Maternity department likely to move

Plans to move women's and children's services, including maternity services, from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to Telford are likely to happen after a series of meetings in Shropshire backed the plans despite grave concerns from some clinicians and residents in Montgomeryshire.

Earlier today the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals  NHS Trust agreed to proposals that would give the green light to the changes, while the Shropshire County Primary Trust also back the plans at a later meeting. This afternoon the Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust unanimously supported the plans.

A further meeting is due to be held tonight in Telford which is expected to again back the proposals which will see women's and children's services transferred from Shrewsbury to Telford, resulting in greater travelling time from towns and communities throughout Montgomeryshire. Parents, officials and politicians claim the move will put lives at risk.

Liberal Democrat Assembly candidate for Montgomeryshire, Wyn Williams, attended the meeting. “I fully support the idea of a dedicated women’s and children’s unit, but I do not agree with the proposed location. We need to ensure that new facilities are located centrally, so that Montgomeryshire patients can access them too," he said.