A&E downgrade poses risk to health - town council

The A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford is set to be downgraded

Plans to downgrade a hospital’s accident and emergency department pose a significant risk to health and wellbeing, a town council says.

The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford is set to lose its full A&E as part of a reorganisation by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital would become the main emergency centre for Shropshire while the Princess Royal would become an urgent care centre, as well as the main site for planned care.

The trust said it was committed to delivering high quality healthcare for everyone across the two hospitals.

During discussions on Tuesday, Wellington Town Council concluded that confirmation from the government the scheme would go ahead was not acceptable.

Members unanimously approved a motion tabled by Councillor Crispin Barker, that acknowledged the “fundamental importance” of a fully-functioning local health economy.

"Accordingly, this council believes that any reduction or removal of emergency department services poses a significant risk to the health and wellbeing of the local population,” the motion states.

Services 'less accessible'

The reorganisation of the Telford and Shrewsbury hospitals come as part of the NHS’s £312m scheme Future Fit.

Under the plans, consultant-led women and children’s services would also move from Telford to Shrewsbury.

The changes were approved by health bosses in 2019 but a government-appointed Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) looked at the plans in response to concerns raised by Telford and Wrekin Council.

In a letter to the council on 21 December, health minister Andrew Stephenson confirmed the changes would still go ahead subject to the IRP's recommendations.

The town council said the changes would make services “less accessible” and called for the money to be spent on improving both hospitals.

Dr Ed Rysdale, clinical lead for the hospitals transformation programme at the trust, said: "We are committed to delivering sustainable, high quality health care for everyone through two thriving hospitals, with the Princess Royal Hospital specialising in planned care and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital specialising in emergency care."

He said the new model was "led and supported by clinicians", adding that patients would benefit from fewer cancellations and delays.

“We will continue to engage and work closely with our local communities, patients and colleagues every step of this journey to improve the experience for all our communities," he added.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.