Minor injuries units can treat injuries that are not critical or life threatening, such as cuts, sprains and minor head injuries.
They avoid the need for patients with minor injuries to attend accident and emergency departments.
However, many months later both Dawlish and Totnes MIUs remain closed. The same story is repeated in North Devon hospitals.
Whilst Dawlish and Totnes MIU’s have been closed, patients have been directed to use facilities available in Newton Abbot.
The closure of these facilities has also put additional pressure on Torbay hospital as well as ambulance services, for those without the ability to travel for treatment.
This additional pressure on Torbay Hospital was highlighted recently when patients were urged to make use of facilities in Newton Abbot, due to ‘extreme pressure’ at Torbay’s emergency department.
Whilst admissions to hospital dropped to very low levels when the country was in lockdown, as restrictions have now been lifted numbers are beginning to return to normal levels.
Campaigners in Totnes are calling for the MIU to be reopened as soon as possible.
The local NHS trust have said it will eventually reopen, but some worry that it might go the way of other local hospitals and never reopen.
The trend in other local hospitals has been to slowly reduce and remove some services, such as X-rays or beds in the case of Teignmouth Hospital. This then eventually leads to full closures.
Small minor injury units, or urgent treatment centres in community hospitals are essential to ensuring people can get medical attention as close to home as possible.
They also stop patients with minor injuries attending larger accident and emergency departments.
Pressures on healthcare increase during the summer season in South Devon due to the increase in tourists visiting the area.
Winter pressures will also be harder to manage with less local provision available.
Totnes and Dawlish MIU’s should be reopened as soon as possible. Of course only when safe for patients and staff.
Recruiting the staff needed to make these hospitals safe, should always be the priority. But after years of cuts to community hospitals many are unable to run safely.
The ongoing struggle to recruit NHS staff is not going to make this task easier.
One of the main reasons that the NHS is struggling to recruit is the immense pressure they face.
Restoring all services to community hospitals would relieve this pressure on staff. Community hospitals need to be given the resources they need to operate safely.
This means restoring funding which has been cut. With fully funded, safe community hospitals our NHS can be truly world-beating.