Shropshire Star

Future Fit: Shropshire surgeon hits out at critics

A leading surgeon and medical director has hit back at councillors who said they have no confidence in the senior management at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital's NHS Trust.

Published
Mark Cheetham

Mark Cheetham, consultant colorectal surgeon at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) and the trust's medical director for scheduled care took to Twitter following the publication of a letter in the Shropshire Star from Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Councillor Richard Overton, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and enforcement and Councillor Arnold England, cabinet member for communities, health and wellbeing.

The trio had written to Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary and to county health bosses after members of the council agreed to a vote of no confidence in the trust.

At a full council meeting earlier this month, members agreed they have no confidence in the trust over plans that could see the A&E department at Princess Royal Hospital close overnight due to staff shortages.

A letter was sent to the chairman of the trust, Peter Latchford and to Jeremy Hunt asking him to step in.

Mr Cheetham tweeted: "Ironic that those who have sought to delay much needed service change now complain about the consequences of delay."

The letter to Mr Hunt said that A&E services in the county close to 'tipping point' and would be failing in its duties if it did not plan for potential closure of the Princess Royal Hospital's emergency department.

It is claimed that currently SaTH has five consultants and four locum temporary specialists to cover A&E departments at both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital. They should have 20.

In the letter, the councillors write: "We are increasingly worried about the continuing 'disarray' in Shropshire's local NHS and which you referred to as 'local incompetence' when we met with you in January.

"There are many services, not just A&E, that are looking fragile where there has been last-minute service changes and service closures due to staff shortages."

In reply Mr Latchford wrote to Councillors Davies and Overton as well as Councillor Bill Tomlinson, group leader for the Lib Dems on Telford & Wrekin Council and Councillor Peter Scott, deputy leader of the Lib Dems.

The letter said: "SaTH and the council are both part of a wider local health system. Over many years, shortcomings in this system have led to increased fragility in some key SaTH services. We must tackle the system gridlock.

"We are particularly concerned about pace, about getting on with the consultation and with the changes following from it. Some of our services are becoming increasingly fragile while we wait.

"SaTH is committed to having a strong and thriving hospital at the PRH and to becoming the safest and kindest hospital in the NHS. The journey towards this has started and is progressing well but will take a while yet."

Reply to councillors from SaTH chairman:

Dear Councillors Davies, Tomlinson, Overton and Scott,

Thank you for your letter dated July 25, 2017.

We respect the council’s role as champion of Telford and Wrekin and its communities.

SaTH is not a political body. Its prime focus is simply patient safety.

SaTH and the council are both part of a wider local health system. Over many years, shortcomings in this system have led to increased fragility in some key SaTH services. Our doctors and nurses are clear that this cannot continue: we must tackle the system gridlock.

Local GPs through their two commissioning groups, and with the involvement of council staff and SaTH clinicians, have generated a clinical model that seeks to do this. The commissioners’ next step is to test the model with the public to see if it works for them. We are anxious that this happens as soon as possible – it is the public’s health system and they need to see the arguments and the logic.

We are particularly concerned about pace, about getting on with the consultation and with the changes following from it. Some of our services are becoming increasingly fragile while we wait.

To keep patients as safe as possible in the meantime, we need fall-back plans. Those plans, for instance, may require a particular service to function from a smaller number of sites. The decision to enact such a plan will not be taken lightly, nor will it be allowed to happen in ways that prejudge the outcome of the consultation.

SaTH is committed to having a strong and thriving hospital in PRH, and to becoming the safest and kindest hospital in the NHS. The journey towards this has started and is progressing well but will take a while yet. We are seeing fundamental changes to the way care is being provided through our partnership with Virginia Mason, which has had an enormous impact across the whole organisation at every level.

Virginia Mason themselves have acknowledged that SaTH has done the most to invest in and integrate the philosophy into normal working practice.

Two-way accountability between our organisations is important in this continuous improvement journey: we are grateful for your support, and your challenge. Ideally, we would tread carefully when it comes to blame, where the evidence is that it gets in the way of safety.

Professor Peter Latchford OBE, chairman of SaTH