Crisis talks held over decision to close Telford A&E at night
A crisis meeting was held today in a bid to overturn the decision to close Telford's A&E overnight.
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies, cabinet members and senior managers met Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's chief executive Simon Wright and chairman Ben Reid.
The decision to close the A&E at Princess Royal Hospital overnight was taken by SaTH's board yesterday due to staffing shortages.
Councillor Shaun Davies talks about the crisis meeting over the night closure of Telford A&E:
The council says the top priority is to get Health Secretary Matt Hancock and national NHS leaders to urgently intervene to make sure SaTH gets the extra staff it needs.
SaTH says there are gaps in the numbers of consultants, middle grade doctors and nurses needed.
Councillor Davies says the overnight closure of A&E in Telford is avoidable and a solution is there if those responsible higher up choose to intervene.
He said: "Yet so far they have washed their hands of it.
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“Other hospital trusts have received the extra help that SaTH so desperately needs yet Telford and Shropshire appears to have been ignored.
“We must now all pull together and raise this issue as high and as loudly as we can – with Secretary of State and those at the top in the NHS.
"They have the power to resolve this and stop something that SaTH themselves say is wholly avoidable.
“It just needs one call from the very top and I believe all this could be sorted.
“For the people who use our hospitals and for the staff who work so tirelessly to deliver a good service, we must work together to find a solution and not waste time playing blame games.”
