Health Services: Shropshire

(asked on 13th January 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to assess the long term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration of services in Shropshire.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 21st January 2020

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

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