First Future Fit public exhibition set for June 6 in Telford
The first public exhibition giving people the chance to talk to health chiefs and clinicians about the controversial Future Fit proposals will happen on June 6.
The event at Meeting Point House in Telford town centre will be the first of at least eight public exhibitions.
Future events will take place in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Newtown, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton, Wellington and Oswestry.
They will each run from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.
The public consultation, which is being held in response to plans to shake-up the county's hospital services, will officially launch on May 30 and run for 14 weeks.
Public exhibitions are being staged to allow people to learn more about the proposals and share their views on how they may be affected.
The second public exhibition will take place at Shrewsbury Football Club on June 7, followed by one at the Elephant and Castle Hotel, on Broad Street, Newtown, on June 28.
On July 4, the Bishop Mascall Centre, Lower Galdeford, Ludlow will host a public event.
The next exhibitions take place at Wellington Methodist Church, in New Street, on July 11; Bridgnorth Leisure Centre on July 25; The Festival Drayton Centre, in Frogmore Road, Market Drayton, on August 2 and Cabin Lane Church in Oswestry on August 15.
There will also be more than 50 pop-up events to raise awareness of the consultation and a survey which people can use to offer their views.
Pam Schreier, who is the communications and engagement lead for the Future Fit programme, has said that during the public exhibitions people will be able to watch videos, visit information stalls and talk to clinicians.
Senior executives from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups will also be present.
Speaking to councillors last week, she said: "The clinicians will remain constant for every public event and for the four hour period."
A 'mid-point review' will decide whether any further sessions are necessary.
The public consultation includes two options.
The preferred Future Fit option, which has been signed off by both Telford and Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, is for the county’s emergency centre to be based at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital to take on responsibility for planned care.
It would be supported by two urgent care centres, based at RSH and PRH.
The second option would be for PRH to house an emergency department and for RSH to become a planned care site.
Consultation documents, along with background documents, will be available on the Future Fit website and a frequently asked questions section will be updated throughout the process.
Afterwards, it is estimated that it will take six to eight weeks to analyse the feedback.
A new website, which will go live at the start of the consultation, will be available at nhsfuturefit.org
