Future Fit proposals clear a huge hurdle
There has been a shroud of uncertainty over Shropshire's hospital services for more than four years.
But the controversial Future Fit process has now cleared a major hurdle, with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announcing it has been allocated capital investment of £312 million so the plans can progress to the next stage.
It paves the way for residents in the county to have a say on the proposals in a public consultation.
It was more than four months ago that Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups signed off on the pre-consultation business case and consultation documents.
The CCGs recommended that the county should be served by a single emergency department.
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And the decision on whether to take the proposals further was put in the hands of NHS England.
There were delays in December when NHS England wanted to know the funding was available to finance the scheme.
Among those welcoming the news on the funding is Telford MP Lucy Allan.
She said: "I welcome the news that the Health Secretary and the Department for Health has given the go ahead for this massive investment into our local hospital services.
Get involved
"It is now up to local health clinicians to decide how best this money should be spent and to ensure our health needs are met. As residents, we will be asked our views on their proposals.
“It is vital that Telford residents get involved and tell local health bosses our views on their plans. I urge everyone in Telford to make sure that they respond to the public consultation and have their say.
“It is fantastic that the Government has pledged to support the future of both our hospitals, with funding of £312m. However, as Telford’s MP, I will be making sure that any scheme the clinicians decide upon, properly meets the needs of Telford residents."
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard said it was the biggest investment in the NHS in Shropshire in 70 years.
He added: "It is a huge figure. Along with the nurses’ pay rise, it is fantastic news.”
Councillor Andrew Eade, leader of Telford & Wrekin Conservative Group, said: “This is a huge step forward and a significant Government investment into developing and modernising our health services across Shropshire.
“While welcoming this positive news we now urge the Future Fit consultation process to include our option of providing a state of the art emergency care centre between Telford and Shrewsbury to give our whole county a genuine say in providing the very best and modern healthcare possible.”
Process
There have been many calls over the past few months to get the long delayed Future Fit process moving again.
Just last week Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski called in the House of Commons for Theresa May to help move the process along.
Former health minister and Ludlow MP Philip Dunne also called on the county to get behind the controversial plans.
He said the plan to create a single A&E for the county was the best way to help secure the investment needed to create world-class services.
And he called on his former boss, Mr Hunt, to ensure funding was in place to make the plan a reality.
At the very start of the year, health bosses from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs spoke of their hopes that the Future Fit saga could be brought to an end this year.
Meanwhile, health campaigners fighting the plans have made repeated calls for the Future Fit process to be axed.
Last year, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, said further doubt had been cast over the controversial shake-up after it was left off a list of schemes to be prioritised for NHS England funding.
He described the process as "flawed" and questioned the government’s faith in the scheme.
Although Simon Wright, chief executive of Shropshire and Telford Hospital NHS Trust – which runs Telford's Princess Royal Hospital and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, said the schemes announced had been "relatively modest" and it would take longer for approval on a larger scheme.
The preferred option, which has been agreed by the CCGs, is for a single emergency unit at RSH, while planned services will be centred at PRH.
The consultant-led women and children’s unit will move to Shrewsbury under the plans, although Telford would retain a midwife-led unit.
Walk-in urgent care centres would be set up at both RSH and PRH.
A public consultation is expected to last 12 weeks and any feedback will be analysed before a final decision is made.
