Future Fit: Opening of £28 million Women and Children's Centre in Telford a false dawn

State-of-the-art facilities – whatever the cost.

It was in stark contrast to the dated, cramped facilities at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Nurses and midwives spoke of their excitement at working in their new surroundings. They gathered and craned their necks for a glimpse of the Princess Royal, who was brought to Telford for the official opening.

It was, clearly, a message from health chiefs that they were committed to providing the "best possible service" for women and children in Shropshire.

And the fanfare of the opening, on September 29, 2014, was matched by the optimism of staff.

The Princess Royal described it as a "fantastic facility" and was full of praise as she was given a whistle-stop tour of the facility, meeting staff and patients along the way.

It has been hailed, by and large, in all quarters as a massive success.

But today, almost unbelievably to many, it faces an uncertain future at best.

News has been leaked which suggests the centre could be moving back to Shrewsbury as part of Future Fit, the controversial shake-up of health services in the county.

A&E at Telford looks set to go to, with the Princess Royal Hospital instead becoming the centre for planned care and operations in the county.

The possibility of the new centre closing was first mooted in September last year, just 12 months after opening its doors.

Nearly 4,000 babies had been born there in the first year, and around 10,000 people treated.

It had received a "good" rating following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a government watchdog.

So council chiefs were stunned when one of the options being discussed by Future Fit chiefs was to close the new centre and relocate A&E and children's services lock, stock and barrel to Shrewsbury.

It was always what leaders in Telford believed was their trump card, the ace in the pack as debate raged on whether a new single A&E unit would be in the town or in Shrewsbury.

Women and children's services came as part of the deal – the two were inextricably linked.

Health chiefs, notoriously strapped for cash, wouldn't spend that amount of cash on such a facility only to close it straight after. Would they?

It seems, now, the unthinkable answer is yes.

When it was first floated last year, Telford & Wrekin Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for health, Councillor Richard Overton, immediately went on the offensive.

The Future Fit programme board behind the re-organisation put forward three short-listed options to go out to consultation.

Option one, said to cost £280 million, would put A&E services at the Royal Shrewsbury.

The PRH would lose its A&E department but retain women's and children's services, diagnostic treatment centre, urgent care and local planned care.

Option two, at £294 million, would see the PRH house the only A&E department, an urgent care centre and local planned care and retain women and children's services. The RSH would provide diagnostic treatment, urgent care and locally planned care.

But the third and most expensive option, coming in at £354 million, would see maternity and children's services move to Shrewsbury. It would also have the only A&E department, urgent care and locally planned care, while the PRH would provide diagnostic treatment, an urgent care centre and local planned care.

So not only would it see the brand spanking new centre shut, it would also be the most expensive option.

Councillor Overton described it as "madness". He said at the time: "Our view remains that Princess Royal Hospital offers the area's health services the best value and is the most viable site to develop.

"It is also madness that Future Fit can even consider closing the women and children's centre at PRH just one year after it opened at a cost of £28 million.

"We will be watching developments very closely. If we believe that the process is flawed, we will challenge this most forcefully."

The question being asked by civic leaders in Telford today is – what has changed?

In August 2014, a month before the new £28 million facility opened its doors, health chiefs spoke with pride about providing the "best possible service" for women and children in Shropshire.

Andrew Tapp, who at the time was women and children's care group medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said the new centre would help improve assessment services.

"We are committed to providing the best possible service for women and children in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales," he said.

"The opening of our £28 million Shropshire Women and Children's Centre is a reflection of this commitment."

It was not just the bosses who were proud, either.

Staff including nurses and midwives, used to working in cramped and not fit for purpose surroundings in Shrewsbury, were visibly buoyed in the opening weeks as they buzzed about with smiles firmly on faces.

Everything about it was better, we were told.

The new neonatal ward at Princess Royal Hospital would provide better care for ill and premature babies in Shropshire than the one it replaced in Shrewsbury, we were told.

Dr Alex Philpott, of the West Midlands neonatal transfer network, said: "The difference between the two units is one word – space. The unit at Shrewsbury was very cramped and that made it far from ideal."

Sister Carolyn Smith, speaking at around the time of the opening of the new centre, said she could not wait to get started in the new ward in Telford.

"The unit at Shrewsbury is old and dated now. It is very cramped," she said.

"With the new ward, we can provide better facilities and better care.

"There will be a lot more room around the cot and incubator for families.

"We have got three en-suite bedrooms for parents about to go home or for those who have particularly poorly babies and don't want to leave them. We have a kitchen and utility room. There are facilities at Shrewsbury, but nothing like the scale we will have here. There will be improved breast-feeding facilities too."

With the ability to cater for up to 135 inpatients, the centre currently is for women who need a consultant-led birth, gynaecology services involving an overnight stay, children who need to stay overnight, children's Oncology and Haematology care and babies who need intensive and special care.

It also looks after consultant-led maternity services, including the antenatal, postnatal and labour wards, neonatal services, children's inpatients, children's oncology and haematology, gynaecology inpatients, emergencies, procedures and early pregnancy assessment service.

The new children's ward led to the merging of teams of staff previously based on separate wards at Shrewsbury and Telford.

It has now become a specialist unit which all staff are proud of, according to the hospital's women and children's care director Cathy Smith.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the opening of the £28 million centre, her pride at what she called her "baby" beamed out.

"The first year of the centre has been a big success and we're delighted with all the feedback," she declared.

"We have had an incredibly busy and very successful first year. We have relocated the main base for 800 staff members which was a major task.

"All the credit goes to the staff. But just like moving house, it doesn't all stop once you have moved over. There was a lot of unpacking to do and a need to find a home for everything.

"The biggest challenge, and the biggest advantage of the new unit, has been the space. We love it but it has taken some getting used to.

"Staff have to travel further but everything is much more fit for purpose."

The unit is also home to the women's services ward.

Karen Bishton, senior staff nurse, said the differences between working at the old Shrewsbury site and the new one was 'huge'.

She added: "Working in this lovely new unit has been great.

"We were all apprehensive before we came. I worked at Shrewsbury for 14 years and did not want to change.

"But now we are here it is much better."

Talking to staff, as we did in detail around its first anniversary, it was clear there was pride and satisfaction over the quality of the new facilities provided at the new centre.

Where previously staff in some departments were working in cramped wards and crumbling facilities, now they work every day in modern, bright and spacious surroundings.

Council chiefs in Telford will be hoping and praying their thoughts are taken into account when it comes to making a final decision on the future of the costly site.