The Minor Injuries Unit at Leek Hospital could be open by June 2021.
The issue was discussed recently at a Health Overview & Scrutiny meeting on Wednesday 3rd March 2021.
Neil Carr, Chief Executive, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Jennie Collier, Managing Director, Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Care Group updated the members of the committee and informed them that as long as the Governments roadmap goes according to plan, the plan was to reopen by 21st June.
They provided an update regarding Leek Minor Injuries Unit and outlined that the unit would reopen in line with the national easing of lockdown restrictions and when the following criteria is met locally.
- De-escalation of beds currently open to provide surge capacity.
- Reintroduction of minor injuries at Royal Stoke Hospital site.
- Ability to revert back to pre-Covid opening hours at Haywood Walk In Centre.
Leek Hospital MIU was temporarily closed on Friday 20 March.
The original decision had been taken by Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) in response to severe staffing shortages and low levels of attendance at the unit. A spokesperson for the Trust said at the time:
“We have taken the decision to temporarily close Leek Minor Injuries Unit in response to current staffing challenges coupled with low levels of attendance from the local population and to ensure that we continue to maintain patient and staff safety.”
“This is a temporary closure and the Minor Injuries Unit will reopen as soon as possible.”
As a result of the closure, residents of the Staffordshire Moorlands were encouraged to use the services at Haywood Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. Opening hours were extended to ensure the extra demand could be met.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Councillor Charlotte Atkins spoke with Moorlands Radio’s News & Sports Editor Tony Walley about the planned reopening of the MIU – he started by asking Cllr Atkins if she felt like this was a light at the end on the tunnel moment. [Listen]:
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Neil Carr said: “The Minor Injuries Unit at Leek will reopen, those criteria being met, by the end of June. We are tooling everything up to be able to open it again with the full hours, the full range of services which existed before, and we feel that we can now do that safely – Covid permitting.”
Neil added: “I give you an absolute commitment that as long as the virus is manageable to the satisfaction of the scientists nationally we will service the local community.”
You can watch the webcast of the Health Overview & Scrutiny meeting and the discussion on Leek Hospital Minor Injuries Unit here – agenda item 8.
