Hospital revamp work to start 'by end of March'

Under the plans, a new building would be constructed at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, linked to an expanded A&E

Preparatory construction work at two hospitals earmarked for a major overhaul will begin before April, the government has said.

The £312m Future Fit project calls for the reorganisation of the two acute sites run by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).

The scheme, first floated in 2013, includes the controversial end of A&E at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, with Royal Shrewsbury becoming the main emergency hub.

"Enabling works" were recently approved for the development, health minister Will Quince told Parliament.

They were expected to start this financial year, with funding being provided for the trust to draw up a full business case, he added.

Enabling works are usually carried out to prepare a site for building and can include ground clearance and fencing.

Building works should be complete by the end of 2026, the NHS trust said

The minister was responding to a question by South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne who said the scheme had been "held up by too many delays".

"I have been working with other Shropshire MPs to keep up pressure both locally and in government to get this project up and running and am very pleased we are finally seeing progress," he added.

The transformation of the sites would also see the end of consultant-led maternity services at the Princess Royal Hospital.

The Telford site would instead focus on planned operations while urgent and emergency care would be carried out in Shrewsbury, SaTH said in its plans.

But that has drawn criticism from some patients groups, who have suggested Telford people would have further to travel in the event of emergencies, potentially putting them at risk.

Among the proposals, a new building would be built next to the main entrance of the Royal Shrewsbury site, linked to an expanded A&E department.

The details were revealed in a planning application in July.

The trust previously said it expected to submit its full business case this autumn.

The new services would not be ready for the public until the end of 2026, SaTH said on its website.