Cheltenham hospital plans shared for A&E reopening

Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E was turned into a minor injuries unit in June

Cheltenham hospital's accident and emergency department will remain shut "no later" than 1 July, the NHS says.

It was turned into a minor injuries unit in June to prepare for spikes in coronavirus cases, with emergencies sent to Gloucestershire Royal hospital 14 km (nine miles) away in Gloucester.

The closure was only intended to be for three months, however.

The area has among the lowest covid-19 rates in England, but hospital managers says the NHS remains under pressure.

'Pragmatic and proportionate'

Dr Andy Seymour, of NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said despite the success of the ongoing vaccination programme in Gloucestershire "we are not out of the woods by any means and the NHS still faces significant pressure".

"We believe that this three month extension to a number of the temporary service changes is a pragmatic and proportionate step," he added.

Alex Chalk , MP for Cheltenham (Cons) said Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E should open sooner if possible, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"If the data continues to move in the right direction then it's imperative, given the pressure on Gloucestershire Royal, that the opening date be brought forward."

The NHS has committed to keeping an A&E in Cheltenham as detailed in its Fit for the Future programme relating to health services in the area.

Since the pandemic first hit, a total of 21,555 covid-19 cases have been recorded in Gloucestershire. The latest figures show Cheltenham has 37 cases per 100,000 people.