No government review of Hornsea minor injuries unit changes

The proposed plans would see the closure of the minor injuries unit at Hornsea Cottage Hospital

Plans to make changes to minor injuries units in East Yorkshire will not be reviewed by the government.

In March, East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announced it would shut the unit at Hornsea Cottage Hospital and downgrade the units at Driffield and Withernsea.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt referred the proposals to an independent panel of experts.

The panel said that a full review would not "add any value".

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The proposed changes would see patients travelling to urgent care centres at Beverley, Bridlington and Goole or booking an appointment for "low level minor injuries" during the day at the units in Driffield and Withernsea.

In its report, the Independent Reconfiguration Panel said that a review was unnecessary as "further local action by the NHS with the [NHS England] Sub-Committee can address the issues raised".

Demonstrations have been held outside the threatened hospitals with protesters claiming all the units were needed in a rural area.

'Clinically appropriate'

June Barton, from the League of Friends of Hornsea Hospital, said she was "bitterly disappointed" at the decision.

"To suggest that it can be sorted out at a local level, well it just won't," she said.

"Beacuse the CCG would not listen to us before, they certainly won't listen to us now. So all in all I think this is a very bad blow for Hornsea and East Yorkshire in particular."

The CCG's chief officer Jane Hawkard said it would "review and consider the report".

She added: "In the meantime, we would like to reiterate our belief that the decisions made by our Governing Body in March 2017 offer an improved urgent care provision across the East Riding and are clinically appropriate given all of the evidence reviewed by the CCG."