Future Fit: Shropshire hospitals overhaul to start next year, MPs told
Work on Shropshire's 'Future Fit' hospitals overhaul is planned to begin next year, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has told the House of Commons.
Dominic Raab made the comments in response to a question from Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski at Prime Minister's Questions. Mr Raab was standing in for Boris Johnson as he attends the Nato summit.
The Shrewsbury Tory MP's question focussed on the much-delayed Future Fit plans for both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, both of which are managed by Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).
The response follows comments from Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who earlier this month said that he understood SaTH was intending to start work on the project next year and finish in 2028.
Addressing Mr Raab in the House of Commons, Mr Kawczynski said: "We are investing nearly £190 billion this year into the NHS and yet many of us see disturbing deficiencies within NHS management, no more so than at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.
"Four years ago in 2018 my right honourable friend from Ludlow and I secured £312 million for a major A&E modernisation within out local hospital trust. Four years on, construction has still not started.
"What message can the Deputy Prime Minister give to the people of Shrewsbury as to how government can intervene to break this gridlock and finally allow the £312m we have secured to be utilised for the benefit of the people of Shropshire and Mid Wales?"
In response Mr Raab said: "My honourable friend is a doughty champion of his constituents, particularly on NHS services.
"The DHSC recently received the strategic outline case for the transformation of A&E services in Shrewsbury and Telford and it is still being processed, but I can tell him the trust is aiming to present the full business case in 2023, with construction starting in the same year."
