Future Fit: A closer look at the future of Telford's Princess Royal Hospital
The future of healthcare at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital has been laid out in a new publication by the trust which runs it.
The hospital, which is run by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), will be responsible for planned care in the future after health commissioners made a decision on Future Fit.
Health chiefs say it will host a specialist cancer centre, new endoscopy unit and £5 million would be available to develop radiology services that includes a CT scanner and diagnostic equipment.
The trust, which has produced a newsletter outlining the changes, says it will lead to fewer cancelled operations and there will be major investment into operating theatres.
Dr Owen David, consultant physician at the trust, said: "Having gone through a similar transformation at my previous trust, I know the advantages that come with having a dedicated planned care centre.
"It allows a hospital to maximise its potential; fewer operations are cancelled as a result of emergency pressures, you have safer staffing rotas and you get a much better team spirit.”
SaTH says a new 24/7 urgent care centre will be staffed by highly skilled health professionals and will be in a "new-building, coupled with a much-better staff rota and the latest hospital equipment".
People would be able to access care at the facility for conditions and ailments such as a suspected broken arm, cuts that need stitches, minor burns, minor eye and sporting injuries or chest infections.
Anything life-threatening would have to be dealt with at the emergency care site at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
There would be 103 beds available for patients who require elective surgical care, such as orthopaedics, and a further 118 clinical spaces for adult surgical patients expected to be discharged on the same day as their operation or procedure.
A total of 114 beds at PRH would be for patients requiring continuing medical care.
The trust says more than 500 women a year would be able to have their baby at PRH, and over 100 women a month will receive postnatal care there.
Consultant-led women and children's services will move to Shrewsbury under the Future Fit scheme.
Services kept at Telford will include maternity outpatients; maternity scanning and day assessment unit; a midwife-led unit, specialist midwifery support services and community midwifery teams; neonatal outpatients; neonatal outreach care and teams; children’s outpatients and children’s outreach care and teams; an early pregnancy assessment service and gynaecology outpatients.
Lisa Gilks, children’s ward manager, said: “For the majority of parents, they will be able to receive their child’s care locally at their nearest hospital.
"Children outpatients services will continue in local hospitals and it is vital our services are built around the needs of those we care for.”
A joint committee of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups made a decision on the Future Fit plans last month.
