The Health Secretary has today called for the A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital to remain open as an A&E Local. He has tasked the NHS with coming forward with proposals within a month to deliver an A&E Local to secure the future of the A&E at Princess Royal. This call is supported by £312m of funding, given last year, to support delivery of healthcare across Shropshire.
Following careful and thorough consideration, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock has accepted the Independent Reconfiguration Panel’s impartial advice which looked at urgent and emergency care across Shrewsbury and Telford.
The independent Panel visited the Trust to hear directly from clinicians at both sites, who reported that the local area needed a new model of hospital care to provide their patients with consistently safe, high quality emergency care and treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The independent panel recommended the emergency care centre for the region will remain at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital.
The Health Secretary recognises that patients in Telford must continue to have access to emergency healthcare services locally and has therefore written to NHS England tasking them with keeping open the A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford as an A&E Local.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
“I want all patients to receive excellent healthcare throughout their life, no matter where they live. Any changes to services are rightly based on clinically led decisions at a local level.
“I am delighted we are investing £312 million for acute services in the local area.
“Having listened to and accepted the advice of independent clinical experts, I have asked NHS England to come forward with proposals within a month on how they will keep the A&E in Telford open as an A&E Local so that the Princess Royal Hospital can continue to deliver the urgent and emergency care the residents in the growing town of Telford need.”
Plans for A&E Locals are being developed by NHS England and Improvement, and the Department is in close contact with the NHS on these developments.
