THE Health Secretary has agreed to meet Shropshire MPs after being challenged in Parliament over the emergency care crisis in the county.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan spoke about ambulance waiting times and pressure on Shropshire A&Es during an exchange with Steve Barclay in the House of Commons.

Ms Morgan called on the government to meet her and other Shropshire MPs to address the crisis and spoke about how one doctor described the situation as a "warzone".

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Liberal Democrat MP said: "The urgent care and ambulance crisis has been brewing since autumn 2021 in Shropshire and it's worsened since then.

"Last week, a doctor went on the record to say that the emergency department was like a warzone and that she feared that in a fire not everyone would get out alive.

"In a six-week period to the January 12 a Category 2 response time in the Oswestry area was two hours and 10 minutes.

OTHER NEWS

"So will the Secretary of State acknowledge that in some areas, the crisis is worse than others?

"And will he agree to meet with me, and the other MPs representing Shropshire, to discuss how we progress Shropshire further along this track to solve the urgent care crisis that is so serious there?"

Mr Barclay spoke about how there had been pressure over the last month due to seasonal flu.

He said: "I'm very happy to meet with the honourable lady and colleagues to discuss further.

"I think most people recognise that since there's huge pressures from flu over the Christmas period those flu numbers have come down. "But of course, there is continued pressure in the system."

Ms Morgan hopes the meeting will lead to more support for the NHS in Shropshire.

She said: "Shropshire has some of the longest ambulance and A&E waiting times in the country so I’m glad the Health Secretary has agreed to meet with me and other local MPs to discuss how this situation can be improved.

"Seriously ill patients in Shropshire wait far longer for ambulances and A&E treatment than patients elsewhere in the country, so it’s really important the Government recognises the extreme local pressure when it comes to tackling the wider NHS crisis.

"Our hospital wards, GP surgeries and care homes have been crying out for help for months and months and months.

"Hopefully Steve Barclay will now listen and start providing the long overdue support that Shropshire’s beleaguered NHS needs."