An NHS consultation on the future of hospital services in Mid-Wales is due to conclude this month after five years.

The 'Future Fit' proposals to re-organise healthcare services in Shropshire and Mid-Wales in the face of a national funding crisis and a local and national shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals close for consultation on September 11.

Some of the more controversial proposals include the down-grading of one of Shropshire two existing accident and emergency(A&E) units into an 'urgent care unit', with 24-hour A&E housed in only one site at either the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or the Princess Royal Hospital, Telford.

The final roadshow event in the consultation was a 'Q&A' session which took place at the Royal Oak in Welshpool on Thursday, August 30.

These sessions are smaller scale events with a minimum of one emergency or urgent care consultant and one paediatrician in attendance, along with executive directors from the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

Speaking after the first round of feedback was published earlier this year Dr Simon Freeman, Accountable Officer of Shropshire CCG said:

"We know from local council and other NHS consultations across the country that we are on track to achieving a good response rate to the consultation. While some people might think that it doesn’t sound like a lot of responses, feedback for completed consultations often do not exceed the 1% figure, but naturally we’d like to see as many people as possible respond to the consultation."

Documents issued by the future fit consultation earlier this year stated: "Both our existing hospital sites were built many years ago and they no longer provide the modern environment for delivering high quality services that our patients rightly expect and need.

"Our proposed new model of hospital care is to change the hospital services provided at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital, so that one hospital provides emergency care services (including women and children’s inpatient services) and the other hospital provides planned care services. Both hospitals would have an urgent care centre that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week."