21 May 2019

£32 million is to be invested into improving quality at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals under bold and exciting plans unveiled today by SaTH.

Almost £15 million will be invested in recruiting 200 new clinical staff, including doctors, nurses and midwives, in what will be the biggest ever investment in the workforce.

There is also a £17 million cash injection towards improving ageing estates at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) – with £7 million of this in improvements in Radiology, including a new CT scanner at PRH.

It is a massive investment by the Trust in its hospitals, made up of:

  • Efficiency gains
  • Waste Reduction Programme
  • Procurement savings
  • Central tariff uplifts

Simon Wright, Chief Executive at SaTH, said it was fantastic news for patients and staff, and would make a real impact on care.

He said the Trust had laid bare the historic issues that it has been facing over the last few years, including staff shortages as well as ageing estates, and it was now in a position to invest significantly in making improvements in advance of NHS Future Fit.

The Trust Board agreed to make the investment last week.

Simon said: “This investment in quality is really great news for our patients and our staff. We are delighted to be able to tackle a number of historic issues through this significant investment. This will enable us to take the organisation forward and take a significant step forward for the future and begin to move away from the fragility that we have had over the last decade. 

“The investment will come through NHS allocations, internal efficiencies, and the hard work of our people who have generated the opportunity to be able to do this, whilst still being able to meet our other financial obligations.”

The investment will be split across two areas – People and Estates.

People

  • 200 new Doctors, Nurses and other clinical staff in areas such as A&E, Critical Care, Maternity and End of Life Care
  • As well as general recruitment, the Trust is also working with partners to develop programmes to train staff including Nursing Associates, Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Consultants in order to boost the workforce over the next 24 months. Last year SaTH appointed 151 more clinical staff than the previous year, including 48 additional doctors and this will build on this significantly

Estates

  • New CT scanner at PRH and new imaging equipment for Radiology
  • Protecting current hospital buildings by addressing essential maintenance issues
  • Developing clinical services across the two hospitals, including Ophthalmology, Endoscopy and new wards
  • Developing IT

Dr Saskia Jones-Perrott, Assistant Medical Director for Unscheduled Care, said: “We very much welcome this funding into areas including our emergency and acute medicine departments. These areas are the front door of the hospital for many of our patients and this investment will enable us to deliver the safest care we are able to at a time when it is needed most.”

Dr Roger Slater, Critical Care Consultant Intensivist, said: “Investing in the development of the Critical Care Services at SaTH will facilitate the best management of the sickest and most at risk patients in the most appropriate and safe clinical environment. The funding is a very important boost to this vital service and is hugely welcome.”

Jill Whitaker, Matron for Consultant Unit Maternity Services, said: “This investment is really exciting as it will give us the opportunity to really move the service forward. We will be able to focus on new developments in our service, such as continuity of carer, for the benefit of our mums and mums-to-be.”

Simon said: “This investment is vital. We cannot wait for the reconfiguration of our hospitals to get on with it, the time is now. It will help us to continue to deliver the safe, quality care that our patients deserve, in an environment and with the equipment that our hardworking staff deserve.”