Future Fit recommendation delayed
The Future Fit programme today delayed a recommendation on a preferred option on the future of services at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital.
The deferment at a meeting this afternoon follows Telford & Wrekin Council's warning that it could seek legal action over the way the decision-making process has been run by the NHS.
David Evans, Senior Responsible Officer said:
"We have received specific concerns about the NHS Future Fit decision making process within the last 24 hours.
"As we have had insufficient time to respond to the points raised, we have agreed it would not be appropriate to make a recommendation to the CCGs’ Boards today, although we have received the paper and all partners held a healthy discussion about its content.
"We now plan to discuss with our partners and respond to the concerns we have received constructively, and we remain confident that the processes we have followed are robust and will deliver real improvements for all patients. We will then hold a further Programme Board and expect this to happen within a month.
"While we recognise this will be frustrating to many people it is important that we follow due process. Failure to do this could ultimately cause further delay. It remains our intention to begin a public consultation in December 2016."
Telford & Wrekin Council leader, Shaun Davies is now urging the NHS to ensure that transitional consultant support is immediately made available from neighbouring clinical networks to maintain services at both the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury hospitals until the right sustainable long-term solution for both hospitals can be put in place.
Cllr Shaun Davies said: “The deferment by the Future Fit programme is exactly what we had been asking for because of the concerns we have around proper consideration of the issues at stake that would affect access to health care for all our residents.
“However I must be very clear. Don’t be fooled - this issue has not gone away.
“The threat to services at the PRH remains very much alive and very real.
“We need to make sure that, however long the deferment is and we believe this will need at least a month, that this time is used properly to address the very significant concerns we have raised around the decision-making process.
“I also urge the NHS to make the necessary transitional support arrangements around Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust to ensure that services such as A&E can continue in the interim at both hospitals.
“We continue our fight to keep services at the PRH because this is what this borough and many other people for whom the PRH is their hospital need.
“The proposals at the currently stand to close a £28m Womens & Children’s Unit just two years after it opened make no sense.
“Join us and support our campaign at www.prh4me.co.uk ”
The Council is to hold an EGM to discuss the threat to the PRH tomorrow evening, and is also seeking an urgent meeting with Telford and Wrekin CCG on this issue.
