COUNCILLORS have voiced their concerns over the potential movement of paediatric and obstetric services from Shrewsbury to Telford Hospital.
The councillors were speaking at the latest meeting of the Montgomeryshire Committee, which received a presentation on the proposed changes from Adam Cairns, the chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust.
Members of the public have also been urged to engage in the forthcoming consultation meetings on the changes to make sure Mid Wales does not lose out on vital services.
Mr Cairns told the councillors that both hospitals would face ‘serious problems’ if changes are not made.
He also told them of the preferred option to concentrate specialist women’s and children’s services at Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.
Cllr Gareth Morgan, of Llanidloes, said that any shift of services to Telford from Shrewsbury would pose a risk to his constituents.
He said: “Where I live it takes an hour and 15 minutes to get to Shrewsbury already, Telford would be even longer for people to travel and that’s what concerns me.
“I am unhappy and worried that those of us, sometimes by chance, sometimes by historical accident, end up living in the worst possible place.”
However Mr Cairns said that Shrewsbury would actually be hosting more services than previously.
He said: “In fact rather more services are moving from Telford to Shrewsbury. If you exclude paediatrics and obstetrics more services are moving to Shrewsbury.”
County Councillor Russell George also criticised the proposal, saying people in Montgomeryshire would suffer as a result.
He said: “This will be disastrous for mothers and children in Montgomeryshire having to travel a further 30 to 40 minutes and travelling for up to two hours. Under these proposals there will be no consultant maternity service, no children’s service, no neo-natal service, no special care baby unit in Shrewsbury, not to mention no head and neck service.”
However, Mr Cairns said the changes are needed to make sure the services are retained and that people do not have to travel even further for specialist women’s and children’s services.
Glyn Davies MP has also urged people to get involved in the consultation on the proposals.
He said: “Radical changes are being proposed to the services provided at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, which will take important services much further away from the people of Mid Wales. The main services affected are obstetrics (maternity) and paediatrics (children's services). It’s proposed that any childbirth which is not entirely straightforward will be transferred to Telford, as will all services for children and young people up to the age of 16.
“I have agreed with the hospitals trust that two public meetings will be held in Montgomeryshire, at Newtown and Welshpool on February 23 and 24, to give us all a chance to express our opinion on the proposed changes.
"I hope people will turn up in their hundreds. We must not allow our health services to be dismantled while we are looking the other way.”
* The meetings will take place at the Royal Oak Hotel, Welshpool, at 7pm on February 23, and at the Elephant and Castle, Newtown, at 7pm on February 24.