THE closure of the minor injuries unit (MIU) at St Barnabas Hospital, Saltash, since early December has caused some concern among the local community.

The matter was brought to the attention of Saltash Town Council at its recent meeting.

Cllr Derek Holley said he believed the closure of the unit, which normally operates daily from 10am-10pm, was due to lack of trained staff to deal with emergencies.

The council decided to write to both the KCCG (Kernow Commissioning Clinical Group) and the Friends of St Barnabas over their concerns.

Speaking to the Cornish Times, Peninsula Community Health locality manager Jo Beer said the closure was only temporary.

'In November, two long-serving members of staff retired, causing a change in the clinical skills available at St Barnabas Community Hospital,' she said.

Procedure

'In line with normal procedure, we temporarily closed the Minor Injury Unit. which provides basic minor injury services to the local population.

'Due to the low number of people attending, the unit is not separately staffed. Patients are seen by staff based in the ward but who have

undertaken additional specialist training.

'The MIU remains closed while recruitment and further training take place. The in-patient unit and all other services at the hospital are operating as normal.'

In the meantime, local patients with minor injuries are being advised to attend the Liskeard and Launceston MIUs or the Cumberland Centre in Plymouth.

For medical help and guidance they should call the NHS advice line on 111.