Future of Shropshire’s hospitals: come and attend Cabinet
It is essential that we secure the best possible health services for Shropshire. This is why we have requested a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 9 March 2011 to consider our response to the hospitals consultation ‘Keeping it in the County’.
The proposed changes to high profile services, such as children’s inpatient, maternity, head and neck and stroke services, has resulted in significant public interest and concerns.
Councillors will meet at the special Cabinet meeting at 12.30pm to look at the proposed responses to ensure that the proposals put forward to the ‘Keeping it in the County’ consultation are safe and sustainable.
In doing so, we need your views and ask residents and partners to come along to the meeting.
Councillor Keith Barrow, Leader of the Council, said:
“There are some very challenging times ahead, and we must now more than ever make sure we thoroughly look at way we move forward to create a health and care system in Shropshire that meets the needs of our residents in a more efficient, coherent and cost-effective way. We therefore urge all residents and partners, as a leading voice in our community, to come along. Your views are very important to us and will help us shape our formal response. Clearly to do nothing is not an option if we are to retain our valuable hospital services in Shropshire.”
The council’s draft response to the ‘Keeping it in the County’ consultation supports the proposals set out in the questionnaire, adding they must ensure, amongst other considerations, that they:
- have capacity to accommodate services
- achieve the best clinical outcomes
- are based on strengthening the services
- have the availability of funding and capital investments to make the changes required
Councillor Simon Jones, Cabinet member for adult social care services, said:
“We are very aware of the level of concern and uncertainty that accompanies these proposals, and we will be considering all aspects from different perspectives, whilst taking account of the views that will be expressed at Cabinet. We recognise that changes need to be made; however, these changes should not be at the cost of the health and safety of our residents. We need to make sure that we continue to deliver safe and high quality services to our local communities.”
If you wish to speak at the meeting or make a statement, please notify us by 10am on Monday 7 March. Please contact Penny Chamberlain on 01743 252729 or email penny.chamberlain@shropshire.gov.uk.
The ‘Keeping it in the County’ consultation will end on 14 March 2011.
Additional information
Key features of the ‘Keeping it in the County’ consultation
The changes being proposed to services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Shrewsbury will result in most services continuing as they do now, and both Hospitals would retain their A&E departments. However, the changes proposed are to high profile services, set out in summary below.
Children’s inpatient services
Inpatient children’s services would be concentrated on the Princess Royal site. Children’s assessments units would be provided at both hospitals.
Maternity Services
This involves transferring the consultant led maternity unit, neo-natal intensive care unit and from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to the Princess Royal Hospital. Mid-wife led maternity units would be provided at both hospitals.
Women’s services
Gynaecology inpatient services would be concentrated at the women’s and children’s centre within the Princess Royal Hospital.
Head and neck services
Services including specialist surgery for cancer patients, as well as operations on children with ear, nose and throat problems, would be transferred from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to the Princess Royal Hospital.
Inpatient surgery
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital would carry out all planned or emergency vascular surgery, colorectal surgery, and upper gastrointestinal surgery. Surgery for life-threatening trauma would also be carried out, as would orthopaedic surgery.
The Princess Royal Hospital would carry out breast, gynaecological and head and neck surgery, and it is proposed that urology would also be carried out at this hospital as would orthopaedic surgery such as hip or knee joint replacement or fracture repair.
Stroke Services
The consultation refers to the future pattern of Stroke Services including the introduction and provision of new techniques and the development of services in line with modern standards.
All concerns that have been raised with the council by the public have been passed to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust and the Primary Care Trust for them to respond to. A significant proportion of these concerns have been taken through the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee so that they can be taken into account in their consideration, and that the powers of that committee, including referral to the Secretary of State remain available should they be require.
