Plans for Mid Wales hospital patients leads to fears for Shrewsbury's A&E
Fears have been raised that plans to treat patients from a Mid Wales town at a hospital in Aberystwyth could lead to A&E services in Shropshire being based only in Telford.
It is claimed Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative Board is recommending patients from Newtown and the surrounding area travel 43 miles to Bronglais Hospital for outpatient appointments. They currently use the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Joy Jones, Powys county councillor for Newtown and leader of Newtown Health Forum, said she fears the new system will not work.
She said she thinks the longer journey to Aberystwyth – which takes more than an hour – could have a "disastrous" impact and raised fears it could lead to A&E services in Shropshire moving to Telford.
She said: "The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has the support of local people who prefer crossing the border but the Welsh Government is doing this to try and keep Welsh patients and money at Welsh hospitals.
"It is very worrying and could have a disastrous effect on people here. The road to Aberystwyth is horrendous and in the bad weather can become impassable. In contrast the road to Shrewsbury is far better and quicker and people have trust in that hospital.
"I also worry that if people from the Newtown area are no longer using Shrewsbury A&E services, will that encourage the trust to move the service to Telford under the Future Fit banner?
"We are all supporters of A&E services staying in Shrewsbury – be that at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or at a new site built off the bypass in the town.
"It is vital for us that it remains in Shrewsbury. It already takes us almost an hour to get there – moving it all to Telford would end up costing lives. Health chiefs have got to remember that people in Mid Wales need considering too."
The proposals were contained in a report to the collaborative's board last month.
Councillor Jones added: "This is an excuse to save Bronglais Hospital and we are being used to do that. It's not good enough. We don't have enough health care anyway so to do this is just unfair."
Steve Moore, chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: "Bronglais General Hospital will develop into the rural general hospital for Mid Wales.
"It will deliver services within the hospital setting and as an outreach into Ceredigion, South Gwynedd and Powys to support the primary care and community services.
"This is in order to relieve the pressure on other acute hospitals in Wales. It is possible to increase the population and geographical area that it serves.
"The current model does not deliver services on a footprint that is consistent across all specialities.
"The proposal would ensure that there is uniformity of referral pathways and services between specialities."
