The row between Labour and Tories that could decide the next election in Shropshire
A row has broken out after an MP accused the Labour Party and the leader of Telford & Wrekin Council of attempting to block proposals to transform Shropshire's hospitals for the better.
In an open letter to the Shropshire Star, Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, argued that voters will face "significant differences" between the two main parties on the NHS at the next election.
And he challenged the Labour Party to outline their alternatives to the "Future Fit" programme that is set to transform the county's healthcare provision.
The Government and the NHS signed off on the latest stage of the proposals for Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospital Telford (PRH) last year.
The £312 million scheme is set to see RSH become the base for the county's only 24-hour A&E department – currently both RSH and PRH offer the service.
Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the two hospitals has also welcomed the decision to transform hospital services in Shropshire.
Despite the NHS backing, Daniel Kawczynski MP claimed the local Labour party has attempted to block the plans.
He said: "These two hospitals, just 13 miles apart, provide essential services for the people not just at Shrewsbury and Telford but for the whole of Shropshire and Mid Wales.
"Their modernisation to meet the growing demand is essential for patient care and safety. These changes were proposed by over 300 surgeons who work within the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust - the men and women who are the coalface of providing surgery to our constituents.
"Unfortunately, Telford Council and its Leader, Councillor Shaun Davies, have refused to understand the rationale of these changes and have managed to prevent the implementation of this vital investment.
"Nevertheless, despite the painful tug-of-war that has taken place, changes are now finally moving to the planning process. They will be implemented next year to provide a much-needed substantial investment to improve patient care and safety."
He continued: "Devastatingly as a result of the delays we have experienced, services at both sites in Shrewsbury and Telford have deteriorated significantly due to a lack of investment."
But Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council Shaun Davies, who is also Labour's parliamentary candidate for Telford at the next General Election, hit back, and said he made "no apology" for representing "the views and needs of people in my borough".
He said: “Interestingly, Trust board papers set out that when Future Fit proposals were conceived in 2016, clinicians actually said that keeping the Women & Children’s Unit at the Princess Royal was the only viable option.
"There was also a clear majority in favour of the emergency centre being at the Princess Royal. This was ignored.
“When Future Fit consultation took place with members of the public in 2018, two in three people who responded disagreed with moving emergency care to Shrewsbury. This was ignored.
“Today, we’ve got one of the fastest growing and ageing populations in the country. Telford stands to become the biggest town in England without a full A&E service. Not only this, we are set to lose our Women and Children’s Unit, built less than 10 years ago to meet the clinical need of our residents.
“I cannot and will not ignore this. Someone needs to stand up for people in Telford & Wrekin and I will continue to do just that.”
He added: "The very fact that the MP for Shrewsbury thinks we have 300 surgeons in Shropshire shows just how out of touch he is. He also called Monday for the NHS to be privatised.”
Mr Kawczynski said he is now challenging the Labour Party to outline their proposals for the future of Shropshire healthcare.
"In the House of Commons last month, during a debate on the future of the NHS, I asked Preet Gill MP, the Shadow Health Minister, to support these changes. She was not cognisant of them and could not provide a commitment," he said.
He continued: "We know the Labour candidate in Shrewsbury is opposed to this investment and I intend to challenge the Labour Party both in Shrewsbury and Telford on this issue.
"It is, however, essential that we evaluate the official Labour position so that voters are able to gauge for themselves what the alternative propositions to this critical priority are.
"What is their alternative if the Labour Party intends to block this £312m investment? They will be taking on the collective will of the vast majority of medical professionals in the Trust, who consider these changes to be critical.
"Certainly, in the run-up to the next General Election, I intend to challenge the Labour Party both in Shrewsbury and Telford on this issue."
Julia Buckley, Shropshire councillor and the Labour Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury and Atcham, said Mr Kawczynski was "simplifying the issue".
She said: "The Labour Party absolutely welcome the investment in Shrewsbury Hospital, but the real fabric of the NHS is its staff.
"We do not think that redistribution of capacity from Telford to Shrewsbury will work. It will just double the queues at Shrewsbury Hospital. The NHS needs more staff, not fewer A&E staff."
The Conservative position has been made crystal clear through Daniel Kawczynski, and Labour has drawn a line in the sand, so this will more than likely be a key election battleground in Shropshire.
Questions do, however, remain over what Labour would do if they were to reverse the Future Fit plan, which is already underway.
The Conservative position has been made crystal clear through Daniel Kawczynski, and Labour has drawn a line in the sand too, so this will more than likely be a key election battleground in Shropshire.
Questions do, however, remain over what Labour would do if they were to reverse the plans in the future - a complicated task given they're already underway.
