Telford A&E saved: Big ‘thank you’ as community rallies to bring in more doctors
Volunteers, business owners and parish councils have been thanked for their help in the campaign to get more doctors for Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
Telford & Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies said the community had come together to refurbish doctors accommodation on the hospital site.
When completed, the accommodation will be offered free of charge to junior and middle grade doctors. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the Princess Royal Hospital, will be the only hospital trust to offer such accommodation for free.
The project has financially been supported by eight town and parish councils in the borough who have collectively donated more than £30,000.
The refurbishment work is one of a number of recent efforts to help recruit staff to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust whose A&E department in Telford had faced overnight closure from next month. Last week it was announced the department would stay open until at least March after extra staff were recruited.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (Sath) said it had secured the middle grade doctors and nurses needed to put a halt on plans to close the emergency department overnight. It had been due to close at night from December 5 due to staffing issues.
Meanwhile, health commissioners have welcomed the news that Telford’s A&E will remain open 24-hours-a-day.
Dr Julian Povey, chair of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “To have to temporarily close a service because there are not enough staff is always a last resort and I am delighted that, at what was almost the 11th hour, a solution has been found to make sure the accident and emergency department at Princess Royal Hospital will now remain open.”
