Shropshire Star

Row over key document in Shropshire's Future Fit discussions

A row has broken out over a key document in Shropshire's Future Fit discussions.

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Health campaigning group Shropshire Defend our NHS has criticised the decision to discuss the 'Decision Making Business Case' – a key document behind the proposals – behind closed doors and called for it to be made public.

However, officials from the joint committee, which will decide on the Future Fit proposals, have said they are "perplexed and disappointed" at the criticism.

They rejected claims they are "hiding" information and said the plan was always to publish the document on January 23.

A decision on the proposals, which will see significant changes to the county's hospital services, will be taken with a vote at Harper Adams University, Newport, on January 29.

Under the plans either the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal Hospital will house the county's only A&E department, with the other hospital taking on responsibility for planned care.

Currently both hospitals have A&E departments, although they have been under considerable strain, with performance against government targets suffering as a result.

Criticised

A statement from Shropshire Defend our NHS said: “The Future Fit Decision-Making Business Case, the key document that supposedly irons out the problems, was signed off by Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group on January 8 and Shropshire CCG the next day.

"They did this in private session. This is an extraordinary breach of usual practice, allowed only if the CCG ‘considers that it is not in the public interest to permit members of the public’. They have to publish it eventually. Is it so important to stop the public having time to read and discuss a long, complex document?”

In a joint response David Evans, chief officer at Telford CCG and Dr Simon Freeman, accountable officer at Shropshire CCG, said: “The Future Fit Decision-Making Business Case is a document required by the joint committee for their decision making meeting on 29 January.

“The plan has always been to publish the document on January 23 and therefore the document currently remains in draft in order to allow for comments to be received.

“It is usual NHS practice for this type of document to be discussed within the private sessions of CCG boards. It’s important to note that in the private CCG board meetings, members are not making a decision on the future of hospital services, they are providing comment on a document before it is submitted to the joint committee to help with their decision making, where it will be received in public on January 29.

“We are perplexed and disappointed to read the comments in the press release issued to the Shropshire Star by Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Defend Our NHS.

"These comments are simply untrue and misleading to the public.

"We strongly refute their suggestion that we are ‘hiding key information from the public’.”