DAWLISH Minor Injuries Unit is closed for the third week running, health bosses have confirmed.

An announcement today said the unit at Dawlish Community Hospital will be ‘temporarily’ closed from Monday December 1 to Sunday December 8.

A spokesman for Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust said: ‘We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

'If you have an urgent but non-life-threatening injury or condition, we recommend visiting our Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Newton Abbot Community Hospital or our Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Totnes Community Hospital.’

The Trust has denied there are plans to permanently shut the unit but it has been closed numerous times over the last six months.

Trust bosses say there has been ‘low attendance’ at the unit but supporters say this is due to its inconsistent opening times.

There have also been ongoing staffing problems at the unit.

NHS England has set out a national requirement that Minor Injuries Units (MIUs) should no longer be offered as standalone services by next April.

There have been fears locally that the unit may continue to be shut until March.

Closures have been blamed previously on staff shortages which have left the trust unable to provide ‘safe’ levels of staffing.

And 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 Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said when the unit was closed last week: ‘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.’