Future Fit hospital plans considered by comittee

Caron Morton and David Evans, the Joint Accountable Officers for the NHS’s Future Fit Programme, presented the model of care agreed by the Programme Board last week.

This proposes that there would be a single emergency care centre and several urgent care centres across the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin area.

The Committee were also informed about the process that will take place over the summer through which the options for the locations of the different services would be identified and evaluated.

Shropshire Council’s lead member Councillor Gerald Dakin, who chaired the meeting, said “The Committee has commended the work undertaken by the NHS as part of the Future Fit Programme and we have asked for further information so we can understand what the proposals will mean for local people and the financial implications.

“We have endorsed the process through which the options for the emergency Care Centre and the Urgent Care Centres will be identified and evaluated, subject to assurance that the views of the Committee are taken into account during this process.”

Telford & Wrekin Council’s lead member Councillor Derek White, co-chair of the Committee, added; “Last year the Committee asked the NHS organisations to work together to develop proposals to resolve the problems faced by our hospitals.

“The report today showed the amount of work that has taken place over the last 10 months and the number of clinicians who have been involved and we welcome this.

“We also heard about the plans the hospitals have put in place to manage the services that are under pressure - we were informed that the services are safe but the Committee recognises the need for change if we are to provide the best care at our hospitals.

“We will continue to scrutinise the proposals as they develop and have requested that the options for the locations of the services are reported to the Committee in early October.”