Fenland MIU to temporarily close for a second time so staff can help with the pandemic

Wisbech Minor Injury Unit is to once again temporarily close with staff being deployed to help elsewhere with the ongoing pandemic.

The Wisbech MIU will close its doors to the public from Monday (18) with operators the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group stating it is a "temporary measure" that will be regularly reviewed

The unit was closed last spring in response to the pandemic for the same reason and reopened in August.

However, the MIU at Doddington Hospital, which closed last April has yet to reopen and in November the CCG told the Citizen there was still no date when it would reopen and blamed "insufficient staffing" for the ongoing closure, which a spokesman described as "still only temporary".

The latest closure of the Wisbech MIU means those needing urgent, but non emergency care, are being urged to call NHS 111in the first instance and they will direct patients to the right service.

The Ely MIU is still open at the Princess of Wales Hospital and for anyone requiring emergency medical care, the A&E departments at Queen Elizabeth Hospitalin King's Lynn, Peterborough City Hospital or Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon are available, meaning once again Fenland patients are facing journeys of at least 30 minutes if they need help.

The CCG said the healthcare system across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is working together to respond to the latest increase in COVID-19 patients requiring healthcare support across the local area.

Dr Gary Howsam, chair the CCG and a Whittlesey GP, explained: “With increasing numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in our local area we are carefully reviewing all of our services and staffing requirements to ensure we can respond to the rising pressures we once again face.

“Temporarily closing Wisbech MIU, in addition to the continued temporary closure of Doddington MIU, is not a decision we have made lightly. We are incredibly thankful to the unit’s staff for their willingness to take on new local roles in response to the pandemic.

“We will review our decision on a regular basis to ensure that we can reopen these facilities as soon as possible.”