NHS Proposals for Hospital Care in the area to be scrutinised
Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire Councils’ Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider the proposals put forward by the NHS for the future of hospital care in Shropshire when it meets on 26 March.
Last year the Joint Committee recognised that it would be unsustainable to maintain the current services at both hospital sites at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in the long term.
In August 2013 the Committee asked the NHS organisations to work together, involving clinicians and local people, to find a solution that will ensure that high quality services will continue to be delivered in the area.
The NHS carried out an extensive consultation as part of the Call for Action which has developed into the Future Fit programme looking at the future of acute and community hospitals.
Cllr. Derek White, who will chair the meeting, said: “The Committee has had several update reports since we asked all the NHS organisations last year to work together with partners to find a long term solution to the problems our hospital trust faces.
“The meeting at Wellington Civic Offices will be the next stage in this process. The Committee is chaired jointly by myself and Cllr. Gerald Dakin from Shropshire Council, and we have made it clear that the work of the Joint Committee is not political.
“We will look at the evidence that is presented and scrutinise the proposals. Our role is to ensure that the decisions are made through an open process which fully involves local people and that the decision that will be made later in the year about the future of hospital services is in the best interest of the whole area.”
Cllr. Gerald Dakin added: “The Committee does not make the decisions about the future of local NHS services - but we will hold those making the decisions to account.
“The Joint HOSC has scrutinised the work of the hospital trust over a number of years and recognises that radical changes are needed within the local NHS to ensure that the people of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin will continue to receive high quality services.
“We have seen evidence at the meetings last year that the NHS is working together to develop proposals. No decisions have yet been made about the hospital services.
“This meeting will be an important stage in the process to ensure that there is a public discussion about the options that are being considered to ensure that they are based on the best clinical practice. We will also want assurance that the future evaluation of these options will take into account the issues that are important to local people.”
