27 March 2017
Neurology Services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) will be temporarily unavailable to new referrals from Tuesday (28 March 2017).
The service has experienced some difficulties in managing the demand of referrals.
SaTH currently has two Consultant Neurologists supported by one Locum. The national average is one Neurologist per 80,000 people, which would equate to six Neurologists for the population that SaTH serves. Despite the Trust’s best efforts, it has so far been unable to secure additional full-time or Locum Consultant capacity.
Following discussions between SaTH and the local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, a decision has been made that from Tuesday (28 March 2017), the service will be temporarily unable to accept new referrals. This will be reviewed over the next six-months.
Patients referred to SaTH prior to Tuesday 28 March 2017, including those awaiting follow-up appointments or treatments, will not be affected.
To help meet the current demand for referrals, the two CCGs have commissioned The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to provide this service for new patients on an interim basis.
Carol McInnes, Assistant Chief Operating Officer for Unscheduled Care at SaTH, said: “The temporary suspension of Neurology Services to new referrals is not a decision we have taken lightly.
“The service has been under considerable pressure due to workforce constraints for some time. This is purely a short-term move and the operational team is fully committed to developing a sustainable solution for the service.
“I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause people.”
Dr Julian Povey, Chair of Shropshire CCG, said: “We recognise that providing this interim service out of county isn’t ideal, but the service provided by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust meets the high standards expected of any NHS provider and patients will continue to receive excellent standards of care.
“We would also like to thank The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for supporting the CCGs and SaTH at this time.
“We hope this arrangement will allow SaTH time to address the issues it faces concerning pressures surrounding workforce constraints, and allow them to resume delivering this service going forward.”
SaTH and the CCGs are already holding talks with neighbouring Trusts about medium and longer term support and these talks will continue whilst the service is temporarily suspended to new referrals. SaTH and the CCGs will be using this period to establish a substantive solution.
Notes to Editors:
Neurology deals with conditions affecting the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, nerve, muscle and their connections.
If anyone has any questions or concerns about referrals to the service, please contact –
SaTH PALS Service
Email: pals@sath.nhs.uk
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – Tel: 01743 261691/0800 783 0057
Princess Royal Hospital – Tel: 01952 282888/01952 641222 ext:4382
Telford & Wrekin CCG PALS Service
Email: twccg.patientservices@nhs.net
Telephone: 01952 580407
Shropshire CCG PALS Service
Email: SHRCCG.CustomerCare@nhs.net
Telephone: 0800 032 0897