Vital health meeting

If the changes are eventually introduced they will mean a longer journey in some cases for people requiring acute care.

The new regime would involve redrawing the services provided by hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford.

One of the two hospitals would be designated as a centre for emergency care where loss of life is a risk such as heart attacks or strokes and the other will focus upon planned care such as scheduled operations and tests like endoscopies.

There would be urgent care centres in both Shrewsbury and Telford that would be open 24 hours a day, every day, for illnesses and injuries requiring attention but that are not life threatening.

There would be women’s and children’s services on both sites including midwife-led units, routine scanning and outpatient appointments for children.

When a formal public consultation is launched, people will be asked for their views on which hospital would become the emergency care site and which hospital would become the planned care site.

Simon Freeman, accountable officer for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, has refuted suggestions that health chiefs have already made up their minds.

“As local health leaders we are committed to ensuring our decisions are clinically led and that any public consultation will be open and fair,” he said.

“It is disappointing to hear speculation that the decisions are predetermined, as this is wholly unfounded. The public is aware of the open challenge and scrutiny our decisions have gone through over the last four years.

“The programme board reviewed an independent report on the process undertaken so far and an impact assessment on the women and children’s services, before reviewing their recommendation made in November 2016.

“They determined that there was nothing in the reports that materially changed their decision and therefore is making a recommendation to the joint committee to progress to public consultation on all clinically and financially viable options.

“This includes a preferred option of the emergency care site at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and planned care site at the Princess Royal Hospital.”

Health leaders are also offering reassurance that under the proposals women and children would still receive the majority of care and treatment in the same place as they do now.

“It is vital that women and children’s high risk services (when women and children need to stay in hospital overnight or need specialist care) are based alongside the emergency care site.”

Simon Freeman added that the changes would cause some inconvenience.

“We recognise the proposed changes will mean that some people may have to travel further for their treatment,” he added.

“However, most people attend our hospitals for outpatient appointments. Under our proposal, the majority of these appointments will continue to take place where they do now.

“Any final decision on the future of hospital services will not be made by the until after the views from the public consultation are reviewed”