Future Fit: Shrewsbury recommended to have Emergency and Trauma Department for Shropshire
The NHS Future Fit Programme Board today recommended there should be a single Emergency and Trauma Department, based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The preferred option proposes a single Emergency and Trauma Department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) with a Planned Care Site at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, along with centres at both sites, which would see the majority of patients who are currently seen at A&E.
The board also recommended making the Princess Royal Hospital a centre for planned surgery and moving Women and Children's Services to Shrewsbury.
The recommendations were based on clinical and non-clinical evidence collected over the past three years.
The Future Fit Board is making a recommendation to health leaders that a public consultation is undertaken to gather public views on the future of hospital services. This preferred option will be considered by Telford and Wrekin CCG and Shropshire CCG shortly, who will formally decide if a public consultation can begin.
They say no formal decisions will be made until at least Summer 2017, once the formal consultation feedback is analysed and further detailed work is completed.
David Evans, Joint Senior Responsible Officer for NHS Future Fit said:
“I need to stress that this is not a final decision. We are recommending to the two CCGs that in the board’s opinion we are ready to begin a public consultation on the future of hospital services.
“We have reached this preferred option, based on the clinical and non-clinical evidence we had before us.
In response to today’s decision, Simon Wright, Chief Executive at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said:
“Clinicians, wider staff, patients and partner organisations helped to decide the proposed options, which have been the subject of financial and non-financial appraisals.
“We always said this was not about closing the A&E at one of our hospitals, but about ensuring we have two vibrant hospitals for the future, together with a sustainable workforce.
“In fact, many of the services currently provided through our A&Es would be provided through centres, one at PRH and one at RSH, which together would see the large majority of the patients who are currently seen at A&E, meaning most patients would still go to their local hospital for urgent care.
“We would actually see the creation of three new services – a major new Emergency and Trauma Department which would allow us to attract more staff to provide the best care possible, and two brand new 24-hour centres that provide urgent care, one at each hospital, and urgent care services within our community hubs.
“Our communities need access to the best staffed and equipped Trauma Care. Most urgent hospital treatment would still be provided at RSH and PRH where our A&Es are currently based. Our emergency hospital would provide all of the specialist services required in an emergency, including a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit.
“Our planned care hospital would treat the majority of our patients who need investigation and treatment at a time and date that suits them within 18 weeks of seeing their GP. Our aspiration is that these services would be provided in hospitals free from infections and cancellations, with state-of-the-art Centres of Excellence and more than 350 in-patient beds.
“Whatever the outcome, these two renewed and revitalised hospitals would create new jobs and investment across our county. Both proposals would represent a significant investment into both hospitals. This is a great opportunity for us to ensure the future of both our hospitals for at least the next 20 years and to provide a sustainable workforce to ensure we provide the safest and kindest care to our patients.
“I must stress that these are still just proposals at this stage. That is why we have these options to explore. The Boards of our Commissioners, as well as our Board, would need to agree to the proposals, which would also be reviewed by the West Midlands Clinical Senate, which provides independent strategic advice and guidance to commissioners to make the best decisions about healthcare.
“An Integrated Impact Assessment will also take place, which will scrutinise the proposals from all angles to explore the potential impact – both positive and negative – of the proposals.
“Most importantly, a full public consultation on the proposals will take place before any final decision is made.”
The preferred option is:
Princess Royal Hospital (Telford)
- Urgent Care (24/7)
- The majority of day case surgery
- Planned orthopaedic surgery
- Outpatients
- Diagnostics
- Midwifery led unit
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
- Emergency and critical care
- Urgent care (24/7)
- Complex surgery
- Outpatients and diagnostics
- Women and children's centre
