Future Fit review motion wins unanimous support from Telford & Wrekin Council

An emergency meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council took place at Oakengates Theatre yesterday in response to the decision, which will shake-up hospital services in Shropshire and leave the county with a single emergency department in Shrewsbury.

A motion, moved by Councillor Andy Burford, expressed disappointment in the decision made by health commissioners last month.

It said the council’s opinion was that it had not been properly consulted upon and was not in the interests of the health services in Telford and Wrekin.

The motion, which received cross-party unanimous support, called for the council to formally report the decision to Health Secretary Matt Hancock for review.

The decision on Future Fit, which was made by a joint committee of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups, means Princess Royal Hospital in Telford will take over responsibility for planned care in the future.

Both PRH and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will have 24/7 urgent care centres, but the most seriously ill patients will be taken to Shrewsbury.

Letter

Ahead of yesterday’s meeting, Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies wrote an open letter to Telford MP Lucy Allan congratulating her for meeting with the Health Secretary and raising the issue in the House of Commons.

But he criticised her and other MPs, saying they had ‘failed to hold this Government to account’ on this issue and cuts made to the NHS.

In the letter, he appealed for them to work together to get a Government-backed guarantee that Telford’s A&E will never close or be downgraded, services will be safeguarded and cuts reversed.

He said: “I urge you – stop the needless division. Let’s unite. Let’s get this Government to act and to deliver better for Telford, Wrekin and Shropshire.

“We must stand together, to ensure that Telford and Wrekin’s needs and concerns are heard and addressed by those in Government and who hold the elected positions, to safeguard our community.”

Read the letter from Councillor Shaun Davies to Telford MP Lucy Allan:

Ms Allan met with Mr Hancock earlier this month to make a case that the Future Fit plans must be reviewed.

Afterwards she said he was waiting for a formal request from the local authority, but had given her assurances that he will give the matter his full consideration.

Hope

Ms Allan says there is still hope the decision could be overturned.

She said: “An almost identical proposal to Future Fit was put forward by the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.

“It was proposed that all emergency acute and high risk planned care would move from one hospital and be concentrated at another hospital site.

“This proposal was reviewed by an independent panel and subsequently blocked in 2018 by the Secretary of State on the grounds that it was not in the interests of local people.

“We now have the same opportunity to put our case to the Secretary of State. We know Future Fit fails to consider the health needs of our area and is unworkable.

“We too can successfully make the argument that Future Fit is flawed and does not meet the needs of our population.”