Shropshire Star comment: Let’s listen to voice of the people
At desks heaving under the weight of paperwork in bland meeting rooms, decisions are being taken which are steering the course of Shropshire's health service.
What takes place there amid discussion and chewed pens must seem a long way from what took place on the streets of Wellington at the weekend, although there is a direct relationship.
The numbers who turned out in the latest march are evidence yet again of the strength of feeling among normal people.
The health professionals will have a view, but the ordinary people are the customers, on the receiving end of what the NHS delivers in Shropshire, and with the overwhelming stake in the issue.
Why was the march in Telford? Because it is Telford's Princess Royal Hospital which is in the crosshairs.
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This hospital, for which people in east Shropshire fought so long and hard, faces the prospect of becoming a different hospital to that which was originally envisaged, which was a hospital equipped to deal with emergencies.
For all its life so far that is what the PRH has been, a hospital with its own accident and emergency unit, and for quite a substantial period a self-managed hospital, before it merged with the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital under common management.
The interminable Future Fit process has earmarked Telford's A&E to be closed. Under Future Fit, that is an eventuality still some way down the line, leaving much opportunity for continued discussion and debate.
But now we have the prospect in just a few weeks of temporary overnight closures of Telford's A&E. These are not the result of a strategic plan, but are blamed on a lack of skilled medical staff caused by underlying problems of recruitment, leading to a potential unsafe environment.
While the A&E is being closed overnight because of a potential unsafe environment caused by a shortage of skilled staff, according to one Wolverhampton health boss doctors don't want to work at Telford because of this perceived unsafe environment.
This is the circle which will have to be squared.
It is natural for Telford residents to fear that the temporary closure is a dry run for something permanent.
The closure will put great pressure on surrounding hospitals. There is the potential for chaos. Almost as bad for Telford would be for everything to go smoothly, because then it would not be long before there were voices saying, well, we closed it overnight with no problems, let's now go the whole hog.
If any do think that, they should remember those who were on the streets at the weekend.
