The hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford are set for a £35m cash boost from the Government to improve services.
Shrewsbury, in particular, is heavily used by patients from the Welshpool area who will also be using Telford in greater numbers as services move there in the coming years.
The money for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust will be used to create a new women and children’s unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Money for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will be used to bolster it as the main centre for inpatient acute surgery in the county and develop new Women and Children’s services, including a new Children’s Assessment Unit and Midwife-Led Maternity Unit.
The cash boost has been welcomed by Montgomeryshire AM, Russell George, but he warned there was still a long fight ahead to retain services for local patients: “This is welcome news for the people of my constituency,” he said.
“However, the critical issue that this raises is that while services in Shropshire are being strengthened, there are still concerns around the down grading of services in Bronglais which serves residents in the west of Montgomeryshire.
“It proves that to safeguard equality of access to health services in Mid Wales, we really need a comprehensive and sustainable health plan for Mid Wales to strengthen not only organisational and clinical practices but to ensure that wherever people live in the region, they have access to the best and most appropriate health services as close to them as possible.”