Residents across Shropshire and beyond are set to benefit from “exciting plans” to transform the care delivered, the patient’s experience, and the overall estate at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford.
The plans are part of long-term ambitions to develop two thriving health settings for everyone, with construction for the £24m planned care hub at PRH “progressing well” as other projects also develop concurrently.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust say the hub will provide more theatre and recovery bed capacity, which will significantly increase surgical activity at the hospital.
The first patients at the hub will be this summer, with the upgrades expected to allow people to benefit from shorter waiting times and planned care services throughout the year.
Dr Steve McKew, Divisional Medical Director for Surgery, Anaesthetics and Cancer and Clinical Lead for Planned Care for the Hospitals Transformation Programme, said: “Our plans to transform the PRH site will allow us to deliver day case surgery all year round, so patients from Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales waiting for treatment will benefit from shorter waiting times for their operations and I look forward to the improvements that these plans will bring.”
Supplementing this are plans to upgrade the main entrance of the hospital, which will include an improved reception coupled with better access and signposting for patients. Patients will also benefit from increased retail space, in turn providing greater comfort and refreshments for those visiting the hospital.
As construction continues, a temporary main entrance has been built at the side of the building, which the trust say will have no impact on the day-to-day running of services – similarly, the disabled parking spaces affected by the works will be relocated to other easily-accessible locations.
Dr McKew concluded: “This is a fantastic investment into the PRH site. First impressions of a hospital have such an impact on a person’s experience, particularly if they are nervous or anxious about their appointment, surgery or treatment and where to go.
“Being able to modernise and transform the entrance to our hospital, offering improved access and more facilities will greatly improve patient experience and the experience of carers and family members visiting their loved ones.
“This is the next step in the significant investment our Telford site is receiving which will improve the care that we provide to all our communities, now and well into the future.”
More information on the Hospitals Transformation Programme – which these works are a part of – is available here.
