WORK TO START ON HOSPITAL IN 2022
MIU closure complaints as development plans are revealed
A BUSINESS case and funding for the redevelopment of Leek Moorlands Hospital will be released next year.
Work is then planned to start in 2022 at the Ashbourne Road site.
The news was announced last week by the chief executive of the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Neil Carr, at a meeting of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s health and scrutiny panel, which was held to discuss concerns over the closure of the minor injuries unit from last March.
Councillors highlighted that it was a sad affair that the Staffordshire Moorlands now had no MIU or any ambulances based in the district.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Carr said: “The temporary closure of the Leek MIU is not about cost, it’s about safety. There are limited resources so we have had to consolidate it at the Haywood hospital.
“Staff are absent because they are poorly and we have had to staff 50 extra beds.
“We are close to funding it and we want you to work with us in what is needed at the hospital. The idea is to keep people away from the big hospitals.
“Discussions have taken place to release the capital for the redevelopment of Leek hospital. A business case will take place in 2021 and work will start in 2022.
“We have learnt from Covid-19. There will be diagnostics at the new hub, but bring your thoughts to this committee as we have got to work in partnership.”
The meeting was also attended by Jennie Collier, managing director of the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
She said: “We have had to make a decision for the temporary closure of the minor injuries unit, it is only temporary through winter. This is not a long-term decision.
“We are running the Haywood hospital as a walk-in centre. The closure is about staffing. Many people are on overtime and we are trying to recruit.
“There will be a hub for Leek to meet the needs of the people of Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands. This is a great opportunity to build something for the Staffordshire Moorlands.”
But Leek councillor and former nurse, Lyn Swindlehurst, highlighted the urgent need for the MIU to reopen.
She said: “A resident fell and was bleeding. The patient was cold and confused, but had to wait for an ambulance. This patient could have been seen in Leek, five minutes up the road.
“It can cost £20 each way to get a taxi to the Haywood. The Leek MIU was seeing 1,000 patients a month. I think that this matter should be referred to the Secretary of State.
“Is it the intention that there will be a minor injuries unit in the new hub?” In reply, Mr Carr said: “Definitely, yes”.
Councillor Linda Malyon said it was a dire situation.
She said: “We need the facilities so people do not have to travel. This comes at a time we are told not to travel. You ring 111, but how can you diagnose yourself?
“There are no buses in the rural areas. We need a medical centre in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The staff at Leek were taken away quickly. We should be caring for people, not money.
“I am not criticising staff, it’s the system. When you listen to people they are in a terrible state, and what about other illnesses?”
Councillor Jill Salt said that the Staffordshire Moorlands was missing out.
She said: “People in Stoke have better transport links. Why did you not do it the other way around and use Leek?
“This is a sad state of affairs for the people of the Staffordshire Moorlands. If you are injured, you have to travel to the city.”
Councillor John Jones, who is a retired paramedic, said that the Moorlands had not got a minor injuries unit or any ambulances based in the area.
He said: “When you ring 111 they always say ring 999 or go to A&E. The 111 number is just a comfort blanket, you can’t diagnose over the telephone.
“We also have no ambulances based in Leek, Cheadle or Biddulph. If they clock on in the towns they are dragged into the city. We have nothing in the Moorlands, which is a very sad fact.
Councillor Charlotte Atkins questioned if the temporary closure of the MIU could become permanent.
She said: “At a meeting of Staffordshire County Council health committee it was stated that some changes could become permanent. You told us it was about low usage, you have changed your story.
“Tell us what will be in the integrated hub. We used to have vital health services, we do not just want promises.
“People are told not to travel so they do not want to go by bus and then have to walk.”
Councillors agreed to write to Mr Carr about the trust’s proposals for Leek Moorlands Hospital and discuss them at the next meeting in January.