Minor injury unit stays shut in recruitment quest
BBCA minor injury unit in Cornwall is remaining closed because of "workplace pressures" NHS bosses have said.
The unit in Newquay was initially closed in August because the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said it did not have enough specialist clinicians to run "a safe, reliable service".
The trust said it took the "difficult decision" to extend the temporary closure as it was "not yet in a position to consistently provide the safe and reliable service that local people need and deserve" despite progress in recruiting staff.
A spokesperson explained that Cornwall faced challenges in attracting and keeping healthcare staff "like many rural and coastal areas".
The service had been due to reopen in November and recruitment was continuing to fill healthcare assistant and specialist practitioner roles, the trust said.
It was also looking at longer term plans to recruit and keep staff.
Debbie Gilbert, from Healthwatch Cornwall, said she wanted to know what impact the problem is having for residents, particularly those without transport.
She said: "We're really monitoring it."
The rest of the hospital remains open.
Patients could visit any other minor injury unit without an appointment, including: Bodmin, Camborne Redruth and St Austell, health bosses said.
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