MP calls for action over Future Fit, saying delays are having 'devastating impact' on hospital services

It comes as Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has confirmed the initial Future Fit business case has now been submitted to the NHS for formal approval - but it is not known how long that process will take.

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski says he met with health ministers this week and has called for action.

He has also submitted a number of written questions asking Health Secretary Sajid Javid when the first phase of funding will be released for the scheme, what the timeline will be to consider the business case and what assessment has been made of the clinical impact of delays in the delivery of the project.

He says in the past Telford & Wrekin Council and the borough's MPs have blocked progress on the plans and the delays were now having a "devastating impact" on the county's acute hospitals.

Mr Kawczynski said: "We must not allow this decision to be delayed any further. We can already see how the current set up is struggling to cope.

"A decision has to be taken, otherwise lives will be at risk."

Meanwhile, Telford MP Lucy Allan says it is essential that residents in the constituency she represents have access to A&E services.

Under the scheme signed off by health commissioners, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will house the county's main A&E, with Princess Royal Hospital in Telford due to get an 'A&E local'.

"Any plan to reconfigure hospital services in Shropshire must set out how Telford will access A&E services," Ms Allan said.

"Rightly, a project with escalating capital costs needs to be properly scrutinised and value for money must be achieved for taxpayers.

"The Future Fit scheme envisages a cutting edge critical care unit on the Welsh border which will not be used by Telford residents, as we use Wolverhampton for life-threatening critical conditions.

"Hospital bosses must justify their plan from the perspective of Telford residents, which over many years they have failed to do.

"I have naturally been in discussions with ministers, and indeed raised the issue with treasury ministers on Tuesday in parliament.

"It is my understanding that there will be no more taxpayers’ cash allocated to this project and this must be right."

The cost of the project, which has been renamed the 'hospitals transformation programme', has grown to more than £530 million from its original £312m budget, largely due to inflation.

Funding has only been secured for the latter amount which has led to questions from health campaigners as to whether the scheme will have to be scaled back.

Ms Allan claims SaTH is "not in a position to embark on a complex, controversial hospital reconfiguration at this time".

She added: "The costs are spiralling. Both the county hospitals are rated inadequate. The trust is in special measures.

"The backlog is far worse in Telford than elsewhere, as orthopaedic surgery is still cancelled at the PRH, we have a desperate overload at A&E causing severe ambulance delays and a GP practice with 60,000 patients that is struggling to answer the phone and the management is new to post.

"This is a hospital trust that needs to get the basics right first.

"All extra NHS spending for Shropshire must tackle providing basic care to those who need it most.

"State of the art buildings to serve west Shropshire and Powys, which most people in the county will never use, cannot go on sucking in taxpayer money and management time, when patients are being failed by lack of basic care.

"It is important to remember that Wales has a separate Labour-run NHS that should be providing proper healthcare for residents on that side of the border and not seeking to use NHS England facilities at the expense of people in Telford.

"I do not support any extra cash for the critical care unit.

"If my constituents are to pay an extra healthcare levy from April next year, the money must be used to deliver better care in Telford, not state of the art buildings on the Welsh border.

"I will continue to raise my strong concerns at every level.”

Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard said he was unaware of any MP in Shropshire having ever obstructed the Future Fit proposals.

He added: "I will continue to fight on behalf of my constituents to protect local health services.

"I understand the delays have been caused by multiple changes made by the NHS to the original proposals."

Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “As a council, we remain opposed to the Future Fit proposals and we are on the side of our residents.

“Whenever they are asked, communities across the borough oppose the plans because they will see Telford’s A&E downgraded and the closure of our women-and-children’s unit.

“With the health needs of people in the borough impacted by the pandemic, the plans must be revisited to ensure they work in a post-Covid world.

“We would like to see partners across the county work together to put forward proposals that protect local health services and ensure they are able to meet the needs of local people in the future.

“Every day I hear horrific stories from residents about lack of GP access, long waiting times for ambulances and the consequences of a lack of investment in adult social care. We need both councils, all Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin MPs to come together and make the case for a world class and integrated health and social care system for our borough and county.”