DAWLISH Community Hospital’s Minor Injuries unit is closed again, this time for a week.

But the long term future for the unit remains uncertain particularly as NHS England has set out a national requirement that Minor Injuries Units (MIUs) should no longer be offered as standalone services by next April.

Dawlish MIU has been plagued by staffing issues in recent months and has been closed on numerous occasions.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust announced the ‘temporary’ closure of the MIU from Monday November 17 until Sunday November 23.

The closure is due to the trust being unable to provide ‘safe’ staffing levels.

There were concerns that equipment had been removed from the unit recently, prompting fears it may be shut for a longer period.

Health bosses have confirmed some drugs and crutches were moved from Dawlish MIU to another service last week but insisted that stock will be available at the MIU for patients who require them.

A spokesman said: ‘We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.’

The latest temporary closure comes amid fears for the future of the unit which reopened last April after being shut for more than four years.

A Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: ‘Since Dawlish Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) reopened in April 2024, we’ve experienced low attendance rates and ongoing staffing challenges to provide a safe and consistent service.

‘Our attempts to recruit and use agency staff have been unsuccessful, resulting in us making difficult decisions to temporarily close the MIU at short notice and moving staff to our urgent treatment centre (UTC) in Newton Abbot.

‘We recognise the disruption this has caused, but ensuring safe staffing levels is our priority.

‘We can confirm that Dawlish MIU is not permanently closed until March 2026, although there may be times when we have to temporarily close the service at short notice if we are unable to provide safe staffing levels

‘NHS Devon is reviewing MIUs and UTCs across Devon, and we await the outcome of its review.

‘No decision will be made about any service, including Dawlish, until this review has concluded.’

However, NHS England has set out a national requirement that Minor Injuries Units (MIUs) should no longer be offered as standalone services by next April, unless they can be enhanced to meet urgent treatment centre (UTC) standards. These standards include providing a service which is open seven days a week, 12 hours a day as a minimum; offering both booked and walk-in appointments; seeing both minor injuries and ailments; having a named senior clinical leader, supported by an appropriate multi-disciplinary workforce; having a basic consistent investigative and diagnostic offering on site; and can accept appropriate ambulance conveyances.

Current advice from the trust is anyone with an urgent but non-life-threatening injury or condition, should visit the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Newton Abbot Community Hospital or the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Totnes Community Hospital.