Hospitals row is built on misunderstanding.

Its many years since I concluded that the NHS hospitals structure that most Montgomeryshire patients depend on, (located in Shropshire) is unsustainable. For years it's been clear that two major hospitals providing all NHS services is unsustainable. It leads to a poorer standard of service, costs more to manage and delivers less satisfying outcomes for patients. It's been clear for years that one hospital should be 'hot' and the other hospital should be 'cold' - one hospital should deal with 'emergency' care and the other hospital should cover 'planned' care.

For some unthought through reason a pubic battle, complete with campaigns, shouting matches, public marches and political manoeuvrings has focussed on 'winning' the 'hot' services. All I care about is putting in place the best service - for my constituents and for Shropshire and Mid Wales as a whole. A few years ago I wasn't certain whether Montgomeryshire patients would benefit more from 'hot' or 'cold'. Unfortunately, a chief executive named Adam Cairns arrived in Shropshire and made a total pigs ear of things (before clearing off to Cardiff and then the Middle East) . To an extent we are still clearing up the ill-considered mess he left. From a Montgomeryshire perspective I asked people whether they wanted 'emergency' care (hot) or 'planned' care (cold) in the nearer hospital at Shrewsbury, or at Telford. Telford would be 20 minutes further away for emergencies ((under blue light) and more like 45 minutes further for planned care. They all wanted emergency care at Shrewsbury. Fair enough, but I always thought it was a marginal call. Illogically, the NHS care commissioners based at Telford and Wrekin wanted the 'hot' site in Telford. Deeply regrettably, the Council has become involved and made it a 'political' issue rather that a 'patient benefit' issue. The people of Telford have been misled (in my opinion) about what the planned care option means.

Firstly, the Princess Royal at Telford will continue to be an A&E for about 60% of the people who pitch up at at A&E now. It will perform 28,000 day case and inpatient procedures per year. Cancelled appointments would largely disappear as the priority given to emergency cases would cease (since they would be taken to a new emergency unit at Shrewsbury. It will provide several specialist services and, most importantly, there would be more specialist consultants on site. There would be the same no of beds as now. Most children's and women's services would remain in the Princess Royal, included most maternity, (Though not the most complex cases). Majority of orthopaedics would be in Telford and a new purpose built Edoscopy facility. There would be Centres of Excellence in Bariatric and Breast Services and chemotherapy services would be in the Princess Royal as well. The proposed new NHS Structure to serve Shropshire and Mid Wales would be based on two sustainable complemtary major hospitals, capable of attracting new services and consultants to our area. It can only go ahead with investment of around £200million in the two hospitals. We have a very short period to commit to this new arrangement. If we don't commit very soon, the investment will be lost to compelling cases elsewhere. It will be an absolute tragedy for Shropshire and Mid Wales and the patients living in the area if the bickering, the dithering  and political posturing prevents it going ahead.