11 August 2020
Shropshire’s acute hospitals have been awarded £2 million as part of a £300 million investment announced by the Government today to help the NHS prepare for winter.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, will use the money to convert the former Wrekin Midwife Led Unit (MLU) into a ‘priorities admission unit’, which will help to ease pressure on A&E.
The MLU has been replaced with a purpose-built modular building located alongside the Consultant Led Unit at the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at PRH.
Sara Biffen, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at SaTH, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding, which will have a significant positive impact as we look to deal with the challenges that winter brings.
“Winter traditionally brings with it additional demands on our services and this, coupled with our ongoing coronavirus response, will bring a number of challenges.
“By creating a priority admissions unit, we will be able to move patients into beds more quickly, which will reduce the pressure on our Emergency Department and improve care for our patients.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We continue to deliver on our promise to build back better and faster, with £300 million allocated today for NHS trusts to upgrade their facilities and improve A&E capacity.
“These upgrades will help our fantastic NHS prepare for the winter months, helping them to deliver world-leading services and reduce the risk of coronavirus infections.
“Thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of NHS staff throughout the pandemic, our A&Es have remained open for the public.
“It’s vital that those who need emergency treatment this winter access it, and for those who remain concerned about visiting hospitals, let me assure you that the NHS has measures in place to keep people safe.”
Health Minister Edward Argar said: “Our NHS did an amazing job to ensure emergency care continued to be available for everyone who needed it during the peak of this pandemic.
“Today, we are announcing the details of the Trusts across the country who will receive a share of £300 million to upgrade their A&Es and support emergency care to help them to continue to deliver safe and accessible services throughout the normally busy winter period.
“This funding is part of our record investment in NHS infrastructure to ensure our health services continues to meet the needs of the present and to be fit for future demands placed upon it.”
This funding forms part of an extra £1.5 billion capital funding announced by the Prime Minister.