Shrewsbury hospital IVF centre 'not fit for purpose'

Health bosses are hoping to move the fertility service into new premises at the Severn Fields Health Village, off Sundorne Road.

They say the current treatment rooms and laboratories are "cramped", with no suitable changing facilities.

Officials say staff morale is low in the department and it is struggling to keep up with technological developments.

The Shropshire & Mid-Wales Fertility Service began offering IVF treatments on-site at RSH in 2002.

An official report from Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust warns that if inspected tomorrow the service would highly likely fail.

The report's summary says the current department is "not fit for purpose", and consequently poses a significant risk.

It is however a centre of excellence and is currently one of the most successful NHS IVF services in the country.

Over the last 14 years workload has increased steadily as have the regulatory and governance requirements.

In a paper, due to be discussed by hospital officials on Thursday, it states: "The rapid pace of change in the field of fertility services results in the continuing introduction of new procedures and improved methods are being developed all the time.

"Private and NHS units are responding to clinical and technological advances, however the trust is now struggling to maintain pace.

"Clinical space is severely limited, both the laboratories and the treatment room are too small to accommodate patient throughput, and bottlenecks exist within the recovery area, as only three patients can be recovered at a time.

"There are significant issues around dignity and privacy for patients, with no suitable changing facilities and two patients routinely recovering in a room suitable for one."The issues relating to fertility services accommodation have been known and recognised for some time however to date, for a variety of reasons, the trust has not been able to identify a viable solution."A full inspection of the facility is due in 2017, but an unannounced inspection could occur at any time. It is highly likely that the service will fail the inspection due to the inadequacies associated with the laboratories, treatment room and recovery area. This failure will have a significant negative financial impact on the organisation."

Health officials have said maintaining the current high quality of care is extremely difficult within the existing premises and the lack of space has resulted in significant operational issues for the centre.

The paper states: "New procedures and methods are continuing to improve. These developments not only offer better care but also enhance both patient outcomes and the reputation of the centre.

"The trust is now unable to maintain pace and offer the benefits associated with these developments as the current facilities are not able to support expansion.

"Morale is currently quite low within the department, whilst this is not affecting patient care it is having a detrimental effect on the working lives of the existing staff and could result in current staff seeking alternative employment in the future or extended periods of sickness."

The move will be discussed by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust board members on Thursday at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.