The NHS has announced some temporary changes to Gloucestershire’s Minor Injury and Illness Units (MIIUs) in order to strengthen staffing at a smaller number of sites.

This is being done in a planned way and is one of a number of responsible steps being taken by health services in response to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The move will improve the resilience of services, ensuring clinicians are best placed to support patients who need treatment and advice.

Demand on MIIU services has also reduced significantly in recent weeks, as a result of changes in the way the public are accessing support.

The following Minor Injury and Illness Units will close temporarily from today (Thursday 26 March):

  • The Vale, near Dursley (nearest alternative, Stroud)
  • The Dilke, near Cinderford (nearest alternative, Lydney)

The following MIIU will close temporarily from Sunday evening (March 29):

  • Tewksbury (nearest alternatives North Cotswolds, Stroud or Lydney)

The following MIIUs will be open from 8am until 6pm, seven days a week, from Monday 30 March until further notice:

  • Lydney
  • Stroud
  • Cirencester
  • North Cotswolds, in Moreton-in-Marsh

These plans only involve the MIIUs. The inpatient hospital services at the sites will be unaffected.

This will be kept under review as further changes may become necessary in response to the developing situation.

John Trevains, Director of Nursing, Quality and Therapies for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the MIIUs in the county, said: “We are looking at all of our services, as the public would expect, to ensure we carefully manage our available staff and direct our efforts where there is the most demand for our support.

“We have been careful to ensure that there are still MIIUs open which are reasonably accessible to most communities, although we do know this decision may inconvenience some.

“I hope that the public will appreciate that this is a decision we have not taken lightly and will support us in our efforts to do what is right for our communities, as well as our staff.”

The public are reminded that the NHS is appealing to everyone to only use services, like GP surgeries and hospitals, when they really need to. This includes keeping A&E clear for life threatening emergencies. Local care and service advice is available from www.asapglos.nhs.uk and the ASAP Glos NHS App.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, do not visit an MIIU. Follow the specific health advice found via www.nhs.uk/coronavirus and use NHS 111 online if your symptoms worsen.

For details of the MIIUs, their addresses and the services they provide visit www.ghc.nhs.uk