Bishop's Castle demanding to be put on health map
Residents of a town in south Shropshire have sent out a message to health chiefs in charge of reorganising county NHS services, demanding: "Put us on the map".
A packed public meeting in Bishop's Castle called on the board of NHS Future Fit – which including doctors and clinicians – to back the development of a GP-led, urgent care centre and local planned care centre at the existing Bishop's Castle Community Hospital.
Patients from across south Shropshire and east Montgomeryshire heard from Dr Bill Gowans, who has led the Future Fit clinical model exercise, and from representatives of Bishop's Castle Patients Group and local doctors.
Nick Hutchins, chairman of the patients group, said: "Patients recognised the tough decisions facing Future Fit but agreed that one size does not fit all when it comes to urgent care centres.
"Patients called for a far more integrated local approach to health and community care, which they saw as being totally in line with NHS policy.
"They agreed that the planned urgent care centre at Shrewsbury and possibly Ludlow would not serve the majority of patients in this deep rural cross-border area."
The group has submitted a proposition to Future Fit for a pilot urgent care centre, planned care centre and community hub in the town.
NHS Future Fit's programme board met earlier this week to approve the six options for the future reorganisation of healthcare. Some options see departments moved to a new unnamed location thought to be along the A5 or M54 corridor between Shrewsbury and Telford. Others include the creation of one A&E department for the county, supported by a network of drop-in centres.
Concerns were raised after the options featured no decision on the fate of Ludlow, Bishop's Castle and Bridgnorth. The latest range of options mainly focus on Shrewsbury and Telford.
