Future Fit: County hospital bosses hope controversial shake-up plans will be signed off this year

Health chiefs, care professionals and patient representatives are finalising plans for the controversial programme, which could go through the final processes for national approval by the end of 2023.

Once national approval has been confirmed, work can begin to implement changes at both hospital sites – with the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital housing a single emergency department for the county and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford having facilities for "planned care".

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) says that under the plans, a dedicated emergency department in Shrewsbury will be for everyone in Shropshire, Telford, Wrekin and Mid Wales, with faster access to medical and surgical specialties.

Meanwhile, they say, dedicated facilities in Telford will provide planned care for the county, reducing the number of delays to scheduled appointments and operations. It will, they say, mean services that are more resilient to future pressures.

Dr Ed Rysdale, emergency medicine consultant at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and clinical director for the Hospitals Transformation Programme, said the plans were giving 'real hope' to medical staff of future improvements.

He said: "This is probably the hardest winter I have ever known, and I would like to thank all our staff and their patients for their continued support.

"Every day I can see how the proposed changes will help our services to work differently and support us in providing the best possible care for patients.

"The knowledge that this vital transformation work will be progressing through key approval milestones later this year is giving myself, and other clinical staff, real hope that things will be much better in the future.

“These planned improvements are a fundamental component of our wider strategy to reduce cancelled appointments and waiting times, deliver high quality urgent and emergency care in modern facilities, and provide a much better patient experience at two thriving hospital sites.

“2023 will be a significant year for us as we continue to work with our clinical teams, staff and local communities to develop these detailed plans for improving care for everyone in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales.

"These plans build on the commitments made during the consultation and our clinical staff are anxious for the changes to progress.

“We need to invest the significant additional capital funding in the best way possible, so that we can improve services for all of our residents and address the challenges that we are seeing more than ever this winter."

The changes will deliver:

• Dedicated facilities in Telford for planned care for everyone across Shropshire, Telford, Wrekin and mid Wales

• Enhanced urgent care services 24 hours a day, seven days a week at both sites to see, diagnose and treat people with an urgent care need, for example minor injuries and conditions that need immediate but not life-saving treatment

• A modern Emergency Department in Shrewsbury for everyone across Shropshire, Telford, Wrekin and mid Wales, giving faster access to medical and surgical specialties for life- and limb-saving emergencies

• Services on both sites that are "more resilient" to seasonal pressures and future pandemics

People living and working in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales, have been invited to join an About Health online event on Tuesday, January 24 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

Members of the Hospitals Transformation team will be answering questions from members of the public on the programme and it will give people the opportunity to find out more about how the plans have developed.

Dr Rysdale added: “These changes can’t happen quickly enough for us but we feel it is closer to becoming a reality.

"Importantly, we want to continue to keep everyone informed and involved at every step of this journey and I would encourage people to register for the About Health event.”

To find out more, or to register for the event, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/about-health-transforming-hospital-services-the-future-of-future-fit-tickets-503352098677.