£72 million needed to fix crumbling hospitals in Shropshire
More than £70 million is needed to fix the backlog of repairs at hospitals in Shropshire, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found.
29 Dec 2023
Health Secretary challenged as Shropshire hospitals struggle to fill vacancies
10 Jan 2023
Helen Morgan has challenged the Government on its plans to stop nurses and doctors from leaving the NHS as crisis-hit hospitals in Shropshire struggle to fill vacancies.
The North Shropshire MP grilled Health Secretary Steve Barclay in the House of Commons, urging him to announce plans for how the Government will retain existing NHS workers as well as recruiting new staff.
She highlighted the fact that the Government has failed to take any significant action to tackle the crisis despite repeated warnings – including many from Helen ever since her first week in Parliament more than one year ago.
Hospitals across the country have faced huge challenges both keeping and hiring staff, with the problem particularly bad in Shropshire where delays accessing emergency care are among the worst in the country.
Staff turnover at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust is 14.7% - meaning one in seven staff members leave the hospitals every year – and the latest figures show the trust has the equivalent of 655 full-time vacancies to fill.
Meanwhile the number of vacancies at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen has more than doubled since May with more than one in 10 roles at the trust yet to be filled. CEO Stacey Keegan has highlighted recruitment and retention as one of her biggest challenges, with staff turnover at the Orthopaedic at 12.9% as of October.
Helen has previously raised the issue in Parliament, citing issues such as poor transport links and a lack of accommodation meaning it is difficult for rural health settings to attract new staff.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday after the Health Secretary belatedly announced plans to ease bed-blocking in hospitals, Helen Morgan said:
“One of the key issues in Shropshire is a shortage of staff across every discipline and at every level. And it's one of the reasons for the horrifying ambulance wait times that I raised in this place on my first day on the 5 January 2022. This is not a new issue for 2023. So I'd like to ask the Minister, what is his plan to improve staff retention?
“Because staff recruitment on its own isn't going to plug this gap. It hasn't plugged it in Shropshire and there's no signs of plugging it across the rest of the country.”
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