Ludlow councillor welcomes review

A councillor who first proposed an inquiry into growing delays with the ambulance waiting and handover times at the county's two main hospitals says she welcomes the three day 'watershed' review.

Liberal Democrat Tracey Huffer, the Shropshire councillor for Ludlow East said she was disappointed there would not be a full enquiry, but the three day review was welcome and meant the council was at least tackling one of the biggest issues that faced the county.

The review was announced by cabinet yesterday amid a major deterioration in ambulance response times in the county – a trend which has continued over the last few months.

Councillor Huffer said: “In February, I called on Shropshire Council to set up an inquiry to get answers from the hospital trust, the ambulance trust, the CCG and others, and to hear views from across the county.

" I said an inquiry would be a powerful statement from Shropshire Council which is not a passive player when the health service in our country is struggling and too often failing to deliver services that we need.

“In May, I asked the council to establish a working group to investigate how an inquiry might operate. That was agreed and a task and finish group was set up.

“I am disappointed the group did not recommend a full inquiry but I appreciate the resource constraints the council has. The three day “watershed review” is welcome. It will mean that Shropshire Council is at last tackling one of the most important issues facing our county.

“I am worried a short review might find that it does not have all the data it needs or hasn’t interviewed sufficient witnesses. The review must be rapid but if it needs a bit more time to come to the right understanding and recommendations, it should be allowed it.”

Fellow Liberal Democrat Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthern Heather Kidd said: “The proposed review is really welcome but it needs to ensure that it gets answers to any questions it asks.

"For too long we have seen statistics that only cover broad areas, such as the whole West Midlands region. We need a detailed breakdown that will allow us to look at the impact on rural areas where ambulance arrival times are longer and where it can be harder to find care facilities for people on discharge from hospital.”