Thousands call for council help to reopen Cannock Hospital's minor injuries unit

Cannock’s Minor Injuries unit shut in March 2020, the week before the country went into its first national lockdown, to enable staff to provide support for patients needing urgent care at New Cross Hospital n Wolverhampton.

Community leaders and residents have been calling for several months for services to reopen at the Cannock Hospital-based MIU. But despite sending numerous letters to health bosses, councillors in Cannock Chase have still received no answer on when the service will return.

County and district councillor Phil Hewitt had to travel out of Cannock Chase to Lichfield during last year’s lockdown when he needed treatment after sustaining a small injury.

This month he submitted a petition from residents to Staffordshire County Council at its full meeting, once again pressing for action on the MIU.

He said: “About two years ago, at the start of the pandemic, Cannock Minor Injuries Unit closed down and nobody would argue with that – it was undoubtedly the right thing to do and staff had to be redeployed to a more urgent matter, which was Covid.

“Unfortunately, two years on, it’s still closed. We’ve been putting a reasonable amount of pressure on to get it open again, without any real conclusion.

“This petition is signed by over 3,000 people. We’d like to present the petition from residents of Cannock Chase and the surrounding area, requesting the council lobby the NHS trust to secure the reopening of the Minor Injuries Unit at Cannock Hospital.”

David Loughton, chief executive officer of Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, told Cannock Chase councillors last year that Cannock Hospital was a “vital part of plans to recover from Covid-19”, but warned it would take some time to get treatment waiting lists back to the pre-pandemic level.