Press release – November 19 2018

2018/073

The Minor Injury units at Ross and Leominster community hospitals are to be closed temporarily during the winter to allow Wye Valley NHS Trust to provide safe services to seriously ill patients needing urgent care at Hereford County Hospital.

Last year the Trust which runs the hospital took the decision to close the Minor Injury Units at the last minute – this year the decision has been made as part of a planned strategy to help the Trust cope with winter pressures.

The strategy also includes the use of a new 24-bedded ward at the County Hospital site which is currently being built and which will open its doors to patients before Christmas.

The temporary MIU closures will allow hospital bosses to redeploy experienced emergency nurse practitioners to provide enhanced support where it is clinically most needed – caring for seriously sick patients needing urgent care at Hereford County Hospital.

“These extra staff will make a real difference,” said Jon Barnes, Chief operating officer at the Trust.

Built to see around 125 patients a day, the Emergency Department now regularly sees more than 180 a day and has recently had days with more than 200 people attending.

The Trust’s main concern is the safety of patients with acute and emergency conditions ensuring that they are assessed, diagnosed and treated rapidly

“We have a duty to provide safe and efficient care to those who most need it - this decision will help us achieve that,” added Jon.

The Minor Injury Units will temporarily close from Monday, December 3, and reopen at the end of April. All other services at Ross and Leominster community hospitals will continue as normal.

Ends

Note to Editors:

• Wye Valley NHS Trust is the provider health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve. We are the leading provider of health care in Herefordshire.
• By working closely with our partners, we can make good our promise to deliver a quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.
• With an estimated annual turnover of around £180 million, we employ around 2,700 plus staff. We aim to build new relationships between our staff, patients, service users and their carers with the wider community.

For further information please contact:

John Burnett, Communication and Engagement Manager, Wye Valley NHS Trust: 01432 372928 or Fiona gurney/Amanda Millichip, Communications officers 01432 355444 ext. 5105.