Future Fit: Shropshire hospital chiefs reveal details of their vision for the first time
The trust that controls Shropshire's two main hospitals has – for the first time – released a detailed breakdown about which services would be based at each of the county's two acute hospitals should the Future Fit board's favoured option be approved.
The plans would see a single A&E centre for the most serious and life-threatening emergencies at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, with the majority of planned surgery taking place at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital would have:
A new emergency centre
A critical care unit
24-hour urgent care services
Specialist wards such as stroke and cardiology
Trauma care including orthopaedic and unplanned/complex surgery
Maternity services consultant and midwife-led units
Childrens services
Outpatients services including a fracture clinic,
Diagnostics including X-ray, ultrasound CT and MRI scanning
About 510 inpatient beds and a decided ambulatory care unit to accommodate 49 patients
Kidney dialysis treatment
Cancer centre including chemotherapy services
Princess Royal Hospital in Telford would have:
24-hour urgent care services
Elective and day case surgery
Endoscopy
Centres of excellence in bariatric and breast services
Medical beds
Maternity services
Children services
Outpatients including a fracture clinic
Diagnostics including Z-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI scanning
About 350 inpatient and day case beds
Kidney dialysis treatment
Cancer centre including chemotherapy services
Health bosses said 24-hour urgent care centres planned for RSH and PRH would provide services seven days a week and would be available to treat the majority of patients in the same hospital as they visit now.
The centres would also provide patients with access to many key services such as X-ray and MRI scans.
But officials at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have reiterated that no decisions have been made and that proposals would be subject to full consultation.
New figures released by the trust show that in 2014/15 more than 115,000 patients arrived at A&E departments in Shrewsbury or Telford believing they needed immediate access to health care. The trust said the majority of these patients – about 75,000 – were not in need of life-saving intervention and could have been more appropriately seen in an urgent care centre.
More serious conditions, such as injuries caused by car crashes or people suffering acute stroke, would be treated at the proposed new emergency centre.
In addition, the trust would aim to bring the treatment for victims of most heart attacks back into the county. Currently patients need to travel to hospitals out of the county such as Stoke for such treatment.
Dr Adrian Marsh, A&E consultant at the trust, said: "We acknowledge concerns about the increased transport time for patients. However, while getting a patient to hospital quickly is important, it's more important that patients are seen in the right place, by the right person.
"A specialist site will mean more high quality staff, meaning patients can be seen by the right person much more quickly.
"The programme describes options that will improve current hospital services ensuring that the sickest of our patients have access to better emergency, urgent and critical care services.
"It will help to ensure our patients receive their care close to home and within the county.
"We must ensure patients now and in generations to come have the best services possible."
Chris Mowatt, consultant anaesthetist, said: "Our patients should know that the only concern for us doctors and nurses is ensuring we continue to build a sustainable and safe service.
"We believe reconfiguration will make our services better for everyone we serve.
"These changes can seem daunting but we believe that providing more structured emergency care is an essential part of building a sustainable service for many years."
