Hospital units to close to fund other services

The rehabilitation and recovery units, located in the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury hospitals, will shut, health officials said

Units will close at Shropshire's two main hospitals to fund other wards with the aim of relieving winter pressures and improving care.

The rehabilitation and recovery units, in the Princess Royal and Royal Shrewsbury hospitals, will shut to make way for two new wards, health officials said.

These wards will increase bed capacity and are part of a £3.6m reinvestment, the officials said, which will also extend opening hours for the county's urgent health service from 20:00 BST to midnight.

Shropshire's care transfer hub - which helps patients get home once ready to leave hospital - will also be enhanced along with additional therapy and rehabilitation support, they added.

It is hoped the programme - which involves Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (NHS STW), Shropcom and both local authorities and primary care groups - will help patients recover closer to home.

"We recognise that people often recover better at home or in familiar settings and we're committed to supporting this shift by working with our partners across the health and care system," said Dr Lorna Clarson, chief medical officer at NHS STW.

"Residents consistently told us they want care to be more local and accessible - reducing travel time, receiving treatment at home or closer to home, and being in a more comfortable environment were common priorities.

"We also heard concerns about ensuring the right resourcing and infrastructure were in place - something we've carefully considered and built into our plans."