Minor injuries unit reopens at Devon hospital

The minor injuries unit at Dawlish Community Hospital is open Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00

A minor injuries unit has reopened at a Devon hospital after it was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bosses at Dawlish Community Hospital's minor injuries unit said it had an "appointment-priority" service in place to deliver a "consistent service".

They said people would be able to call and book appointments for the same day.

The minor injuries unit is open Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00.

The system follows the model at Totnes Community Hospital's unit which bosses said had helped protect the service and maintain consistency

Sarah James, matron of the unit, said: "The booking system is designed so that we can actually offer a consistent service again.

"We do not want people to turn up and find we are overwhelmed and therefore not able to see everybody that turns up."

Ms James added the service would allow the team to plan their workload and ensure they accommodated everyone who visited the unit.

The unit said it would also support walk-in visitors but appointments would be prioritised so people may be redirected.

The Minor Injuries Unit at Dawlish Community Hospital reopened on April 2

Chief executive at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Liz Davenport, said: "Our teams have worked hard over a long period of time to reach this point.

"We know how much the service means to local people and we would like to apologise once again for the long temporary closure," said Ms Davenport.

She added they received "positive feedback" from the "appointment-priority" at the unit at Totnes Community Hospital.

The Dawlish unit said it originally closed as part of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic due to staffing levels and demand for services.

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