Neurology clinics could come to Oswestry
Neurology clinics could be offered at Oswestry Health Centre starting later this year, a report has revealed.
Shropshire’s neurology service had to temporarily close to new referrals last year, with health bosses saying they were unable to manage demand due to staffing difficulties.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has been in talks with the Walton Centre in Liverpool in the hopes it can offer an outreach service in Shropshire.
A report to SaTH's trust board says the Walton Centre has confirmed it is prepared to sign an agreement to offer three clinics per week, 42 weeks out of the year, as a minimum.
But the centre only wants to operate in the north of the county.
The report, written by Carol McInnes, SaTH's assistant chief operating officer for unscheduled care, says: "Contact has been made with property services to determine the possibility of clinic space being made available for the three clinics at Oswestry Health Centre from 1 October 2018.
"As the capacity offer from the Walton Centre covers a quarter of that required by SaTH, and only in the north of the county, discussions have been commenced with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) and University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) to understand any support they may now be able to offer."
The report says the Walton Centre cannot commit to six clinics a week in the second year due to staffing levels, but would be keen to provide additional clinics should it recruit additional consultant staff.
The service remains closed to new referrals.
Neurology services treat conditions affecting the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, nerve, muscles and their connections.
In March last year, Shropshire patients who were referred to see a neurology specialist were told they would have to travel to Wolverhampton.
The trust said at that point in time 500 people were on the waiting list.
To help meet the demand for referrals, Shropshire and Telford Clinical Commissioning Groups arranged for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to temporarily provide the service for new patients.
Speaking in March last year, Ms McInnes said: “The temporary suspension of neurology services to new referrals is not a decision we have taken lightly.
“The service has been under considerable pressure due to workforce constraints for some time.
“This is purely a short-term move and the operational team is fully committed to developing a sustainable solution for the service.”
