'Bias' claim as Shropshire Future Fit plans are lodged
The long-awaited consultation papers for the future of Shropshire hospital services will finally be submitted tomorrow - amid accusations of bias.
Under the Future Fit programme, health chiefs devised proposals for where services be located.
A joint committee has recommended plans to downgrade A&E services at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital in favour of one emergency and trauma department based in Shrewsbury. Proposals include a new emergency centre and women and children’s services at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, while planned surgery, orthopaedics and specialist centres would be based in Telford.
But Telford & Wrekin Council's health boss Arnold England told a meeting of the Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group that the consultation document was "very one-sided " and showed bias to Shrewsbury and Mid Wales.
"We are the fastest growing industrial town in the West Midlands and we're fast becoming a city. Your figures will be out of date by the time this process is over in a few years' time," he said.
"Despite this, still you have capitulated to Shropshire. I think you should consider that you have been appointed to serve Telford & Wrekin and not Shropshire,"
"Whilst I understand the trauma network has said Shrewsbury would be their preferred location for the unit because of longer travel times from Powys, they have also said that wherever the unit is located it needs to accredited and that Telford could undergo formal accreditation," Councillor England added.
Telford & Wrekin CCG chief officer David Evans replied that the joint committee had taken into account the needs of the entire region and that it recognised the difficulties faced by the constituencies.
"The CCG is there to plan and deliver across a whole range of services and care. However, when the Future Fit programme started it was always clear that whatever decisions we were going to make, it was going to be contentious. The two CCGs have considered the evidence and made a decision based on the details," Mr Evans said.
CCG chairman Dr Jo Leahy added: "As a member of the joint committee I personally found this to be one of the hardest decisions that we have ever had to make. It was not a capitulation to Shropshire. It was to do with moving the process on."
The board was told that consultation talks with NHS England is due to be held on October 2 and if that is successful then a public consultation exercise will start the following week.
Mr Evans also told the meeting that there had been an improvement in the dementia diagnosis rates and that service was 36 cases short of its August target. He said rates were expected to be on target by next month.
Members also agreed to arrange a visit a new hospital in Northumbria soon.
