1 June 2018
We have been made aware of a campaign leaflet which is being circulated by the group Shropshire Defend Our NHS, campaigning against the proposals set out in the NHS Future Fit consultation.
These proposals recommend creating a single Emergency Centre at either the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) or the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, with the other site being used for planned care.
Under either option, both hospitals would have an Urgent Care Centre that is open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, where patients would receive care for illnesses and injuries that are not life or limb-threatening but require urgent attention.
The leaflet that is being circulated quotes SaTH Chief Executive Simon Wright as saying: “I think it is really important we remember that the best solution is to keep both A&E departments open.”
This quote fundamentally misrepresents Simon’s views and has been taken entirely out of context.
Simon’s comments about the A&Es were made during conversations concerning the fragility of services, which meant the trust needed to plan for the potential overnight closure of the A&E department at PRH in the event that it could no longer be staffed safely. They were not made in relation to the NHS Future Fit process.
The existing model of A&Es is becoming outdated. At the two A&Es, we are treating patients with minor injuries, for example a sprained ankle, alongside those with a life-threatening illness, such as a stroke.
Having a single Emergency Care site would mean that specialist doctors can treat the most serious cases in a dedicated emergency department, which is proven to be safer, provide better results for patients and reduce the amount of time people have to stay in hospital. Having a dedicated Planned Care site would mean that patients will wait less time for their appointments and beds would be protected for planned operations, meaning that it is highly unlikely that operations will be cancelled due to emergency admissions.
You can read more about the challenges facing our hospitals, and how we believe these can be addressed by the preferred option in the NHS Future Fit plan, here: https://nhsfuturefit.org/proposals