Threat grows over hospital

Health chiefs are on a collision course with MPs, councillors and residents over a major overhaul of the local NHS, which could lead to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital losing its children’s in-patient ward and its casualty unit downgraded.


Telford’s two MPs - from opposite sides of the political fence - parish councillors and their borough counterparts are all standing fast against the proposals, which are set to be firmed-up during the next few months.

This week the boards of both Shropshire County and Telford & Wrekin Primary Care Trusts agreed to press ahead with possible options for the future of health care services in the area.

The plans - developed by a group of senior doctors and nurses - include a controversial proposition to build a new front line accident hospital somewhere between Shrewsbury and Telford.

It is also being suggested that one of Shropshire’s two children’s in-patient wards - at the Royal Shrewsbury or the Princess Royal - will have to close.

And although A&E units would remain at both sites, only one would deal with the more serious emergency cases. The other would handle routine inpatients and day cases.

The proposals state that by 2020 all emergency services should be concenrated at either the Royal Shrewsbury or Princess Royal.

The trust boards agreed to develop options in more detail. No final decisions will be taken until late 2009.

Wrekin Tory MP Mark Pritchard, who has led a long-running campaign against losing services at the Princess Royal, said downgrading would “take emergency and children’s services even further away from most local residents.”

“My constituents don’t need another hospital but a PRH that provides a full range of services which they have already paid for through record taxation,” he said.

The Labour MP for Telford, David Wright, said: “Telford is a growing town and health bosses need to recognise this when they organise hospital services.”

Telford & Wrekin Council said the primary care trusts had put forward some good ideas, but warned any option must also consider the long-term viability of the PRH and the wider Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust if services were moved.

Councillor Jacqui Seymour, cabinet member for adult and consumer care, said: “Clinical needs must be equally balanced with those of the community, which in our case is not just the community in this borough but also in eastern Shropshire and large parts of north Shropshire.

“That’s why the council wants to highlight four issues: The distance and journey-time people face to get to hospital services; the changes in population which will see Telford and Wrekin grow more rapidly in the next 18 years to become by far the biggest centre in the area; the significantly younger population in the borough; and ensuring that NHS services meet the health issues that arise from deprivation.”

Councillor Pat Smart, chairman of Hadley & Leegomery Parish Council added: “The crucial facts that must be considered are that Telford is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and on the grounds of numerical supremacy alone, the main services should not only remain, but be increased at the PRH.”

We must not forget that Telford lost many small hospitals to get the PRH we should keep it at all cost.

We had to fight to stop moves recently, we will have to do it again only this time we have to do it once and for all. I did warn people that the amalgamation of Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals into one trust would be a mistake and bring problems.

I will joint with anyone of any political party or persuasion to fight this. The main thing is to keep Telfords hospital facilities in Telford and not 20 miles away.

When a country is threatened political difference must be set aside. So it is with a town. Roger is correct on this and Carol is wise in reminding us how hospitals like Cosford were set aside so that the P.R.H could be built. It should be recalled that Cosford was highly rated as regards casualty emergencies.

It is ludicrous to be talking about closing facilities and building another hospital. I suspect that professional and administrative convenience is driving this.

I do not deny Shrewsbury it's needs but surely it must be acknowledged that Telford is geographically the size of Bristol and demographically likely to expand to several hundred thousand people in total over the next two decades.It is necessary to include the areas of the county adjacent to Telford in these calculations

How fortunate that David Wright has seen the light!

For David "I'm a local jockey, me!" Wright spent several years flatly denying that Mark Pritchard's allegations about plans to stitch up the PRH and move or combine services were true. He even went so far as to accuse Mark Pritchard of lying.

But now it turns out that it was Wright who was not right. In fact, Wright was Wrong. And he must have known it, too, at the time!