Bosses address Shrewsbury councillors over health hub concerns

Representatives from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group attended a Shrewsbury Town Council meeting to discuss the potential move.

Several councillors had previously raised concerns over the possibility of practices closing, leaving patients without a doctor's surgery. They were also critical of the CCG over a lack of consultation, after the idea was proposed last summer.

The move, which would affect 65,000 patients, would involve Mytton Oak Surgery, Radbrook Green Surgery, The Beeches Medical Practice, Claremont Bank Surgery, Belvidere Medical Practice, Marden Medical Practice, Marysville Medical Practice and South Hermitage Surgery.

Belle Vue councillor Kate Halliday said the CCG accepted they made mistakes in the "listening exercise" last summer, and committed to providing a full consultation.

After the meeting, she said: “Following the announcement of the health and wellbeing hub last year, councillors’ in boxes were full of emails from concerned residents who were scared that their surgeries will disappear, and that it would become very difficult for them to access a GP. I welcome the CCG’s acknowledgement that the listening exercise could have gone better, and their commitment to providing a full consultation for any future plans."

Councillor Halliday proposed that Shrewsbury Town Council set up a working group to look at the proposed new health hub, and this was accepted by the meeting.

She added: "This is such an important issue for so many Shrewsbury residents and it is right that as a town council we look at the plans in detail and support the CCG to make the best decision. The meeting welcomed the fact that the CCG are keen to consult with residents and councillors regarding the next steps, and this cross party working group will support that process."

Claire Parker, Director of Partnerships for NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said the proposals represent an "exciting opportunity" for the town, and that further consultation would take place.

She said: “Initial engagement for the Health and Wellbeing Hub involved a listening exercise which marked the first phase of an extensive engagement process for our proposals.

“Although the exercise provided us with an important first look at local people’s views on current GP services and how a Hub might benefit patients, we need to build more on the initial work and develop further engagement to reach the wider community.

“We will continue to engage the public and intend to hold a public consultation at the right point. As the project develops, we will be working with the Town Council and other stakeholders to help us develop this exciting opportunity.

“The next round of engagement will involve a wider-ranging and inclusive exercise. This will ensure public feedback is fed into plans and that we are designing the new centre around the needs of the community.

“Our proposals represent an exciting opportunity for Shrewsbury, as well as a substantial investment in GP provision, and we look forward to sharing more detail on the plans as these are developed.”