£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
Shropshire relegated to bottom of league table as NHS crisis funding allocated
18 Jan 2023
Shropshire’s share of the Government emergency £200 million discharge fund is the lowest in England despite the area having some of the worst bed-blocking and A&E delays in the country, new figures show.
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System is getting just £1.75 million from the £200 million fund to support hospital discharges, announced by Health Secretary Steve Barclay last week. This is less than anywhere else in England despite the area having the 7th highest rate of beds occupied by patients medically fit for discharge (19%) during the winter months of 2022-23.
The latest figures for January 8th show that 150 (1 in 5) of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust’s (SaTH’s) 700 in-patient beds are occupied with people who should have been discharged, of which 45 have been in hospital for over 3 weeks. By comparison, Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent currently have no patients admitted in these categories.
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan and Shropshire’s Liberal Democrat councillors want the money to be immediately invested in freeing up beds and recruiting enough care staff but have criticised the Government allocation as “too little, too late” for the current winter crisis.
Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said:
“Once again the Government has shown that Shropshire is bottom of its list of priorities.
“Our hardworking doctors, nurses and carers have been crying out for help but the Conservatives have dragged their heels and are now ignoring local needs when it comes to allocating cash.
“Freeing up beds and getting patients flowing through hospitals again is key for reducing A&E waits, tackling ambulance delays and saving lives. It’s so frustrating that the Government has left it until January to start thinking about the winter crisis and has now failed to focus on the areas with the most need.
“Local health leaders are going to have to move rapidly to try and make best use of the scant funding they have been given to boost social care in Shropshire and help the NHS.”
Shropshire’s Liberal Democrats are calling for:
- The Lib Dem’s 5-point winter plan to be implemented.
- Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS to pay enhanced rates in the short term, to allow care providers to employ Care Agency staff, re-hire staff who have left and encourage existing staff to do additional work, where safe to do so.
- STW ICS and Shropshire Council to produce a comprehensive package to restore the quality of social care in the long term.
- Wards to be re-opened in Shropshire’s community hospitals for transitional care and assessment.
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Notes
- The full breakdown of how the funding has been allocated across England can be found here.
- Contact Harry Leather (Helen Morgan’s communications officer) on 07870 646766 and Councillor Bernie Bentick on 07702 881442.
- Full details on the discharge situation in Shropshire are attached.
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