Hospitals Transformation Programme - Information Leaflet - 2026
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Opening in 2028, our exciting multi-million pound investment in our hospitals will benefit all our patients.
What are we doing?
Our multi-million pound investment will improve care for everyone through modern, purpose-built facilities and ensure more people get the care they need, at the right time and in the right place These plans have been led by our doctors and nurses to develop two thriving hospitals, supported by more services in the community
Construction work is well underway at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to build a new fourstorey building which will provide the space we need to start our new ways of working We’re also investing in services at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to provide a more positive experience for patients in calm, dedicated planned care facilities
What is changing at our hospitals?
Princess Royal Hospital in Telford will become the site specialising in planned care Patients will have a more positive experience in improved, dedicated planned care facilities Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will become the site specialising in emergency care. All the right doctors and nurses who support our emergency care teams will be on the same site as the remodelled, bigger Emergency Department This means they can make quicker decisions about your care
Most patients will continue to use their local hospital, including for outpatient appointments and urgent care services. Most people that currently use our Emergency Department (A&E) will use the Urgent Treatment Centre at their local hospital
You can read more about where services will be in 2028 on page 3
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
How will this improve care for our patients?
Planned
care
By having our planned care services in one hospital we can:
Reduce the number of cancelled operations and waiting times
Provide modern theatres to give a better environment for patients
Create a calmer environment, with unplanned, emergency care on another site
Reduce the risk of spreading infections
Emergency
and urgent care
By having our emergency care services in one hospital we can:
Have a bigger and improved Emergency Department designed to meet the needs of our communities now and in the future
Provide faster access to the right care from the right teams that support emergency care
Make quicker decisions about patient care, with all the specialist teams on one site with the Emergency Department
Improve the working environment for our staff with modern facilities
Faster access to the right care and clinicians
An improved environment for our patients and staff
Buildings that support modern healthcare practices
Shorter waiting times for planned surgery
Continuous investment into both our hospital sites
Shorter hospital stays for our patients
Most patients will continue to use their local hospital, including for outpatient appointments and urgent care.
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
The clinical model
Both our hospitals will continue to provide a number of services, which include:
Adult and children's outpatients
Urgent care services and medical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC)
Diagnostics imaging services including X-ray
Princess Royal Hospital in Telford will specialise in planned care and will have (including the above):
24/7 urgent care services
Diagnostic endoscopy
Planned inpatient surgery and medical and surgical emergency patients on a planned pathway of care
Day case surgery
Midwife led maternity unit
Enhanced rehab facilities and therapy led wards
Cancer treatment day unit – aligned to HTP
Respiratory treatment centre – future opportunity
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will specialise in emergency care and will have (including the above):
A modern, purpose-built Emergency Department
A new, expanded Critical Care Unit
Consultant led maternity care
Children’s inpatient services
Emergency medical specialist services, including cardiology, stroke, respiratory and acute medicine
Emergency and trauma surgery
Head and neck inpatient services
Radiotherapy and inpatient and day cancer care and treatment
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Urgent care and treatment in 2028
At both our hospitals there will be Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) and about two thirds of patients who currently use our Accident and Emergency Departments, will be able to receive care at the Urgent Treatment Centre at their local hospital
In 2028, the UTC at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) will have a larger footprint and offer more services than it does now It will provide timely access to patients with urgent but not life or limb threatening illness or injury that requires same day treatment
Patients attending the UTC at PRH will receive faster access to the right clinicians and patients with life or limb threatening illness or injury will be managed through the Emergency Department at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Trained healthcare professionals at the UTC in PRH will have the ability to stabilise patients who walk-in with a lifethreatening illness or injury Patients will then be transferred to the most appropriate hospital to continue their care – this is in line with current practice
Both UTCs will see both booked and walk-in patients
Both UTCs will see patients who need urgent medical help that is not life threatening
See patients of all ages, including children under 2
Provide consistent investigative and diagnostic offering on site including imaging services
The UTC at PRH will be open 24/7
The UTC at PRH will accept appropriate ambulance arrivals
Both UTCs will have access to patient records
The UTC at PRH will have support from the frailty support teams and will be supported by Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) services and will provide emergency care to patients who do not require an overnight hospital stay
“Our teams at Princess Royal Hospital will be on hand to offer medical help 24 hours a day, seven days a week when it’s not a life-threatening emergency, allowing everyone to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
Dr
Ed
Rysdale, Emergency Medicine Consultant
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Charitable support
The clinical model is fully funded but hospitals need to meet the evolving healthcare needs of the communities they serve Working in partnership with our communities, our partner charities strive to enhance the experience of all people using our services.
