Wind turbine hold-ups in Shropshire and Mid Wales could 'put patients at risk'
Fears have been raised that lorries carrying wind turbine parts through Shropshire and Mid Wales could cause hold-ups for patients travelling to hospital.
Joy Jones, county councillor for Newtown and leader of the town's health forum, has today voiced concerns that convoys transporting wind turbine parts for work on the Tirgwynt windfarm, between Cefn Coch and Carno, and the Garreg Llwyd Hill windfarm, on the Black Mountain between Felindre and Llanbadarn Fynydd, will cause disruption to Mid Wales patients' journeys to hospital.
She said: "I'm convinced that people will die as a result of the traffic caused by the windfarm traffic, especially patients living in Newtown because there's also the bypass works to consider.
"The roads are bad enough without works on the area's roads but this will get worse because of the works." Mrs Jones also reiterated her plea to health officials to site a future single A&E department at Shrewsbury, something she has been calling for since the beginning of the Future Fit proposals.
"Surely healthy hospital staff should be travelling to the sick patients, not the sick patients travelling further to them," she said. "It shouldn't be about saving money, and money should not be put in front of patients. Patients come first."
Mrs Jones has also criticised comments made by Dr Edwin Borman, medical director of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, last week, who insisted longer travel times to hospital will not lead to more deaths.
She said: "I'm sorry but prior to Future Fit, health professionals stressed the importance of the vital golden hour and now apparently time isn't an important factor.
"Medical professionals have for years spoke of how crucial the golden hour is on ensuring better outcomes for patients. Those better outcomes diminish by the second depending on the situation."
The long-time health campaigner has spoken out after Welshpool Town Council announced it has set up a working relationship between itself and the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to ensure residents are well informed.
Mrs Jones praised the scheme but said it was time for residents to speak up.
She added: "We now need residents to stand up and share any horror stories they have because it'll be too late once we've lost the fight."
