Future Fit: Public have their say on controversial decision
Shropshire Star readers have weighed in on the long-awaited Future Fit decision.
The meeting held on Tuesday night confirmed what health bosses long said was their preferred outcome - the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will be the base for the county's only A&E.
Members of the public were invited to attend the meeting at Harper Adams University but weren't allowed to ask questions.
It followed a survey in November that found 65 per cent of the 18,742 respondents disagreed with the CCG's preferred option.
Readers on the Shropshire Star website have been discussing the meeting and its fallout.
A user called Shrewsbury Mum said: "So we've had a meaningless 'consultation' asking us to choose between two 'options', both of which make a bad situation for our hospitals worse by cutting a service that is already failing to cope, followed by a meeting to rubber stamp the option that was the most unpopular of the two..."
Crag the Craggy referred to the buses arranged by Telford & Wrekin Council to take people from Telford to the meeting, which eventually left empty.
"No-one there for a free bus ride to Newport. People of Telford demonstrating solidarity with their council. Apathy from the populace... Keep its location in Shrewsbury and ensure a high quality emergency care centre."
PJS replied: "They went - but they went by car."
Bob1954 questioned the wisdom of holding the meeting in public, after protests and disruption marked the evening.
"Think it was a mistake to allow the public to attend, because it was clear that this would only be a box ticking exercise and the public had already been informed that they would not be permitted to speak.
"It should have only been streamed by internet and radio."
Sharon Wilson on Facebook shared the sentiment: "Can’t see the point of the meeting, they had already made the decision weeks ago. Purely a media exercise! Very poor decision for the whole of Shropshire!"
Michelle Jones expressed her worry about increased travel times for Telford patients: "They might say it's 'only 20 mins to Shrewsbury' but that's on an ideal day - traffic, accidents, poor weather could mean people die in the back of ambulances.
"After all the NHS campaigns about how time is critical in say stroke and heart attacks and then they add at least half an hour to get to hospital."
