Jeremy Corbyn: One A&E in Shropshire is not enough
A single A&E department will not meet the needs of people in Shropshire, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has stressed.
It comes as the public consultation on Future Fit reaches the half-way stage.
The process aims to decide where hospital services should be located in the county, with health bosses recommending that a single emergency centre should be based at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
But Mr Corbyn has argued against this and says closing NHS services places lives at risk.
Nightmare ambulance journey
He weighed in on the controversial proposals after receiving a letter from a concerned resident in Craven Arms, who described having a "nightmare" journey to A&E when her son became “floppy” and was struggling to breathe.
Sarah Longman wrote a letter to the Labour leader saying she had to wait 40 minutes for an ambulance before it took two hours to get Joshua from their home to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital.
WATCH: Mum describes moment she thought her son would die
Sarah wrote: “On these dangerous, bendy country roads, where unfilled pot holes, escaped livestock and bad weather can make driving conditions treacherous, there’s no such thing as ‘blue light’ speed that you get in urban areas.
“The odds are already stacked against us and now, health bosses want to shut one of the A&Es in this county.”
She also made a video about the ordeal which has been seen by thousands of people on social media.
Funding
In a letter of response, Mr Corbyn said: "Under the Tories the NHS has been pushed towards privatisation.
"Sustained under-funding by the Tories has had terrible impacts on the NHS which are plain for all to see: A&E waiting times have reached their worst level ever recorded, it's getting harder to gain appointments to see GPs and waiting lists for treatment are soaring."
He said the Labour Party is committed to fully funding the NHS, adding: "We want to see more and better health services across the country, more staff, and we want to make sure that we see the best ever set of figures for A&E waiting times.
"Of course, in a county like Shropshire – where I did indeed grow up – or any other increasingly left behind rural area, part of achieving this is ensuring we have enough funding to provide enough services for everyone to access, supported by the right infrastructure to make that a reality.
"I have made my feelings on the potential closure of an A&E unit in Shropshire clear; I do not believe that a single A&E department meets the needs of people in Shropshire.
"I do not want to see any NHS services being closed, least of all in rural areas like Shropshire, because I know that if this happens it will be the lives of the people who live there that are under threat."
Chuffed
Sarah has welcomed Mr Corbyn's response.
She said: “I was absolutely chuffed to open Jeremy Corbyn’s letter, which was addressed to myself and Josh, on the Westminster letter headed paper.
“You could tell Mr Corbyn had actually read my letter because it was very personal and it was signed by him.”
The Future Fit public consultation, which features two options, will run until midnight on September 4.
The next public exhibition, allowing people the chance to talk to clinicians and find out more, takes place tomorrow at Bridgnorth Leisure Centre between 3.30pm and 7.30pm.
