Council calls for review of Shropshire hospitals decision

Councillors have called for the health secretary to step in over plans to reorganise Shropshire's hospital services.

The Future Fit plan will see Shrewsbury house the county's main emergency care centre and Telford's A&E downgraded to an urgent care centre.

Telford & Wrekin Council said the plan will be detrimental to its residents.

At an extraordinary general meeting, councillors agreed to report the decision to Matt Hancock MP for review.

Although the borough's MPs also want the government to review the Future Fit decision, only the council can officially ask the health secretary to call it in.

The programme to overhaul services at the county's two main hospitals first began in 2013, and last month clinical commissioners decided Telford's Princess Royal Hospital should become the home of planned care.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will also take on on most women's and children's services, moving them from Telford's £28m purpose-built centre, which opened in 2014.

Health bosses say the plans will provide the best value for money and mean fewer people have to travel further for emergency care.

But the council raised concerns and at the meeting earlier, members discussed a notice of motion which said the decision "has not been properly consulted upon and is not in the interests of the health services in Telford & Wrekin".

Council leader Shaun Davies said: "If these proposals go through and there are children and residents in this borough, in this county, in this region who are put in real clinical risk, then it is not done in our name."

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