News
Conservatives fight to save services at PRH
Thursday September 24, 2009
Conservative candidate, Tom Biggins, and Conservative MP, Mark Pritchard, and have vowed to fight all the way proposals to downgrade or do away with services at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).
Mark Pritchard MP has warned for over seven years that there was a secret plan to downgrade key services at the PRH - despite constant denials by some health bosses and Labour ministers. The truth is now out.
Mark said: “In a growing town, it is madness for Labour ministers to be closing down Telford’s overnight and inpatient children’s services. I will fight these plans and any plans to downgrade accident and emergency services.
“Shropshire is a large and growing county and both sides of the county need a full service district general hospital – not a part-time hospital.
“Local people and the hard working and dedicated staff at the hospital deserve better. I am fighting for my constituents’ lives - literally.”
Fears that Telford’s hospital could be downgraded - revealed in a letter by Telford Council Leader, Andrew Eade - were greeted with widespread condemnation last week. This came with a warning that the Primary Care Trust (PCT) will face an almighty fight if they were to reduce or merge Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire services, pledged Tom Biggins.
Speaking out on behalf of residents, Tom points out that the catchment area of the PRH already covers a large geographic area - from Market Drayton in the north to Bridgnorth in the south - and that the future growth in Shropshire’s population over the next few years will be centred very much on the Telford area, with tens of thousands of new homes being built.
This growth pattern also means that Telford and East Shropshire will have some of the youngest population in the country, making paediatrics a fundamental necessity.
“People in Telford deserve nothing less than a full service local district hospital,” insisted Tom. “Residents are paying record levels of taxes - so they deserve the services they have paid for.
“It’s fair to say that Labour’s health ministers have been determined to undermine services at the PRH and short-change local staff, patients and residents in the process. As far as I am concerned, the situation is non-negotiable. The PRH must retain all of its services for our growing town.”
