Minehead overnight minor injuries unit permanently closed

The overnight service at the minor injuries unit has been permanently closed

A minor injuries unit (MIU) will be permanently closed overnight due to "remaining safety concerns".

A temporary closure of the overnight service at Minehead Community Hospital had been in place since July last year.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has now made the closure permanent in a move condemned by the local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger.

Responding to residents' concerns, the trust said it will find a "safe and sustainable" replacement service.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, MP for Minehead, said the claim by the trust that the unit does not meet the overnight needs of the people in Minehead and the surrounding area "masked the real reason for the closure, which was to save money".

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"I am afraid this is yet another example of the health services fiddling around with statistics to justify a hugely unpopular decision," he said.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said it was clear from when the unit was temporarily closed at night last year this was the long-term intention

The night-time service had been staffed by one paramedic and one healthcare assistant and provided first aid and advice rather than a full assessment and treatment.

This was different to the service offered during the day, during which paramedics can quickly pass serious cases on to senior clinicians at the hospital.

Concerns were raised that patients with serious conditions such as heart attack, stroke or major trauma, could delay getting the right emergency treatment by coming to the MIU overnight.

'Safety concerns remain'

The trust said that on average less than one person a night was getting treated at the MIU.

Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, associate clinical director urgent and emergency care, Dr Iain Chorlton, said it is listening to residents.

"It is important that we understand the urgent and emergency needs of the local population, to create services which are both safe and sustainable," he said.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust chief medical officer Dr Dan Meron added: "We first closed the Minehead MIU temporarily overnight from 1 July 2021, because we had concerns about the safety of the overnight service, and those concerns remain."

The MIU service that is open during core hours from 08:00 to 21:00 will remain and there are no plans to change it, the trust added.