Medics hear of Future Fit concerns at Whitchurch consultation

Concerns over transport links to the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury hospitals were the topic of debate at the latest Future Fit consultation event.

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A steady stream of visitors filed in to Whitchurch Civic Centre yesterday to meet with clinicians, surgeons and other medical staff and voice their opinions on the Future Fit options put forward by Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Option 1 is the preferred Future Fit option which includes siting the county’s emergency department at RSH while planned care would be at the PRH. Both hospitals would also house an urgent care centre which would deal with most walk-in patient cases.

The second option would be for PRH to house Shropshire’s emergency department and for RSH to become the planned care site.

Again, both hospitals would have an urgent care centre that would be open 24 hours a day.

Health bosses say consultant-led women and children’s services would have to be on the same site as the emergency department. However, women and children’s services would still be available on the other site, including a midwife-led unit.

Doors opened at 3.30pm and one of those first in to the main hall was Julie Finch, a retired accounts technician from Whitchurch. She is in favour of emergency care remaining at the PRH in Telford while planned care takes place at the RSH.