Shropshire Star

LETTER: A glimmer of hope in challenging times

A reader welcomes the decision to upgrade Bridgnorth Hospital.

Published
An ambulance.

As part of the team campaigning to protect rural NHS services in Bridgnorth over the last four years, we welcome the decision to upgrade Bridgnorth Hospital from a Minor Injuries Unit to an Urgent Treatment Centre.

This will mean opening times are extended to 9am - 9pm, seven days a week. And crucially, there will be a rota of both Doctors and nurses to serve urgent care needs, to reduce demand on the A&E departments in Telford & Shrewsbury.

This is exactly what we have been campaigning for in recent years. Despite the terrible circumstances, and the obvious need to keep "non-Covid" urgent patients away from "Covid" patients, this is still very much welcomed as common sense decision for rural NHS provision.

At last, the jewel in our crown, Bridgnorth Community Hospital can play its full role in supporting our local residents, whilst both preventing unnecessary journeys (particularly for elderly patients) and reducing the dangerous bottleneck of pressure at Telford & Shrewsbury Hospital A&E departments.

Several constituents have already approached me expressing their relief that this service will be so much closer to home.

For our rural community, we are lucky to have such an excellent facility on our doorstep, and even luckier it will now be fully supported with Urgent Care staff, a full rota of qualified Doctors and extended hours.

A glimmer of light in these challenging times.

Councillor Julia Buckley, Bridgnorth East