Councillors at Telford & Wrekin Council restate commitment to fight Future Fit plans
Councillors at Telford & Wrekin Council have expressed their grave disappointment in the lack of commitment from the Government, Prime Minister and MPs to providing state-of-the-art NHS services in Telford and Wrekin.
At a council meeting on 30 November, councillors unanimously agreed to continue to fight Future Fit plans - which will see emergency care at the Princess Royal Hospital downgraded - and to lobby the Health Secretary and Prime Minister to reverse a decision made by Matt Hancock MP which gave the controversial plans the green light.
Councillor Shaun Davies, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council (Labour) said: “As part of Future Fit plans, we’ve been promised an A&E Local. Well, the reality is, people in Telford and Wrekin don’t need or want something that sounds like a health convenience store, they want a fully functioning A&E.
“If Future Fit plans go ahead, Telford stands to become the largest town in the country without a full A&E service. Not only that, the purpose-built Women and Children’s unit will be moved to Shrewsbury.
“Our residents rely on local services. They deserve state-of-the art care that they can access when they need it, not so-called transformation plans that will widen the gap between people who have good health and those who don’t.”
Councillor Paul Watling, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health (Labour) said: “The decision to downgrade emergency services at the Princess Royal has left the community vulnerable and unhappy. More than 20,000 residents signed the latest petition to urge the Government to reconsider.
“We will continue in our unwavering commitment to fight Future Fit plans and to give the residents of Telford & Wrekin a voice as well as calling for fairer funding for GPs, dentistry and other essential health services.
“Every corner of our community deserves access to quality health care.”
Future Fit plans are currently being reconsidered by the Department of Health’s Independent Reconfiguration Panel after a series of requests for review from Telford & Wrekin Council, the first of which was in March 2023 - more than six months ago - because of concerns that plans do not take account of the latest population and health inequalities data.
The panel are expected to provide their view to the new Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins MP, on 4 December 2023.
