Ross Town Councillors were left ‘frustrated’ after attending a Herefordshire County Council meeting which was considering the temporary closure of the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) in Ross-on-Wye and also the MIU at Leominster.

Wye Valley NHS Trust, with the approval of Herefordshire Clinical Commission Group, ordered the temporary closure of the units to relocate staff to ease winter pressures at Hereford County Hospital.

This is the third year health bosses say they desperately need the emergency nurse practitioners at the units to be moved to the city A&E department.

Ross Town Councillors Chris Bartrum, Paul Symonds and Louis Stark were present at the meeting of the Adults and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee on Monday, January 13th at the Council Chamber in Hereford.

Speaking to the Ross Gazette after the meeting, Ross Town Councillor Paul Symonds said: “Herefordshire Council was very accommodating in inviting myself and my fellow town councillors to the meeting, with our main concern being why the council shouldn’t refer the decision to close the MIU to the Secretary of State for Health.

“The Health Trust and Clinical Commission Group said they did not see this matter as a significant decision to bring up to the Secretary of State and that they didn’t need to consult anybody on the matter.

“We as councillors obviously believe it is a significant decision seeing as the surrounding area that affects the Minor Injuries Unit covers a community of 25,000 people, we feel the closure will have a significant impact on the community and have been left frustrated by the decision from the council."

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