Minor injuries unit to close for good - NHS bosses

A minor injuries unit is to be permanently closed, NHS bosses have confirmed.

The unit at Altrincham General Hospital was first shut in 2020 due to a national shortage of specialist emergency nurses but briefly reopened for a month in July 2021 before closing again due to staff shortages.

Plans to shut the department came after a review recommended "stand-alone" units should not be recommissioned to help address "the often confusing mix of urgent care services" in hospitals.

The plans to close the unit provoked an outcry from Altrincham and Sale MP Connor Rand and councillors who said it would be a "devastating loss".

Rand used his maiden speech in the Commons to call for the unit to be saved.

He told fellow MPs the minor injuries unit was "a service that was relied upon by my constituents" before its closure.

NHS Greater Manchester said services had been relocated to Wythenshawe Hospital about three miles away, which offers a "round-the-clock" Accident & Emergency department and a wider range of urgent care services.

It said all other services at Altrincham Hospital remained open and plans were under way to determine the long-term use of the space where the minor injuries unit was located.

Katherine Sheerin, chief commissioning officer for NHS Greater Manchester, said that while it might not be the news some residents were hoping for, the decision "brings an end to a prolonged period of uncertainty and ensures urgent and emergency care services continue to meet national standards".

"While the [unit] was once an important part of local healthcare, both the way services are delivered and what people need from them have changed," she said.

"To offer safer, more reliable care for everyone, services must be organised in a way that works better for the whole community, both now and in the future."

She said alongside Wythenshawe's A&E local GP practices offered extended access appointments and NHS 111 could guide people to the "most appropriate" care.

Ms Sheerin said NHS Greater Manchester was committed to "improving services, tackling waiting times and building a sustainable workforce".

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