Hospital failings to be examined by councillors

Channel 4's Dispatches programme showed footage of patients waiting in A&E for up to 46 hours

Councillors concerned by a hospital's poor A&E standards plan to "rigorously" examine its performance in the wake of a TV documentary.

A Channel 4 Dispatches programme showed footage of patients waiting in A&E for up to 46 hours and undignified treatment of patients in corridors at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

A meeting will be held by the Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) with hospital bosses on Wednesday.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) apologised to those affected after the programme was broadcast.

The committee, made up of members from Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin councils, said the trust's performance across the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal in Telford had been a "consistent focus" for its work.

It said the meeting will also concentrate on the Care and Quality Commission’s (CQC) report published in May, where the Trust received an improved rating of requires improvement.

Councillor Geoff Elner, Shropshire Council’s JHOSC co-chair, said: "We have reached a point where we believe our concerns need action to enable them to be addressed.

"Our communities deserve access to a good standard of health care and we intend to help ensure that the best possible standard of service is delivered.”

Councillor Fiona Doran, Telford & Wrekin Council’s co-chair, said the recent documentary raised questions for patient care across the region.

She added: "We want to hear how SaTH and the Integrated Care System are going to make the necessary improvements to rebuild the confidence of everyone who relies upon them.”