News from our partners
From time to time we will be publishing press releases on Shropshire Newsroom from our partner organisations. The following is from the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust:
Shropshire CCG Board approves Full Business Case
At their meeting on Thursday 3 May 2012, the Shropshire County Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Board gave its approval for the submission of the Full Business Case to the Strategic Health Authority.
This is subject to the continued close working with the Hospital Trust, through the Quality Impact Assessment being monitored as part of monthly meetings and the Quality Impact Assessment being jointly populated with suggestions from the CCG Board.
The CCG reviewed a detailed outline of the Full Business Case, which gave an update on the financial details and the work carried out by the Hospital Trust to ensure the changes can be delivered safely. The final Full Business Case is expected to be published on 14 May. The CCG has been closely involved in reviewing the final Full Business Case, and has alongside both Primary Care Trust worked with the Hospital Trust to ensure the proposals are appropriate.
Yesterday’s decision follows approval by Shropshire County PCT and NHS Telford and Wrekin last week (24 April). Although the PCTs and CCG have given their assurance that the proposals are sound, it will be for the Strategic Healthy Authority to approve the Full Business Case at their Board meeting later this month (24 May).
Dr Caron Morton, Chair of the Shropshire County Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“The Clinical Commissioning Group has been working closely with the Hospital Trust in developing the Full Business Case. We welcome the level of detailed work carried out by the Trust to give the CCG and PCT assurance that the development is appropriate, including developing protocols with the Ambulance Trusts and engaging with clinicians and patients. Importantly as clinicians, we have worked with GPs and hospital clinicians to scrutinise the plans including reviewing clinical pathways.
“At yesterday’s meeting and following on from our close work with the Hospital Trust we were able to give our assurance that the plans represent an appropriate and sensible way forward, to ensure hospital services are sustainable and can remain local. Subject to approval by the Strategic Health Authority, we will continue to work with the Hospital Trust as the project progresses.”
Further information
The Full Business Case, which will be published in full on 14 May 2012, is being developed by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and looks at the key milestones and challenges over the next few years to ensure that people receive safe, high quality care and that the county’s two main acute hospitals – the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) at Telford – can continue to serve the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales.
As part of the proposed changes, the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will become the main site for all adult inpatient surgery, whilst a new state of the art Women and Children’s Unit will be built at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Throughout the last 12 months the local NHS has worked together to seek assurance for the plans. The PCTs, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Hospital Trust are committed to ensuring that the plans are clinically safe and appropriate. As well as the summary document, Board members also received a presentation on the measures taken to assure the local NHS that the plans are clinically sound.
Considerable work has been carried out by the Hospital Trust over the last 12 months to address the quality issues raised by the Assurance Panel and PCTs. These measures have included close working with the ambulance trusts to develop protocols, developing staffing plans for the Paediatric Assessment Unit and strengthening A&E at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to become a dedicated trauma unit. The Trust has also worked with patients and local communities to help shape the new services.
Further notes
The case and proposals for change outlined within the Full Business Case were initially subjected to, and supported (subject to assurances) by Shropshire County and Telford and Wrekin PCTs following full public consultation in March 2011. An Outline Business Case was considered and formally approved by the two PCTs in September 2011. The Full Business Case reflects further engagement and work. The proposals offer a means of delivering future hospital services in a way which is safe and sustainable, maintaining local access and enabling high-quality services.
The purpose of the proposed changes is to make sure that people receive safe, high quality care and that the county’s two hospitals – the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) at Telford – can continue to serve the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales.
Under the proposals a Women’s and Children’s unit would be developed at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. This would entail the transfer of the obstetric unit and the neonatal intensive care unit from RSH to PRH and the consolidation of inpatient paediatrics onto the same site.
The RSH would see the creation of an acute surgical centre which would also pave the way for an aortic aneurism screening service for Shropshire and the consolidation of acute inpatient abdominal surgery. This would see RSH becoming the county’s main centre for inpatient acute surgery.
It is important to stress that the majority of people will continue to go to the same hospital as they do now for the majority of their care. In particular, both hospitals will continue to provide an A&E service, outpatients, day case surgery, paediatric assessment, midwife-led maternity, therapies, orthopaedics and medicine.
The Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group also have given their approval at their Board meeting last month (April 2012).
