Hospital Changes Must Protect Services across the Area Say Council

The Council said the plans which are out for consultation must not become a battle between Telford and Shrewsbury over services but should be about protecting these services for the whole county.

This Council recently held an emergency meeting between its leader and chief executive and their counterparts at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust which is consulting on changes to the area’s two acute hospitals.

The meeting was called after the Council received concerns from NHS staff that emergency surgery could be moved from the Princess Royal Hospital to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital “in the next few weeks” and before the end of the current consultation on grounds of “clinical safety”.

If this happened, the Princess Royal Hospital would effectively no longer be able to provide an A&E service say Telford & Wrekin Council.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust has now assured the Council that this would not happen and that if the consultation plans are approved, emergency surgery will continue to be offered by both hospitals – ensuring that both continue to have a full A&E services.

Keeping emergency surgery and A&E services at the Princess Royal Hospital has been the Council’s “line in the sand” for the 350,000 people in north and east Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Staffordshire for whom the Princess Royal Hospital is their acute hospital.

The Trust has confirmed that, if the consultation backs its proposals, acute surgery, which is surgery that is more planned and is typically carried out by specialist surgeons, would move to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, with some specialisms including vascular surgery being concentrated there.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust chief executive Adam Cairns has now told the Council that while there are safety concerns around acute surgery, he is “confident” no changes to this would be needed until after the consultation which ends in mid March, and these would be managed quickly and carefully to minimise clinical risk for patients

Council leader Andrew Eade said: “We insisted on an urgent meeting because we had some grave concerns and it is our duty to represent the interests of the people in this borough and large swathes of Shropshire for whom the Princess Royal Hospital is their hospital.

“Concerns about the future of emergency surgery had been raised with me and part of this Council’s role, supported by all political groups, is to fight for the interests of our residents and hold Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust to account.

“The response from Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust commits to no changes to acute surgery until the consultation ends and that emergency surgery will continue at both sites.

“Our goal is to preserve services at the Princess Royal Hospital, but this must not be at the expense of the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, because we must find a solution that addresses the issues without making Telford’s or Shrewsbury’s hospital the poor relation.”

Cllr Keith Austin. Leader of the Council’s Labour Group, said: "The Labour Group is fully committed to retaining existing Service at the Princess Royal Hospital and working closely with Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust to that end and wherever possible increasing service levels to match the fast population growth within the Telford and Wrekin Borough."

Cllr Gill Green, leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrat and Independent Group, said: “This Council is united in its long and hard fight for the Princess Royal Hospital and the people that it serves.”

Cllr Vic Tonks, leader of Council’s TAWPA group, added: “What we need now is a partnership of people across the area serving the two hospitals to maintain services for all and keep both hospitals viable.”

The Council’s position enjoys the unanimous support of all its political parties.

The proposals that are currently out to consultation would see the following key changes:
• The creation of a women and children’s centre at PRH.
• Head and Neck services would also relocate to PRH – this is because a high volume of ENT cases are procedures for children
• The centralisation of acute surgery into a centre at RSH – patients who need access to emergency surgery at PRH would be provided for through a senior non-resident on call team of experienced surgeons. Other acute surgery will be transferred to RSH or dealt with through urgent outpatient and day case on the PRH site.
• Medical patients would as now access services on both sites.
• Out patient services and day cases would be unchanged