MP leads campaign against 'delayed downgrade' of hospital

The Minor Injuries Unit at Cannock Chase Hospital has been closed since March 2020

A Staffordshire MP is calling on NHS bosses to reconsider plans which would see a hospital's minor injuries unit (MIU) closed permanently.

Labour's Joshua Newbury has described the proposals as a "delayed downgrade" of services.

Cannock Chase Hospital's MIU was shut temporarily in 2020 to enable staff to be redistributed to other departments to ease pressures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since then residents of Cannock Chase have been advised to travel to other hospitals to seek treatment for minor injuries, including Wolverhampton, Walsall, Stafford and Lichfield.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is considering plans to re-open or upgrade some units, to be known as urgent treatment centres.

However, Cannock's MIU is not currently included in the plans.

A public meeting is taking place in Hednesford on Wednesday to discuss proposals.

A spokesperson for the ICB told the BBC that no decisions had been formalised.

"The purpose of the engagement process currently taking place is to allow people to share their views which will help shape our proposals in the future."

'We are going to have to fight'

Labour's Joshua Newbury was elected as MP for Cannock Chase in May

The Labour MP for Cannock Chase has called for local residents to share their views on the proposals in the hope of saving the mothballed MIU from permanent closure.

"If we want urgent care facilities back at Cannock Chase Hospital, we are going to have to fight for them."

Joshua Newbury worked in the NHS prior to his election as an MP.

"Making sure that patients go to the right place to get the right care is critical."

He believes the closure in Cannock has placed additional pressure on other hospitals in the region.

"Lots of people go to A&E because they're struggling to get an appointment with their GP. Minor Injuries Units are a perfect opportunity to plug that gap. Not having that service for the 100,000 people I represent is a real challenge."

Residents have until 6 October to respond to a survey on the proposals.