Wish-list of Ludlow hospital services sent to health chiefs

An on-site paramedic and GP and X-ray and ultrasound facilities were all asked for in a survey commissioned by the hospital's League of Friends.

It is part of a drive to secure an urgent care centre for Ludlow as part of the proposed reorganisation of the county's health services.

Now the survey results have been sent to officials at Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is behind the NHS Future Fit review.

A letter will also be written to Simon Wright, chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, calling for stronger services in rural areas.

Peter Corfield, chair of the League of Friends of Ludlow Hospital, said the push to get a well-equipped urgent care centre in Ludlow would not stop there, and added the group had decided to continue taking a pro-active approach.

He said: "We have invited representatives of the CCG to our quarterly meeting on February 3 to bring us up to date on progress in the light of their report which states that 'Ludlow has the potential to meet the core requirements to develop a rural UCC, and local discussion regarding co-location of a wider range of health and care services could be developed'."

Mr Wright wrote an open letter in Monday's Shropshire Star raising the challenges facing A&E services.

Mr Corfield said he would be writing to Mr Wright to discuss the issues.

He said: "In effect I will be saying that although we understand the arguments over where A&E will be based, we are still strongly of the opinion that in rural areas we need stronger services, and that will in fact take the strain off central services – you will not get as many people turning up in Shrewsbury and Telford. The aim really is to persuade SaTH how we can achieve this, because I'm sure he will want to keep his fairly sparse manpower around Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals."

The survey, which was carried out in the autumn, saw 85 per cent of the 240 respondants call for a paramedic on site and video link with central A&E services. More than 90 per cent asked for a GP on site, X-ray and ultrasound, and observation beds for children.

Mr Corfield said the video link was a real possibility. Consultants in A&E would work with staff at Ludlow without having to physically travel, he said.