Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) merits and (b) cost of building a single site hospital as part of the Future Fit Programme at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

The Future Fit Programme refers to the consolidation of the emergency services in Shrewsbury and Telford to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and to creating an urgent treatment centre model in the Royal Princess Hospital in Telford. The single site emergency centre proposal was one element of the clinical model developed in response to the case of change. Along with a planned care centre, it has been included in all options considered for acute hospital services since 2014.

It is for local commissioners to suggest new reconfigurations of services, including the potential of building a single site hospital. All reconfigurations should adhere to the local assurance process including public and local stakeholder engagement.