens."
"Without the election we could have gone out earlier but one month later won't make a big difference.
"We hope to close the public consultation in August and make a decision in September in the knowledge that we have all the feedback and information available."
The Future Fit process – which could see one A&E unit set up at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital Telford's department downgraded – is currently on hold.
It comes after members of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups failed to reach a decision on whether to back a recommendation to base a single A&E at RSH, as well as transferring women and children's services from Telford to the Shrewsbury site.
As a result The Future Fit decision-making process is currently being independently reviewed.
