Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether, in the context of the recent increase in cases of Strep A, he expects that the Hospitals Transformation Programme will offer facilities at both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford Hospital to assess acutely unwell children.

As outlined in ‘Transforming the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital: Strategic Outline Case’, both hospital sites will provide the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of acutely unwell children, supported by triage and referral processes offered by NHS 111 and within Primary Care. Most children with illnesses such as Strep A infections will be cared for in the community and in primary care, with facilities available across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin for those who may become critically unwell and require more urgent, specialist treatment.