Stroud Minor Injuries Unit – fight on to save service from full overnight closure after launch of petition

The move comes after a review into the opening hours of the unit in Trinity Road all but ensured it would close overnight for good.

Residents have been given three official options on how they would like the centre to look in the future – with not one that would see Stroud’s MIU remain open 24 hours a day.

NHS bosses say the changes are necessary as the current model of overnight care is underused and economically unsustainable.

But the overhaul has been met with opposition in the community from campaign groups, patients and councillors who are angry there is not a fourth option that will allow the unit to stay open all night.

The petition, which gathered 250 signatures in 36 hours, denounces the proposals and urges NHS bosses to reconsider the review of the opening hours.

“We note with dismay the proposed plan for overnight closure of the Minor Injuries Unit at Stroud Hospital which provides urgent out of hours care,” it says.

“We further deplore NHS staffing shortages, which the current government is failing to address, that are resulting in unplanned overnight closures.

“We ask that Gloucestershire Care Services and the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group ensure that a 24 hour local urgent care service is provided at the Minor Injuries Unit at Stroud Hospital in order to meet local need, avoid long waits and reduce pressure on Emergency Departments."

(l-r) Richard House, Terry Kevin, Jan Stuart and John Bloxsom were among those who added their signatures to the Labour Party petition

The first option in the review involves changing all seven of the county’s MIUs’ opening hours to 8am-8pm, while option two and three would see Stroud MIU close from 11pm to 8am.

Stroud Labour party member Debbie Hicks, who created the petition, said these changes would mean patients would have to travel to Gloucester for urgent treatment.

“Closing this vital service for the community overnight will only put more pressures on NHS services at the A&E at Gloucestershire Royal,” she said.

“This is a local service that local people rely on heavily. We must do all we can to make sure patients in Stroud have access to care 24 hours a day.”

Steve Lydon, Labour district councillor for Dursley, added: “What we are seeing here is another example of the slow withering away of the NHS.

“Slowly but surely we’re seeing a diminution of our health services here in the Stroud district.

“We want assurances that the CCG sees a long term future for Stroud Hospital, and that this isn’t that start of a process to remove other services from the hospital which will lead to its eventual closure.”

Stroud General’s unit is one of seven in Gloucestershire that will have the opening hours reviewed.

The changes are being made in a bid to save costs and bring the county’s MUIs in line with Care Quality Commission guidelines.

New rules mean MIUs cannot open without two qualified nurses on shift.

But recruitment problems in Stroud have meant that the unit has had to shut its doors dozens of time over the last few months – sometimes many times a week.

Data has revealed that on average, Stroud and Cirencester hospitals combined see only 4.5 patients each night between 11pm and 8am.

NHS bosses maintain the current model is economically unviable and say it is difficult to attract highly qualified nurses to work the unsociable and often unnecessary shifts.

It launched a review earlier this month and will be giving residents the chance to voice their concerns have their say on what they want the services to look like at a number of drop-in sessions in Stroud.

Accountable officer at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Mary Hutton, said: “The rationale for these proposals, including safety, staffing and usage has been set out by Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust.

“With the engagement period now underway, we would encourage healthcare professionals, community partners, patients and the public to consider each of the interim options put forward by the Trust and to feedback their views by August 31.

“Any final decisions will need to take in to account work underway looking at the future shape of urgent care services across the county.”

Drop-in sessions will take place at Stroud Holy Trinity Church on Thursday, July 28 from 3.15pm-4.30pm and on Tuesday, August 2 from 3pm-4.30pm.

An information bus will also be parked in King Street on Monday, August 22 from 10am-11.30am.

Stroud General’s unit is currently one of just two in the county which stays open all night. The other is in Cirencester Hospital, which is 12 miles drive away.

The petition can be accessed and signed here.

• People can also express their views on the Stroud MIU opening hours by visiting minor-injury-units/opening-times-of-miius