Stroke patients from across Shropshire and Mid Wales have been getting better treatment since one of the countys specialist centres was forced to temporarily close, according to medics.
Bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said the improvement was an unintended consequence of the stroke unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital closing over the summer because of a shortage of consultants.
All patients showing symptoms of a stroke have been taken directly to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford since the start of June, regardless of which is their closest hospital. Dr Edwin Borman, medical director of SaTH, told health watchdogs that medics were now reluctant to go back to providing care at both hospitals.
He said: Its great to know we have improved care. We would love to make sure thats a sustainable service for all our patients in the future.
Its a really important lesson for us and one we didnt anticipate. Now we have improved care we would like to maintain it and would like to move as quickly as possible to making that our preferred method of working.
He added: This was not an intended consequence, but we had to conclude that by unifying our service we have improved it.
The joint health overview and scrutiny committee, made up of councillors, health professionals and lay people from both the Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin areas, was yesterday updated on the temporary closure of the stroke unit at RSH.
The problem arose because a consultant vacancy at Shrewsbury had not been filled and annual holidays for the existing staff meant there was not enough cover for both units. The committee voted to support any move by the trust to retain a single site at Telford, pending a wider review of hospital services in the county.
Dr Caron Morton, accountable officer at Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said doctors in the Shropshire Council area backed keeping the service at PRH for now.
She said: The preferred model is a single hyper-acute stroke unit with rehabilitation on both sites.
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Change improves stroke patients’ treatment at Shropshire hospitals