NHS trusts approve Shropshire hospital plan

Proposals to reorganise some hospital services in Shropshire have been approved by local NHS trust boards.

The plans include moving children's and maternity services from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Dr Leigh Griffin, chief executive of Shropshire County and Telford and Wrekin PCTs, said some details needed to be developed to mitigate any risks.

The trusts have said the proposals are in patients' interests.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust will now put together an outline business case, expected to be published by July.

Dr Griffin added that the primary care trusts wanted the hospitals trust to communicate the case "in a way that allays some of the very genuine concerns that we heard".

'Less accessible'

More than 20,000 people signed a petition against the move of consultant-led maternity and paediatric services from Shrewsbury to Telford.

The plans have also been criticised by Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski and Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire.

Shrewsbury hospital serves patients from the town and parts of rural Shropshire and mid Wales. Moving its services would make it less accessible, protesters have said.

The plans also include moving acute vascular surgery from Telford to Shrewsbury.

In backing the plans Dr Griffin said the PCTs were asking the hospitals trust to help improve ambulance response times and "identify other means of mitigating travel times".