MIU ropens and plan for hub building also revealed
Two-year programme for new facility
FAMILIES living in the Staffordshire Moorlands are being urged to use the newly reopened minor injuries unit at Leek Moorlands Hospital.
It was back in business last week after being closed since March 2020.
The service has initially reopened from 9am to 5pm, seven days per week and provides an x-ray service, which will be open to appointments for outpatients and GP patients.
Speaking at last week’s meeting of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s health overview and scrutiny panel, Neil Carr, chief executive of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT), which provides the service, announced at the meeting that the new integral hub building planned for Leek Moorlands Hospital was going ahead.
Mr Carr said: “We have kept to our promise to open the MIU at Leek despite two significant issues. These are the outbreak of Covid-19 in Leek and staff challenges.
“Diagnostics have also reopened despite between 190 and 210 patients attending the walk in centre at Haywood hospital each day.
“We have learnt a lot from Covid-19. We have had to move staff around while some were burning out. We have also have had to vaccinate 1.6 million people.
Chief executive at the University Hospitals of North Midlands, Tracy Bullock, said: “The A&E is very busy. We are receiving more patients then we see over the winter months, which is highly unusual. GPS are also under pressure. However, we have had no patients waiting in the corridors.”
Adam Mckeown, head of operations at MPTF said that they hoped to have the Leek minor injuries unit open fully between 8am and 8pm by September.
He said: “We made our promise to open the unit. There is still pressure on the Haywood walk in centre. There were five patients on the Monday of the opening day in Leek and 22 on the Tuesday.
“The Leek MIU is open 9am to 5pm, but we are committed to open 8am until 8pm, but we have to keep an eye on the Delta variant. Hopefully the longer hours can take place in September.
“Looking to the future, we are now out of consultation and Leek is in a big build programme.
“The new Leek hub will meet the needs of the local community. We want to develop the hospital into a community asset for Leek and the Moorlands. It is also an opportunity to enhance diagnostic services.
“It will be a two-year programme to get the new building up and running.”
Councillor Charlotte Atkins asked how the new building would be designed.
She said: “This is one of the biggest builds in Leek for some time. It needs to be a building to be proud of and linked in with climate change features.
“The x-ray unit needs to be open during the weekend. This would take pressure off A&E when it is busy.”
In reply, Mr Mckeown said that they were presently working with architects and that the new building was a ‘great opportunity.’
Speaking to the Post & Times, chairman of Leek Health Campaign Group, Pam Wood, said: “We are pleased to see the MIU open. However, we would like to see the opening hours extended as soon as possible.
“We now urge residents of the Moorlands to use the minor injuries unit facilities when necessary.”