Loss of Ludlow minor injuries unit will hit older people, say campaigners
Fears have been raised that Ludlow's hospital will lose its minor injuries unit with no replacement, as talks continue over the future of Shropshire's health services.
Councillor Tracey Huffer said a quarter of households in Ludlow do not own a car and will not be able to drive to get treatment if the unit is lost from the town.
But health bosses have said no decisions have been made on where new urgent care centres, set to replace minor injuries units under the NHS's Future Fit plans, will be, and a clinical review and public consultation is being held to help decide this.
There are currently minor injuries units in Ludlow, Oswestry, Bridgnorth and Whitchurch, which deal with such things sprains, fractures, cuts, bites and minor burns.
Councillor Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East said: "I am really worried about the loss of the minor injuries unit at Ludlow Hospital. All the minor injuries units in Shropshire are to be closed and replaced by urgent care centres.
"But there is no guarantee that we will get an Urgent Care Centre in Ludlow. That will mean the people with breaks, fractures, asthma attacks and all sorts of problems that are currently treated locally will have to go to Shrewsbury or Telford.
"This really matters in Ludlow where one in four people are 65 years old or over, much more than the county average of one in five.
"How are they going to get to the urgent care centre after a fall if it's not located in Ludlow? One quarter of households in Ludlow don't own a car or van and they can't drive for treatment elsewhere.
"We are looking at hundreds of patients that will need an ambulance for a round trip of 60 miles or more, when they at the moment can get a neighbour to help or a taxi to the minor injuries unit at Ludlow Hospital.
"It doesn't make sense to me and I fear that changes will ultimately lead to the closure of Ludlow's hospital and put intolerable strain on our local GPs and nurses.
"The Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group is consulting on the changes, but I'm getting the impression there is a huge head of steam that's going to blast through these changes whether they are good for Shropshire or not."
However, in a statement, Dr Caron Morton, joint senior responsible officer for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group said proposals for where new urgent care centres should be were being looked at and would form part of a public consultation.
"It remains the case that no urgent care centre locations have yet been determined," the group said. "The task of proposing the number and location of urgent care centres is under way."
