A HEALTH consultation has been branded shambolic by a campaigner.

Gill George, chairman of Oswestry Defend Our NHS, spoke out after Dr Julian Povey, Shropshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) chairman, said that Future Fit consultation events were "not for face-to-face questions".

She said: "“I think it’s quite shocking. The events have been advertised as ‘find out the facts about Future Fit. I think what they have been trying to do with this consultation is tick a box.

“This is not a serious consultation, it’s been shambolic and is shaping up to be a complete sham.”

Dr Povey called on members of the public to “respect the process” of the consultation into creating one emergency department for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin following an alleged outburst by campaigners at a pop-up event held in the Park Lane Community Centre.

It led to a second pop-up event in Stirchley in the afternoon being cancelled.

Dr Povey said: “It was quite disappointing that the pop-up event was disrupted by demonstrators and protestors and had to be cut short.

“These events are not there for the public to ask face-to-face questions – they are there to signpost people to the website.”

Dr Povey added the event was manned by “junior” members of staff who felt “intimidated”.

He said: “We would ask the wider members of the public to respect the process and the job these people are trying to do.

“Everyone is welcome to these events.”

There are expected to be around 70 pop-up events across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin throughout during the consultation, which runs until the beginning of September.

Ms George said that a "smear campaign" had been launched against the group and that Shropshire Defend Our NHS would mount a formal complaint.

She said that one of its members had simply asked why consultation events had not been held at the right place and time.

There was no aggression or confrontation from the group members, and that a consultation event staff member had been rude to one of the group before shouting at the campaign group member outside while they were handing out leaflets.

Dr Povey added there would be a review halfway through the consultation which will look at responses and also if more events were required.

Shropshire’s CCG was approached for comment.