RESIDENTS in Launceston have been promised that the town’s Minor Injury Unit will be open by mid-September, though some suggest it could be even sooner.

Following a public meeting with the chief operating officer for Cornwall Foundation Trust, and the chief medical officer for the integrated care board (ICB), residents have been told that despite news assigning an indefinite closure for the site, the town’s Minor Injury Unit (MIU) could be opened again soon.

Earlier this month, residents of Launceston and its surrounding parishes were notified that the town’s MIU would be closing with almost immediate effect due to staff sickness, and that it would reopen once it was safe to do so.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust stated that the unit “does not have enough staff to safely provide a 7-day service this summer”, meaning that it would have to close its doors.

The trust went on to explain that it has recruited to vacant posts, but when the new members of staff start in post, they will need to complete their mandatory induction and training.

News of the closure prompted widespread concern in the area, with local residents and officials expressing their frustration and worry at the prospect of the unit’s closure.

Following the concern, which even saw the area’s MP get involved, a public meeting was tabled, which welcomed members of the public to come and hear from NHS officials.

At the meeting, Tamsyn Anderson, chief operating officer for Cornwall Foundation Trust; Chris Reed, chief medical officers for the ICB, and Dr Amit Dhulkotia, GP partner at Launceston Medical Centre, addressed the public on the closure.

Speaking to an audience of more than 50 residents, Tamsyn said: “I start with an absolutely unreserved apology to you all for the way and the manner in which this has happened, both in terms of speed and the way that it has been communicated.

“I’ve been the chief operating officer for the in the CFT since December 2021. I am aware that there was a pause in service in 2021, and that this feels really similar[...] what we’ve had here is a sequence of events which have cumulatively built to a point that I haven’t seen in a service of this type before.”

However, despite the scale of the situation, the NHS representatives revealed that they are currently working on both a short term and long-term solution

The trust confirmed that it is currently in conversation with a third-party provider to potentially facilitate staffing the reopening of the site in the short-term.

Mrs Anderson continued: “We met with executives yesterday, that is progressing as a potentially viable solution in the short term. My colleagues have some due-diligence around the safety of the incoming provider that we are rapidly reviewing with them, and I hope we will have something that we can bring forward and say that we do have an interim solution with this different provider in the very short-term.”

When asked how soon this could come to fruition, representative suggested that the third-party could be providing a service as soon as Monday, August 11, but that this would be subject to the safety review process being completed.

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