The Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust will cease to exist

The Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal NHS Trusts will merge after 86% of people questioned about the move were found to be in favour of it.

Health minister David Lammy, who announced the change on Friday morning, said the merger only affects the trusts' managerial structure.

Both hospitals will continue to provide a wide range of outpatient and inpatient services, including accident and emergency, paediatrics and intensive care.

Quality staff

Dr David Christmas, medical director of the Princess Royal NHS Trust, said the merger is good news for patients.

"The merger will mean better co-ordination of services, avoiding duplication and making the most effective use of available finances.

"Together with the Royal Shrewsbury we will become a medium-to-large size trust, which will help us to attract and retain high quality staff.

"This must be better for patients.

He added: "Neither the Princess Royal or the Royal Shrewsbury hospitals as stand alone trusts could ever hope to secure the kind of finances now needed to expand and retain some of our major clinical services."

The name of the new trust is to be announced at a later date.