Meeting in Oswestry over Future Fit plans
People in Oswestry have the chance to give their views on plans to change accident and emergency hospital care in the county.
The town council is hosting a meeting on Tuesday when guest speakers will be Dr Simon Freeman, accountable officer at Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Gill George chairwoman of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Defend Our NHS.
Mayor, Councillor Sandy Best said the council wants to ensure local residents had the chance to hear the proposals and offer views.
"It is such a serious subject that impacts our community," she said.
The public is being consulted on Future Fit proposals to have an emergency care centre in Shrewsbury with planned care at Telford. There would be urgent care centres at the Royal Shrewsbury and the Princess Royal hospitals.
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups are asking for views on two options.
Option one, the preferred Future Fit option which has been put forward by Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups includes siting the county’s emergency department at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Under that model, Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital would take on responsibility for providing planned care. Both the RSH and PRH would also house an urgent care centre which would deal with most walk-in patient cases.
The second option would be for Princess Royal Hospital to house Shropshire’s emergency department and for Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to become the planned care site. Again, both hospitals would have an urgent care centre that would be open 24 hours a day. Health bosses say consultant-led women and children’s services would have to be on the same site as the emergency department. However, women and children’s services would still be available on the other site, including a midwife-led unit.
