HEALTH services in Shropshire are at “ever-increasing risk” as the wait for Future Fit to be rubber stamped goes on, a councillor has claimed.

Councillor Paul Milner, for Oswestry South, told a meeting of Shropshire Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee that he was left worried by all manner of health changes.

His comments came as the committee looked at a letter sent to the Future Fit programme board earlier this month.

The Future Fit board is expected to rubber stamp its proposals for the shake-up of health services in the county at a meeting on Tuesday.

They include the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital being the preferred site for the county’s only A&E department.

But Councillor Milner said at the meeting: “I am just very worried about the state of healthcare in the county as it is. People in Oswestry alone are coming to me and saying they can’t use ShropDoc because they can’t get to Shrewsbury because they are so ill and they are finding it increasingly difficult to get a doctor to come to them.

“Dementia services in the town have stopped, it feels like the midwife-led unit may never re-open while I am hearing worrying things about the future of the minor injuries unit.

“We need to do all we can to hold health bosses to task, because I am getting seriously worried about provision in this county.”

Committee chair, Councillor Karen Calder, said she had worked hard on a letter sent by herself and co-chair Councillor Andy Burford, to the Future Fit programme board.: “It was hard to work together to bring it all together and a meeting to rubber stamp the proposals will be held next week.”

The letter says: “Members of the committee noted a public concern that centralising time-critical services would result in poorer outcomes for some people due to increased travel times.

“Members also noted that outcomes in stroke services have worsened following a consolidation of these services in 2013 and asked you to account for this.

“At the committee’s meeting on December 17, Simon Wright, the chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust defended the decision to consolidate services, noting that the service met NICE guidelines for centralised specialist services.

“He explained that three specific factors contributed to recent problems with stroke services.

“The service had seen considerable increase in demand for its services, via accident and emergency services creating additional demand on urgent specialist services. The service also struggled to recruit to every post, created an additional burden on existing staff, particularly specialist therapeutic staff. Finally, the service required a new and more reliable CT scanner.

“The committee was informed that none of the challenges that the service faces relate to consolidating its services, and that operating decentralised services would in fact make staffing challenges worse.

“The committee wishes to be assured that action is being taken to improve the service and will expect to receive an update report.”

The Future Fit meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 29 at 6.30pm at Harper Adams University, Newport.