Leading clinician: Future Fit will reduce delays and make local health services more resilient

Dr Steve McKew, divisional medical director for surgery, anaesthetics and cancer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said that the changes would bring genuine improvements to services and reduce hospital waiting times.

"They will modernise our services and significantly reduce delays to planned surgery and cancer treatment, whilst also making the services much more resilient to future pressures," he said.

Details of the dedicated planned care site have been revealed.

Dr McKew said operations and procedures could take place all year round utilising dedicated theatres and wards.

Shorter waiting times will mean people can have treatment sooner, improving their recovery and the services would be able to operate more effectively, ensuring that the right staff, right equipment and right facilities are available at the right time, he said.

"These plans build on our exciting recent announcement that £24 million is being invested in a new, purpose-built, planned care hub at the Princess Royal Hospital site in Telford, which will provide greater access to theatres and recovery beds and increase the number of same-day operations all year round," he said.

“Delays to planned surgery have a real impact on the quality of peoples’ lives and their ability to recover or start further treatment. The way our services and resources are currently configured means our staff struggle to provide the quality of care that our patients need. The challenge of managing the risk of Covid-19 infection during the recent pandemic exacerbated these problems.

“Investing in dedicated planned care facilities will reduce delays and help people to get the care they need, sooner. This is incredibly important for those needing urgent treatment, particularly for cancer, where earlier treatment leads to much better prospects for recovery.

“The plans to upgrade our acute hospital services will streamline delivery across two thriving hospital sites and improve care for everyone.”

The proposed transformation of hospital services across the county will see emergency care and maternity and women's services centred at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital while The Princess Royal Hospital site will specialise in the delivery of planned care.

The changes have been criticised in Telford while a petition calling for the decision to be looked at again has brought thousands of signatures.

Dr McKew said both the Telford and Shrewsbury sites will provide 24-hour urgent care services, improving access for the assessment and treatment of a wide range of illness and injuries.

"Telford will benefit from a new enhanced urgent care service, an A&E Local model, staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of health, care and community professionals. This will mean that around two thirds of patients currently treated at Telford’s A&E department will continue to receive the care they need at their most local hospital," he said.

"Both hospital sites will provide a range of assessment and maternity outpatient and scanning services, along with midwife-led birthing units for low-risk births. This means that the majority of expectant mothers will continue to receive their antenatal and postnatal care at the site closest to home."