Shropshire hospital 'working hard' to restore maternity services

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said they are "working hard" to restore services after they had to close Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to maternity, newborn and child admissions.

The closure on Friday was caused when a generator broke down, forcing the trust to put contingency plans in place to minimise disruption and to ensure the safety of patients.

A spokesperson for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said on Sunday that they hope the maternity unit would reopen in the "next few days" but couldn't give an exact date as they were waiting on parts.

She added: “Our teams are working hard to restore services and we are doing everything we can to secure the specialist parts needed for the generator, with suppliers closed over the weekend. As a precaution, we remain temporarily closed to admissions for maternity, neonates and children’s services.

“We would encourage women and families that need urgent maternity advice to contact our maternity triage team first, rather than neighbouring hospitals, so we can help you get to the right place for your needs. We remain grateful for the support of our neighbouring hospitals.

“Other services at the Princess Royal Hospital, including the Emergency Department remain open.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing and would like to thank women and their families for their continued support. We would also like to thank our staff for their continued care and dedication during these challenging circumstances.”

SaTH said if somebody is in labour, have symptoms of labour, or needs to speak to someone in maternity services, ring maternity triage on 01952 565948 for advice.

If you have an unwell baby or child, please go to the Emergency Department, call 111 or 999 in an emergency. The Emergency Department is operating as normal.

Further updates will be added to sath.nhs.uk as more information becomes available.