Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals reorganisation starts

The first in a series of changes at Shropshire's two main hospitals has taken place.

All planned children's surgery has moved from the Royal Shrewsbury to the Princess Royal in Telford.

Inpatient head and neck services have also re-located.

It is the first stage of plans to transfer paediatric and maternity services to Telford and have the majority of surgery based in Shrewsbury.

Day patients will continue to be treated at both sites.

The changes, which were approved by the Strategic Health Authority in May, will focus services at either Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal, rather than being split across the sites.

Emergency surgery for children won't move from Shrewsbury until 2014 when a new unit at the Princess Royal is completed.

Steve Peak, interim chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "This is the latest in a series of changes we are making to our hospitals so that we can continue to provide the very best health services to patients."