The consultation into a £300 million health service reorganisation in Shropshire, that will affect patients from Newtown, has been extended by an extra week.
NHS Future Fit and Powys Teaching Health Board have announced a number of extra consultation meetings as they seek to get as much feedback from people as possible.
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n March the UK Government announced that Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Sustainability & Transformation Partnership (STP) would receive more than £300 million funding for the Future Fit programme to make the changes to services.
The 14-week consultation started on May 30 and was due to end on 4 September, and the main exhibition event in Powys was held in Newtown in June.
To date, the consultation has received more than 2,500 responses.
An extra event has been planned for Welshpool and the consultation will now run until 11 September.
Newtown-based health services campaigner and Powys county councillor Joy Jones said: “I think it’s good that we’ve had an extension so that anybody missed has the opportunity of joining in.
“This consultation is one of the most important consultations that will ever affect Powys so it is paramount that the public gets involved.
“I’ve said before we’d like to see an A&E department in every hospital and in every time but this is financially not feasible and sadly there wouldn’t be the staff and consultants available to do this.
“So the next best option for us in Powys is option one as this will safeguard people being able to get treated in an emergency promptly and making sure that we have the best outcome available for the residents of this area.
“It will be great to have further consultations around Powys and the extra one that will be held in Welshpool will be very beneficial.”
Adrian Osborne, from Powys Teaching Health Board, said: “I have been privileged to speak with hundreds of people across north Powys over the past two months at the NHS Future Fit events run by Powys Teaching Health Board.
“Many people living in north Powys use hospital services in Shropshire, so it is vital that they take this opportunity to have their say on proposals that will affect the shape of neighbouring hospital services for generations to come.”
The new list of meetings organised by Future Fit will take place:
A pop-in Q&A session will be held at the Bear Lanes Shopping centre be between 10am and 1pm and between 4pm – 7pm at The Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool, on Thursday, 30 August.
A smaller pop up event where you can meet organised by Powys Teaching Health Board will be held at The Herbert Arms, Kerry, on Wednesday, 22 August 22, from 6pm to 8pm.
Bear Lanes Shopping Centre, Newtown , on Tuesday, 22 August 22 from 10am to 1pm and
The Options under consideration are:
Option1: The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becomes an Emergency Care site and the Princess Royal Hospital becomes a Planned Care site
Option 2: The Princess Royal Hospital becomes an Emergency Care site and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becomes a Planned Care site
Under either option, both hospitals would have an Urgent Care Centre that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. where patients would receive care for illnesses and injuries that are not life or limb-threatening but require urgent attention.
Having a single Emergency Care site would mean that specialist doctors can treat the most serious cases in a dedicated emergency department, which is proven to be safer, provide better results for patients and reduce the amount of time people have to stay in hospital.
