Councillor Paul Symonds recently told the Ross Gazette that he objects strongly to the proposed five month closure of the Minor Injuries Unit at Ross Community Hospital. He said that the Town Council demands the Wye Valley NHS Trust Chief Executive provides a full explanation for this decision, including all alternatives which were considered, no later than December 31st, 2018.

They also demand that he attends the next Town Council meeting to discuss the decision and explain why the local stakeholders, including the Town Council, were not consulted prior to the decision being made.

The MIU was closed in 2017, but not for five months. Cllr Symonds’ concern is that this suggests that the Trust’s objective is the complete closure of the MIU. He said: “It’s hard to see how forcing people to travel to the already over-full Hereford facility can be in the best interests of patients, not to mention the additional congestion it will cause on the already over capacity A49. Plus, what happens to patients with no transport?”