Future Fit: Labour in call for health chiefs to answer questions
A question mark still hangs over finances, staffing and travel issues in the Future Fit plans, according to Labour officials.
Heads of Labour Party branches in Shropshire and Montgomeryshire have called on health bosses to provide answers to 20 questions.
They have sent a letter to Dr Simon Freeman, accountable officer at Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and David Evans, chief officer at Telford & Wrekin CCG.
Among the questions posed is whether the West Midlands and Welsh ambulance services will be given any additional resources to cope with the planned changes to hospital services in the county.
The Future Fit plans involve having one emergency centre for Shropshire at either Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, with the other site taking on responsibility for planned care.
Urgent care centres would also be created at both hospitals.
But local Labour Party bosses want to know who will staff the urgent care centres, what qualifications and experience they will have and if they will be run by a private company.
They have asked for a guarantee from health chiefs that making people travel greater distances, will never jeopardise care or put people's lives at risk.
They are also seeking assurances that the planned care site will never take A&E patients in cases where there are bed shortages.
Answers are being sought over the financing arrangements for the scheme, with officials wanting to know what the annual cost of interest will be and exactly what the £312 million will be spent on.
And assurances have been asked for that NHS staff have not been pressured into staying quiet over the Future Fit plans if they have any concerns.
The letter, which has been signed by Peter Bradley, chairman of The Wrekin Labour Party branch, says: "As we have made clear, we are not opposed to change. But we insist that it has to be for the better and for the long term.
"The problem with Future Fit is that neither of the options will improve local services, either would lead to the downgrading of one of our hospitals and both will lock in decline in our health provision for a generation."
Health chiefs say they are now drawing up a response.
Mr Evans, from Telford & Wrekin CCG, said: “We can confirm that we received the letter from the six constituency Labour Parties of Ludlow, Montgomeryshire, North Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin on June 15 and will be providing a response to their questions shortly.
"We will make our response available to the public via our website.”
