Consultant backs Future Fit hospital plans with stark warning that 'we can't continue as we are'
A senior A&E medic has spoken out in support of major plans to re-organise the county's emergency hospitals.
Dr Ed Rysdale, consultant in emergency medicine at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said that Future Fit plans for both Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) are vital for patients and staff.
The controversial proposals would see RSH become the county's major accident and emergency department, while PRH will have a 24-hour 'A&E Local'.
The proposal will also see RSH become the centre for consultant-led women and children's services, which are currently based at PRH, while the Telford hospital will become the centre for planned care in the county.
Future Fit has been hit by delays, but crossed a major hurdle earlier this year when the Government and the NHS approved the strategic outline case for the proposal.
Dr Rysdale has now spoken out to describe the potential benefits, saying the planned changes would bring together specialist teams so that patients are seen faster, leading to a quicker diagnosis and shorter hospital stays.
He said: “These improvements will benefit all of our patients and enable us to provide the high-quality care that our patients need.
“We can’t continue as we are. Our patients regularly experience delays in accessing the right specialist teams and it is vital that our facilities support modern healthcare practices.”
Dr Rysdale said that the plans will result in "better quality care and fewer delays for treatment".
He added: “This represents a fantastic opportunity to optimise the delivery of our services across two thriving hospital sites.
“These changes will help us to make sure that everyone has access to the right care, at the right time, from the right clinicians when they need it most. The reconfiguration of services will also help us to attract more of the right specialist staff and to retain those we have now.”
