Shropshire's rural health care sites are to be improved
Urgent health care services at the county's rural hospitals will be improved rather than downgraded as part of a review, it was revealed today.
The pledge was made as it was agreed to scrap plans to have just two identical urgent care centres serving the rest of the county outside Telford and Shrewsbury.
Instead NHS Future Fit bosses have said they will be holding talks with existing hospitals, GPs, health centres and the areas they serve and making decisions on what is needed to bring urgent care up to standard on a case-by-case basis.
Information and consultation days will be held at Bishops Castle Town Hall from 10am to 3pm tomorrow.
NHS Future Fit will be at Whitchurch Market on Friday, Whitchurch Community Hospital on Monday, Oswestry Market on Wednesday. and Ludlow Community Hospital on March 23.
The news has been welcomed by supporters of community hospitals such as Bishop's Castle, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Whitchurch, as there were fears they would have to fight it out over which got upgraded to an urgent care centre, and which would potentially be downgraded or close.
Richard Caddy, for NHS Future Fit, said: "What we are looking to do is add things, not take things away. We have guaranteed urgent care centres in Shrewsbury and Telford, but rather than say we are going to have two in the rest of the county, we are going to communities to see what they need. What we want to do is make sure that each area has a similar level of service and there are uniformed people in those areas, so that the public know what they can get."
