Shropshire Hospitals Reform Update

This post is a follow on from my post of 4 days ago about reform of NHS Hospital Care to serve Shropshire and Mid Wales, a subject of some interest to me over last 40 years. And great interest over  the last 20yrs. Local health and social care partners met this week and accepted the recommendations put forward by the Future Fit Programme Board as I predicted last week. Essentially this is the same as recommended last December. It's been agreed that the additional 'assurance' work carried as a result of the delay has "not materially effect" the plans previously agreed.
REMINDER - services to be provided at the Princess Royal Hospital include Urgent Care (24/7), majority of day care surgery, planned orthopaedic surgery, outpatient care, diagnostics and a midwifery unit. Services to be provided at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital include Emergency and Critical Care, Urgent Care (24/7), complex surgery, Outpatients, diagnostics and Women's and Children's Centre.
The papers presented to Monday's meeting, which my last post on this issue outlined were signed by the 'Accounting Officers' of both the Shropshire CCG and the Telford and Wrekin CCG. That's important.
The next step on this long and winding path is consideration of this recommendation, and agreement that it can go out to a 12 week public consultation. The CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) Joint Committee meets next Thursday (10th August) to do that. I hope to be there. It was at this stage last December that things fell apart. The Joint Committee then split 6 for and 6 against. No mechanism for a casting vote. This time there will be 15 votes - 6 from the Shropshire CCG and 6 from the Telford and Wrekin CCG plus 3 Independents appointed by the Government. I'm told the Chair is to be Professor Simon Brake, a man of great experience. Two others 'independents' have also been appointed but since I've not seen their names in public, I don't think should tonight type their names into this blog post. Next Thursday will be a key meeting. If it goes as I hope it will, I'm looking forward to my future role pressurising the UK Government to put up the £200 million (rumoured to be) to cover the capital cost. Expect the next update on Friday 11th.