Cheryl Gillan MP, Secretary of State for Wales came to Newtown today. Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies and Assembly Candidate Russell George were keen for Cheryl to listen to the concerns of pregnant and young mothers about the proposals to move Maternity services from Shrewsbury to Telford.
For those who may be unaware – if the full proposals come into being, there will be No Consultant Maternity Service, no Children’s Service, no Neo-Natal Service, no Special Care Baby Unit in Shrewsbury, not to mention no Head and Neck Service.
This will be especially disastrous for mothers and children in Montgomeryshire having to travel a further 30 to 40 minutes and travelling for up to two hours. The other concern is what this will mean on the long term viability of Shrewsbury as a major district general hospital.
Thanks to all those who were able to attend the meeting at short notice – and more importantly, we hope that the visit will bring the necessary momentum to the campaign.
If you care about maternity and other important health services in Montgomeryshire, we urge you to sign the petition started by Helen Jervis. It now has over 3,500 signatures. Please also attend the public meetings being held later this month in Llanidloes, Newtown and Welshpool