A 13-year-old Shrewsbury schoolgirl who has branded proposals to move children’s hospital services to Telford a ‘disgrace’ has launched a petition to keep them in the town.
Laina Birch, from Belvidere, contacted the Chronicle after reading about the proposed moves of children’s inpatient services – as well as consultant maternity care – from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Laina and her youngest brother Tomas, seven, both suffer from a bleeding disorder which means they must have regular hospital treatment.
She said it was a disgrace that health bosses are even considering taking such vital services away from Shrewsbury.
She said: “When I was younger I was in and out of hospital a lot with complications from a bleeding disorder and I can’t even start to imagine how me and my family would have coped if we had to go to Telford at such short notice, sometimes in the middle of the night.
“My little brother, who also has the same bleeding disorder, gets regular bad nose bleeds that sometimes can last for two hours or even more, and has to spend one or two nights in hospital.
“This is a struggle for our family just having to go to RSH never mind Telford, where my parents wouldn’t be able to be close by for me and my other brother at home.
“It’s hard to juggle things, we’ve got after-school clubs and social interests, if we had to go to Telford, it would be even harder to manage.
“Overall, I think it is a disgrace, and yes, some people may think I don’t understand because I am only 13-years-old, but I do and someone needs to realise that money is not everything.”
Laina, a pupil at Belvidere School, said she had spoken to classmates, some of whom have also had to regularly use children’s services at the RSH.
“I’ve been talking to my friends at school and they all felt services shouldn’t move, so we’ve set up a petition to say we care about the hospital and will be collecting friends’ signatures. It’s not just adults who make the decisions, we want to show that children care as well.
“Lives could be at risk if they move services to Telford and we just don’t think that’s right,” she added.
Laina’s mum Louise said she was very proud of her daughter and the fact that the hospital was close to home has made a big difference.
Last week more than 200 people attended a public meeting organised by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to discuss proposals to shake-up health services in the county.
Under the plans women and children’s services would be concentrated at Telford, with acute inpatient abdominal surgery consolidated at Shrewsbury.
The RSH would also see the creation of a vascular surgical centre and both hospitals would keep an A&E unit.
Health chiefs and leading clinicians say the changes are necessary to keep services in Shropshire and ensure they are safe and sustainable.
In reply to questions, Adam Cairns, chief executive of the Hospital Trust, denied the plans were already a ‘done deal’.
He said he was not surprised by the emotion and anger expressed but he warned if changes were not made to the way services were delivered, more services could be lost.
For more information visit www.ournhsinshropshire andtelford.nhs.uk
By Anna Williams