A CONSULTATION into proposals that could see patients from Llanidloes having to travel further for some hospital treatment has been launched.

The Future Fit consultation from NHS Shropshire and NHS Telford and Wrekin clinical commissioning groups is asking patients, including those in the Llanidloes area who make up part of the catchment area for the hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford, for a response to future plans.

Two options have been put forward, with the clinical commissioning groups’ preferred option seeing the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital becoming a dedicated emergency care hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford becoming responsible for planned care operations.­

The alternative option would see the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital take on the planned care work, while the Princess Royal Hospital would be responsible for emergency care.

A consultation document outlines how it was decided that the hospital in Shrewsbury would be the best option for the emergency care hospital as it would ensure that patients from Llanidloes and mid Wales had less distance to travel to access emergency care services.­

Under the preferred proposal, though, that would mean that patients from the Powys area would potentially be facing longer journeys for planned operations, such as knee or hip operations.

The alternative would mean that, while planned care would be provided closer to home for Powys patients, there would be further to travel for emergency care.

Under both proposals, both hospitals would have 24-hour urgent care centres which could deal with issues that were not life-threatening, with outpatient appointments and tests also being provided at both hospitals.

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now