Future of the Minor Injuries Unit at the Hallamshire

Updated 23 June 2013 with information from Nick Clegg MP.  Our campaign was worth running.

The future of the MIU is officially 'under review' as part of the Right First Time programme.

Often the public is only able to campaign for a service after a closure proposal has been formally announced.  Very often this is too late.  We are campaigning for the MIU now because we know that a closure proposal is a serious possibility, and we want to get public support for retaining the service while the review is still in progress. Signature gathering is going well and petitions can be downloaded from our main website www.sheffieldsaveournhs.co.uk .

The current situation is that, by all accounts, the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust would like to have all their emergency services based at the Northern General Hospital where the A&E Unit is currently being redeveloped. Both the Local Involvement Network (soon to be replaced by Healthwatch) and SSONHS are on the record as saying we expect any proposal for the MIU at the Hallamshire to be closed should be subject to consultation as it would leave people in the South and East of the city, not to mention the centre, very much at disadvantage. 

When we first raised this issue there was no guaranteed funding for the MIU beyond March 2013.  However the work at NGH and the fact that Right First Time has up to now concentrated on services for older people suggest that the MIU will remain open for at least the first part of the next financial year.    We have also just heard that that the MIU is likely to feature in a campaign informing the public about where to go for help for accidents and emergencies - this may be the campaign to be launched in March featuring the new NHS 111 service. 

In addition there a national review of A&E has been announced which is likely to emphasise the importance of tiered and accessible services.  This may lead to some A&Es being designated 999 centres and others as 111 services.  The 111 service in South Yorkshire will be provided by Yorkshire Ambulance Service in association with Local Care Direct.  The NHS Direct Call Centre was reported by Unison to be under threat but we have no further news on that.  

It is possible that that these changes would lead to the continuation of the MIU, but possibly elsewhere(i.e. not in NGH), for example in the Walk In Centre in Broad Lane, which is run by a private company under contract to the NHS.  So there could be an outsourcing / privatisation proposal.

Update 31 March 2013

In only a few petitioning sessions we gathered over 1000 signatures to save the MIU, many from people who had used it.  Indeeed some of our supporters found themselves in need of the service during the campaign.  The petition was handed to Nick Clegg MP with a copy to Paul Blomfield MP - the Hallamshire was previously in Hallam constituency but is now in Central.  Pressure on A&E this winter has forced the STHFT and NHS Sheffield to include the MIU is publicity for alternatives.  They have been made aware of public concern and Sheffield's Labour MPs have been told that there are no plans to close it.  However the MIU remains under review and we have no doubt that the redesign of A&E at Northern General will see a further surfacing of the intention to move the minor injuries service there.  The MIU remains under review and we will revive the campaign if need be.

Update 23 June 2013
Nick Clegg has now sent us extracts from the reply he received from Sheffield CCG about the MIU.  For the first time we have confirmation that in 2011 NHS Sheffield resolved to close the MIU and to reprovide the walk-in service at Broad Lane.  The CCG now says that it has no plans to decommission the MIU and any decision to do so would be taken on clinical grounds and in conjunction with the Sheffield Health Community. 

As A&E attendances nationally continue to rise, NHS England has set up a review and consultation about urgent care.  Some details are available at http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/uec-emerg-princ.pdf.  It's a bit hard going and is not patient friendly though it tries to be.  Nor does it have anything to say about separate treatment for minor injuries. The CCG may revisit its position after publication of the review.

People who have had good experience of the type of service provided at the MIU should respond through the consultation if possible.  https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/urgent-emerging-care