Future Fit: Telford MP Lucy Allan hits out at A&E decision delays

Lucy Allan has once again said there needs to be more clarity over what is happening, as many residents are still concerned about what it will mean for the borough.

She has also said she will be, once again, raising the issue in Parliament and has written to Jeremy Hunt with her concerns over the matter.

She said: “I have written to the Health Minister about this shambolic lack of decision making.

“Future Fit are now proudly boasting they have still not made any decisions, which seems almost intended to cause maximum uncertainty and disruption to residents and our healthcare workers.

“Future Fit have had four years to make up their minds and they are now saying ‘there is still a long way to go’ and that they are only slowly edging towards telling the public exactly what is going on.

“The failure to conclude the Future Fit process is giving rise to night-time closure of our A&E, yet there is no deadline, no budget and no sense of urgency in bringing the process to a conclusion.

“We are now in danger of losing funding for our future healthcare in Telford because of the failure to make a decision.

“It is not acceptable for this situation to continue.

“The management’s attitude is nonchalant, and casual given the serious consequences for my constituents. My constituents deserve to know what is going on

“Naturally, I will be raising this in Parliament once again when we return in September. It is bureaucratic incompetence at its worst at a huge cost to the public.”

Ms Allan has previously said she is concerned that delays over decision making will cause Shropshire to lose out on funding that it greatly needs for its health services.

Mark Pritchard, Wrekin MP, has also raised his own concerns over Future Fit, and also said he will be calling for it to be looked at in the House of Commons.

In an open letter to the Shropshire Star, Mr Pritchard criticised “erratic” decision-making and a lack of clear leadership; questioned the validity of an independent review into the process carried out by London-based KPMG and said he would demand a Parliamentary debate on the issue

The MP said: “Decisions should still only be made on clinical and medical grounds and cannot ignore objective socio-demographic and economic evidence that makes the case for retaining the women and children’s unit and the associated accident and emergency provision at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Indeed, the evidence in favour of Telford is overwhelming.”