Press release – May 2 2019

2019/016

The Minor Injury Units (MIU) at Ross and Leominster community hospitals have reopened after a temporary closure which allowed Wye Valley NHS Trust to provide safe services to seriously ill patients needing urgent care at Hereford County Hospital.

The temporary MIU closures meant that the hospital could redeploy experienced emergency nurse practitioners to provide enhanced support at Hereford County Hospital.

The decision was made as part of a planned strategy to help the Trust cope with winter pressures, and with a 9.1% increase compared to last year, we were able to safely care for the 15,321 patients seen in the Emergency Department during the winter period.

The good news is that despite the increase in attendances, 7,243 patients were seen and treated within an hour of their arrival – an increase of 18.7 per cent compared to last year.

And on November 26, the Trust experienced the largest number of patients ever recorded in the Emergency Department on a single day – 233.

When the MIUs temporarily closed in December, the Trust promised they would open after Easter and they opened their doors to patients again yesterday morning, Wednesday, May 1.

The units are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Wye Valley NHS Trust is a provider of health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve.
• 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 £185 million, we employ around 3,000 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.