THE process designed to produce a blueprint for the future of health services in Ludlow and south Shropshire is going into cardiac arrest.

This is the concern of people including Ludlow MP Philip Dunne and health campaigners.

It follows the failure to reach a decision about the future of the acute care hospital for the area and the unexplained decision of former Ludlow GP Dr Caron Morton to step down from her leadership role at the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

A decision had been due to be made about whether the major general hospital for the area should remain in Shrewsbury or be moved to Telford.

But this has now been put off until next summer at the earliest and likely to means further delays to decisions about the future of hospitals in Ludlow and Bishops Castle and the location of urgent care clinics.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said that the process is turning into an ‘un-fit for purpose exercise'.

“There is as yet no recommendation as to whether Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Princess Royal Hospital in Telford is the preferred choice for a single emergency care unit,” said Philip Dunne.

“Ludlow residents are clear they want this to be in Shrewsbury, as this is the central location in the county where transport links are best aligned.

“I am sure people will share my exasperation that yet again NHS bosses in Shropshire have failed to deliver sufficiently robust plans for the future to be able to announce their preference.

“Not only has this resulted, once again, in a lack of clarity over future emergency care in Shropshire, but it also suggests a lack of proper planning or process in the way these proposals have emerged.”

The Ludlow-based ‘Save our NHS in Shropshire’ group has now labelled the exercise as ‘Future Failed'.

“We think Future Fit is probably dead and buried now,” said Gill George of the group.

“They want to close an A&E and hospital to save money – but they’re too scared to announce which one, because they know the strength of public opposition.

“They were trying to force through public consultation before the Welsh Assembly election, to stop this becoming an election issue – and they’ve now been forced to admit they can’t get away with this.

“Way back, there were some really good ideas in Future Fit – but the financial squeeze meant it was reduced to a crude cuts plan. It’s run its course now. Health bosses need to admit it was a mistake.”

Tracey Huffer a nurse at a GP practice in Ludlow and a member of Shropshire Council representing part of the town says the time has come for a fresh start.

“It is very frustrating that no decision has been reached. But it is also an opportunity to undertake a root and branch review of the entire Future Fit scheme,” she said.

“Too often Future Fit has had its head in the clouds, pursuing dream projects like a new super-hospital between Shrewsbury and Telford.”

The Programme Board of NHS Future Fit says that it has has committed that the programme will continue.

They have however agreed to defer a decision on naming a preferred option for transforming NHS services for patients in Telford, Shropshire and Mid Wales.

The deferral will allow more detailed work to be carried out into financial and staffing challenges. David Evans and Brigid Stacey, senior responsible officers for Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Groups said:

“Representatives from across the area have decided there is no preferred option and there will be no consultation this year,” said Brigid Stacey, interim senior officer responsible for the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

"The NHS Future Fit Programme to-date has involved an immense amount of hard work and told us clearly why services need to change and why ‘no change’ is not an option.”