Hannah Roche, Shropshire Socialist Party
The recent message from NHS officials in Shropshire – ‘Don’t come to A&E unless you are dying’ – is a tone-deaf response to the health and social care crisis.
CQC (the governing body for inspecting hospitals) has said there is inadequate care at both Shropshire hospitals – Princess Royal in Telford and Royal Shrewsbury. And now the Tories are trying to close Telford’s A&E, relocating services up to 50 minutes away in Shrewsbury.
“We can’t help you”
My mental health team were reviewed as ‘good’. But when trying to cancel an appointment, because I couldn’t travel through the train strike, the call handler just referred me back to my own day team, as if to say: “Sorry, we can’t help you”. It gives little hope for those with accessibility issues, constantly feeling as if they do not deserve to be listened to.
My own experiences of my local A&E have been positive. The people who work at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital are doing the best they can to provide care for everyone.
‘Don’t come to A&E unless you are dying’ is not coming from nurses and doctors.
It is from those in government who choose to prioritise bosses’ profits over funding decent health services for all.
No wonder nurses are becoming fed up and striking. It is time they received their dues for their tireless services.
