‘The minor injuries unit must be reopened at once’

THE chairman of Leek Health Campaign group has said it is ‘not acceptable’ that families in Leek are still unable to use the hospital on their doorstep.

Pam Wood, right, hit out at the CCG and the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) for keeping the minor injuries unit at Leek Moorlands Hospital closed since March.

In calling for the MIU to be reopened immediately, she labelled the shutdown “arbitrary, unfounded and unlawful”.

She said: “The CCG and Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) are together keeping the MIU closed – showing no concern for the 1,000 patients per month suffering pain and discomfort, stress, confusion, and panic, who are forced to travel from Leek to another town when they can’t use their hospital on the doorstep. This is not acceptable.

“The MIU must be reopened at once. The county council, as responsible health authority, should act to end the abuse of the public by the CCG.

“And unbelievably, on top of all this, the CCG is forcing great numbers of people to put themselves and others at unnecessary heightened risk of Covid-19 as we head into a second peak – against Government directions.

“The MIU provides an essential service relied upon by 98,000 Moorlands people.

“The service is extremely well used, and far busier than the Haywood – comparative studies show Leek has a greater level of throughput than the Haywood MIU at 105 patient visits per month per 10,000 population, compared with 86 patient visits per month per 10,000 population. Yet the CCG wishes to see it closed.

“The CCG wants the public to believe that closure is as a result of Covid-19 and not that this is an arbitrary, unfounded and unlawful action on their part – which is contrary to the provisions of the Social Care Act 2012.

“Building on this false picture, the CCG argues there are benefits in some of the new ways of working which have evolved under Covid, implying that the unlawful closure of the Leek MIU is in some way beneficial.

“Like Councillor Atkins we are extremely concerned that the CCG, through the Sustainable Transformation Partnership, has indicated that some current temporary service changes, particularly with maternity and urgent care, could be reviewed and consideration given to ‘locking in’ the temporary changes on a more permanent basis.

“That could mean the permanent closure of our MIU.”