IT is being claimed that two NHS reviews being undertaken will threaten the viability of Ludlow Hospital.

Gill George, who is based in Ludlow and leads the Defend our NHS in Shropshire Group, believes that the outcome of the reviews will mean the loss of services at Ludlow Hospital.

She fears that Ludlow Hospital will become a ‘community hub’ with no inpatient beds or Minor Injuries Unit and that the midwife led maternity unit will become an ‘on-call’ style service with no post-natal care.

However, the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group have made clear in two reports that went to the governing body that no decisions have been made and that there will be public consultation.

Both reviews are being led by Dr Julie Davies, director of performance and delivery.

The first is into community services and sets as its objective to improve long-term health.

But it makes it clear that there are particular problems.

‘Commissioners must be able to deliver this goal in the context of Shropshire, notably its ageing population and rurality.

‘The additional challenge for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group is that it has a recurrent overspend of £20million and an in-year deficit of £26million and therefore the review needs to take into account value for money and affordability.’

It will consider the future of Ludlow and four other minor injuries units in Shropshire.

These provide urgent and unplanned care short of Accident and Emergency and the review will consider how this need is likely to grow and ways in which it can be most effectively met.

The report into the review points out that the existing Minor Injuries Units have different hours and offer different diagnostic services.

It will also consider the number of beds at community hospitals like Ludlow.

The review of the Midwifery Led Maternity Units will consider if the present model is sustainable.

Ludlow is one of five midwifery led units in Shropshire. They enable women whose pregnancies are considered to be low risk to give birth in a hospital closer to where they live under the supervision of midwives.

More complex deliveries or pregnancies that are considered higher risk take place in consultancy led units usually in Shrewsbury or Hereford for women from Ludlow.

But the two reviews concern Gill George of the Shropshire Defend our NHS Group.

“Both are very likely to result in an erosion of services in Ludlow,” said Gill George.

“My guess is that the aim is a ‘community hub’ but not a hospital – no in-patient beds, no Minor Injuries Unit, either no Maternity Led Unit or a much-reduced unit where the midwife is available on-call for women going into labour and postnatal care goes.

“These developments are taking place in the context of a longer-term approach to Ludlow Hospital of – not to put too fine a point on it – running it down. Overall this is plainly an extremely concerning situation.

A target has been set for both of the reviews to be completed by the end of the summer.

Gill George said that she has made her concerns known to the Friends of Ludlow Hospital.