Oswestry mayor in plea after care centre decision
An urgent care centre must be kept open in a Shropshire town if the county loses one of its Accident and Emergency departments, it has been claimed.
Initial suggestions from Future Fit, which is looking at the provision of hospital services in Shropshire, said one emergency centre would be supported by five urgent care centres – one probably in Oswestry.
But now the man behind the review, David Evans, has said that instead of a new centre extra services will be bolted onto existing provision.
Oswestry Mayor, Councillor Paul Milner, who has organised a public meeting at the Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry on Tuesday at 7pm, said it was very disappointing to hear that the town may now not be having its own urgent care centre.
"I, along with many other residents, have attended numerous Future Fit meetings over the past 12 months or so," he said.
"We were told that there were going to be urgent care centres, not only in Oswestry but in other rural towns. Now we are being told this will not happen, which is very disappointing and worrying."
The Mayor set up a petition calling for local health services to be protected and for Shrewsbury to retain its A&E.
"It now has well over 1,000 signatures and I have had many residents come to me to express their fears over the loss of A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital," he added.
"Oswestry's Primary Care Centre and Minor Injuries Unit are fantastic but if we are to lose an A&E we need an urgent care centre in Oswestry."
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson said he wanted to see the bulk of care delivered at A&E departments covered much closer to home in Urgent Care Centres.
"This could be done by enhancing the services of the Oswestry Primary Care Centre. On the eastern side of North Shropshire I would like to see an Urgent Care Centre in Whitchurch Community Hospital," he said.
