Shadow Health Secretary follows up Jeremy Corbyn's pledge on Telford A&E

With election campaigning in full swing, Mr Ashworth followed up on the pledge from his party leader Jeremy Corbyn last week, to 'guarantee' that Princess Royal Hospital in Telford would keep its A&E under a Labour government.

He also took aim at Health Secretary Matt Hancock's proposals to turn the town's A&E into an 'A&E Local', describing it as a 'con trick'.

Speaking outside the Telford hospital Mr Ashworth said: "This is my third time in Telford in the last couple of years, I visited the hospital earlier this year. Labour will guarantee an A&E at this hospital, we will save the A&E.

"Matt Hancock is trying to con the people of Telford with talk of an A&E Local, no one can explain it."

Mr Ashworth questioned if the proposal "is like a Tesco Express?"

The Shadow Health Secretary was in the town to support Labour's Telford and Wrekin candidates, Katrina Gilman and Dylan Harrison.

He said: "Katrina and Dylan have made the argument and won the debate and I think people are behind their campaign on this. The people of Telford want a proper A&E."

Local clinicians have argued that the current model of working across emergency departments on split sites at the county's major hospitals – Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) – is not sustainable.

They have said that Future Fit, which will see RSH become the county's only full A&E, is needed to ensure the hospitals can continue to provide a safe service.

Rescue plan

However, Mr Ashworth said Labour would save the A&E departments by investing in the NHS and would be revealing details of national funding in the party's manifesto.

He said: "We will be outlining a financial rescue plan for the NHS as a whole and this part of the world will get its fair share."

He added: "Katrina has won respect for the campaign she has led, and Dylan in the neighbouring constituency. I have been here and talking to staff I am convinced the question is what is Matt Hancock's con for Telford because no one can explain what A&E Local is."

Mr Ashworth also dismissed the potential impact of Nigel Farage's pledge to withdraw Brexit Party candidates from seats the Conservatives won in 2017 – which would include both Telford and The Wrekin.

He said: "It does not mean anything. This campaign is about the future of the NHS. The Brexit Party has no policy on the NHS other than to sell it off.

"This campaign is about fighting for A&E care at Telford."

Ms Gilman said that when canvassing, people had been more concerned about health services than leaving the EU.

She said: "Now people are saying forget Brexit, what about the hospital?"

Ms Gilman said that problems with recruitment at the hospitals - something officials have said are due to split site working - are not helped by the concern over whether they will remain open.

She said: "It is about making it a great place to work. Who would work at a place where it is under threat of closure?

"No one in their right mind would choose it as a first choice so it is no wonder that they have trouble with staffing."

Mr Harrison said the NHS in the county had suffered from underfunding for several years and that Labour would invest in the NHS.

He said: "The NHS in Telford and Shropshire has been chronically underfunded, that has never been in dispute."