'A long way to go' - Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledges support for Shropshire hospitals to address 'failures'
The Health Secretary has pledged further Government support for Shropshire's main hospital trust, saying there is still "lots more to do" to address long-standing failures.
Wes Streeting highlighted recent progress made by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) during a Parliamentary debate on Tuesday (October 21). He noted that since last year's general election, the Government has helped delivered an additional 94,000 appointments and cut waiting lists by more than 14,000 patients at the trust.
In a question to the Health Secretary, Telford MP Shaun Davies referenced to plans for Telford's first-ever cancer treatment unit at the Princess Royal Hospital. It's hoped the new service will be up and running by 2029, supplementing existing cancer clinics and services currently based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Responding, Mr Streeting acknowledged recent improvements, but admitted there is still more work to do to bring services up to standard.
Wes Streeting said: "He’s right that local services haven't been good enough for a number of years. We're not going to turn a blind eye to that failure, we’re going to do something about it.
"There’s a long way to go, but we’ve already delivered an extra 94,000 appointments and cut waiting lists by over 14,000 at his local Trust since the general election. So a lot done, but lots more to do."
The Government recently unveiled plans to raise standards in underperforming hospital trusts - including SaTH - through the publication of performance league tables and the delivery of targeted support.
It was also recently revealed that waiting times for tests and scans at Shropshire’s acute hospitals - Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and The Princess Royal Hospital - have significantly improved, as SaTH recorded its best diagnostic performance in more than five years.
The trust is now ranked among the top-performing 50 per cent of NHS trusts in England for the proportion of patients waiting less than six weeks for a diagnostic test. In July 2025, 82.1 per cent of referred patients were seen within that time frame.
Shaun Davies, MP for Telford, said: "The challenges we face with NHS services here in Telford are significant, in fact we have a mountain to climb, and like many of you, me and my family depend on them too.
"We all deserve better which is why I continue to raise these concerns at the highest levels and push for the improvements Telford urgently need, whether in the House of Commons or in meetings with Health Ministers and health bosses.
"We are beginning to see signs of progress and our NHS staff continue to do an incredible job, day in and day out. Thankfully, the Health Secretary shares my commitment - we know there's still a long way to go, but both I and the Government will keep fighting for the higher standards that Telford and wider Shropshire deserve."
