Proposals to move all inpatient children’s services from Shrewsbury to Telford hospital have been condemned by the family of an 11-year-old cancer survivor who claim children could die as a result.
Grace Davies-Friend, from Berwick Grange, was diagnosed with cancer at just nine-months-old and has spent her life being cared for and treated at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Under plans put forward by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust all inpatient children’s services will be moved to the Princess Royal Hospital – a move which Alison Davies-Friend, Grace’s mum, claims will endanger lives.
The Davies-Friend family.
The moves are being considered along with proposals to transfer consultant maternity services and neonatal intensive care to the PRH.
A public meeting will take place today, Thursday, at 7pm at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Oteley Road when health bosses will outline plans, and the Davies-Friends want as many people as possible to attend to protect existing services at the RSH.
Mrs Davies-Friend has also hit out at the plans because of the hard work of residents and patients in raising £500,000 for the Lingen Davies Appeal launched in 2003 for a dedicated cancer centre for children at RSH. Along with her husband Martyn, Alison claims it amounts to fraud because the unit will now not serve the people who collected for it.
Mrs Davies-Friend said life was very difficult when Grace was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a solid tumour growing on her kidney. Family life for them and their three-year-old son was put on hold while Grace underwent treatment and while she is happily now in remission, it still has an impact on them.
“She’s been in remission for sometime now. During the treatment she suffered from bi-lateral hearing loss so she has to wear hearing aids. Because of the treatment she also started puberty at the age of six and has regular injections to supress it. She also has an eye condition and has to wear special glasses. It doesn’t really stop, it just gets easier to bear.”
Mrs Davies-Friend believes the fact that treatment was available in their home town was crucial to helping them deal with the situation and having to travel to Telford would have made things so much harder to bear.
“When children are having chemotherapy their immune system is reduced significantly so they’re at risk of infections. If they spike a temperature they have to be rushed to hospital for antibiotics. Family life still has to go on so it’s often just one parent who can take them and it will have a big impact for people who need to travel further. Children can go downhill very very quickly so time is critical.
“We feel this move will result in the death of children. If that’s the case who will be accountable? Who is making the decisions to move services? Why do they have to move services to Telford? Why can they not spend the money at Shrewsbury?”
Mrs Davies-Friend said it is critical for everyone to attend today’s meeting. “People need to understand the huge implications this will have for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, for patients and staff there as well who have been outstanding to us,” she said.
Dr Ashley Fraser, acting medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said: “We need to create one specialist in-patient unit for children and the children’s cancer unit would need to be at the same location as this unit.
“If the outcome of the consultation is that this unit is at the Princess Royal Hospital, we would ensure that the accommodation provided there would be at least to the same standard as the present facilities, recognising the fantastic work local fundraisers do to support services in our hospitals.
“We are also looking to expand the services we provide to children locally by working in partnership with other regional specialist service providers.”
For more information, visit www.ournhsinshropshire andtelford.nhs.uk
by Anna Williams