Our fundraising campaign supports three key areas:
1 Supporting our future opportunities and ambitions to provide more services at both our hospitals
2 Creating a more positive environment Healing and getting better is more than curing ailments – it is about creating a positive atmosphere for our patients and their loved ones
3 The development of community spaces These spaces will be within the hospital or the grounds
Exciting developments
SaT worki and Ch to fun sens equip new ou
Providing Critical Care and Oncology sky gardens on the top floor of the new building at RSH in partnership with Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club
Lingen Davies Cancer Centre coming to PRH 2029 – funded by the £5million Sunflower Appeal to provide the entre for NHS clinical ams to deliver state of the art cancer care
Friends of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (formerly the League of Friends) supporting the development of a countywide Respiratory Centre at PRH
Friends of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (formerly the League of Friends | info@friendsofsath org uk | 01743 261007
Lingen Davies | www lingendavies co uk | hello@lingendavies co uk | 01743 492396
Shrewsbury Severn Rotary | www shrewsburyrotary co uk | president@shrewsburyrotary co uk
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Transforming Princess Royal Hospital
Enhancing planned care at PRH
Since opening in June 2024, our fantastic Planned Care Hub has provided over 7,500 operations and counting The Trust recently received a £1 2 million investment in additional operating theatre equipment - where the majority of funds has been invested in our hub. We are treating around 400 more patients per month through our operating theatres than last year, helping to support an almost 30% reduction in the number of patients waiting for elective treatment over the last year
Our future ambitions
We have exciting plans to continue our ongoing investment in Princess Royal Hospital and at the Community Diagnostic Centre in Hollinswood House, Telford These improvements will support us to deliver modern and high-quality care for our patients and will also contribute to our sustainability goals A core focus in the coming years, will be on the development of a countywide Respiratory Centre at PRH, a much-needed facility that will serve all our patients
Want to find out more?
Visit our dedicated Transforming PRH Hub at Princess Royal Hospital near the main entrance to find out more about the work happening and how you can get involved
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Construction progress
A new four-storey building is being constructed at the front of RSH, which will improve care for everyone through more modern purpose-built facilities The whole concrete frame is now complete, with the building becoming weathertight in the coming months. As the building moves into the next stage of construction, internal works will focus on fitting out clinical spaces, installing advanced medical equipment, and completing the landscaping surrounding the new entrance
If you are visiting RSH soon, please be aware there are changes to how you access and travel around the site. You can visit our website to follow our journey on our website.
Third floor
Building overview
Purpose-built critical care facilities with access to outdoor spaces
Cancer inpatient ward
Maternity inpatients
Second floor
First floor
Ground floor
Children’s services (including inpatient care and oncology)
Maternity delivery
Neonatal ward
Gynaecology (including Early Pregnancy Advisory Service)
Improved front entrance
Acute medical floor
Remodelled, bigger Emergency Department
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Boost to local communities as part of construction
Our construction partners, Integrated Health Projects (IHP) have been supporting communities through a number of social value initiatives
A new Community Skills Centre has officially opened on the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) construction site, providing local people with access to training and employment workshops to help them take their next steps into work
Delivered by VINCI Building – part of the joint venture named IHP – in partnership with Shropshire Council, Enable Shropshire, and other local organisations, the centre aims to create real opportunities for people who are currently unemployed or looking to develop new skills to support a career change
The centre will be open throughout the build project and will host a programme of free workshops, practical training sessions, and employability events. These sessions will focus on construction-related trades, health and safety, and transferable workplace skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication
In addition to the centre, IHP have also supported with:
A number of school engagement events across the region, which include careers events and job fairs
The DFN Project search programme - supporting an intern with additional needs into a paid role on the project
T-Level placements from Shrewsbury Colleges Group
Donations to local charities, including Shrewsbury Mens Shed where IHP and their subcontractors have donated tools and materials for projects
IHP welcomed partners to tour the centre
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Emergency Department refurbishment
Eight more modern patient bays are now open in the Emergency Department at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) as part of ongoing refurbishment and redevelopment work This follows new, larger, purpose-built resuscitation bays and larger patient bays which opened in March 2025
The next phase of works will involve creating a children’s emergency footprint, including a separate waiting area and triage rooms, remodelling of the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), and refurbishing the current waiting room Work is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed in 2027 The Emergency Department (A&E) will be open throughout this Please continue to access services as you currently do and help us by thinking which service is best for your needs
Emergency Department team in new facilities
Designed to meet future and current needs of the population, the expanded RSH ED will have:
Larger and purpose-built resuscitation bays
Larger ED bays with improved ventilation and improved clinical adjacencies
A larger ambulance waiting area with covered canopy to improve patient experience during transfer
A separate children’s emergency medicine footprint, offering modern and purpose-built examination rooms and separate waiting area
Artist impressions of the refurbished Emergency Department
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
Working closely with our communities
We are continuing to work closely with patients, colleagues, and the public to help inform our plans and designs Some examples of this are:
Over Summer, we undertook a survey with our staff, patients and communities to help shape the identity of the new building by voting on naming conventions, associated signage and wayfinding themes
Following the survey, you can see the chosen colour scheme in the picture below. We will be taking inspiration from local hills to be incorporated into the naming conventions used within the new healthcare facilities
Hospitals Transformation Programme
Spring 2026
How can you get involved?
Focus groups
We hold focus groups that will continue to meet regularly The groups will continue to meet over the next three years and focus on specific topics and areas of engagement aligned to the programme
In addition to our quarterly focus group, we also hold bespoke focus groups on varying topics All upcoming and previous focus groups can be found on our website here: https://bit ly/FocusGroup-HTP
‘About Health’ events
Every quarter we hold an online session for one hour with the HTP Team They provide a short presentation on the latest developments and then provide an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions More information about these events and previous recordings are available on our website.
Community drop-in sessions
Throughout the year we visit communities and areas across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales. These informal sessions offer members of the public a chance to find out more about the programme and ask any questions they may have More information about these events are available on our website
Find out more about the Hospitals Transformation Programme here: https://www sath nhs uk/about-us/hospitals-transformation-programme/
