Shropshire health leaders respond to news of high demand facing NHS

Health leaders at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have responded to the news that Trusts across the country were being advised to cancel non-urgent procedures this month to free up capacity for the sickest patients.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
In a joint statement Dr Edwin Borman, Medical Director, Deirdre Fowler, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Quality and Sara Biffen, Interim Chief Operating Officer said:

“People will be aware of reports across the national media about the considerable difficulties that the NHS as a whole is experiencing this winter.

“As we have publicised recently, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) – like many other hospital trusts – is experiencing very high numbers of patients presenting at our two Emergency Departments at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, as well as a high number of admissions, meaning that all of our Ward areas are full.

“Our staff are working incredibly hard under what are very difficult circumstances, but the number of patients we are seeing means that there are long delays in seeing patients in our Emergency Departments, and in helping patients on our Wards.

“There has been a national recommendation that elective surgery and Outpatient clinics should be cancelled until the end of this month. At SaTH, we intend to review, on a week-by-week basis, elective operations and elective clinics. We will, however, ensure that patients requiring urgent assessment and treatment continue to be seen as a priority, as will patients requiring assessment and treatment for cancer and other potentially life-changing conditions.

“These decisions will be made in consultation with clinicians, including our doctors and nurses.

“Anyone who has their elective procedure cancelled will be contacted by the Trust.

“We would like to apologise for these exceptional measures but, given the considerable pressures our two hospitals are facing, we have to ensure that we prioritise the care of urgent and emergency patients.”

Business as usual at RJAH
Patients are being reassured that operations at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) are proceeding as planned this month – despite what they may have read about the NHS response to winter pressures.

The Oswestry-based RJAH is a specialist centre that does not feature an Emergency Department and does not take emergency admissions, so will be continuing to function as normal.

Beverley Tabernacle, Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “It is very much business as usual and we would like to reassure any patients booked in for procedures this month that it is our expectation that those will go ahead as planned.

“That is not to say that we are not doing all we can to support the wider local health economy.

“We have made a number beds available on our Care of the Elderly Ward to support our colleagues at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and we are considering other measures we can take.

“The wider NHS is under a lot of pressure right now, and we want to do all we can to help.”