A NEW National Health Service plan could revive hopes for a 21st-Century Minor Injuries Unit at Ross-on-Wye Hospital.

The Government’s newly announced 10-year NHS plan to create up to 300 ‘neighbourhood health centres’ could present a significant opportunity for Ross and breathe new life into longstanding efforts to reinstate a Minor Injuries Unit in the town.

The proposed centres aim to bring services such as diagnostics, mental health support, physiotherapy, pharmacy and urgent care into the heart of communities, reducing dependence on overstretched Accident and Emergency departments.

They are designed to provide integrated care closer to where people live, a vision that strongly aligns with what Ross Community Hospital already offers.

Local County Councillor Ed O’Driscoll (Ross East, Lib Dem) believes the time is right to push for Ross to be part of this future.

“We have the infrastructure. We have the need. And we have a community that values its local hospital.

“Ross should be front and centre in any conversation about neighbourhood healthcare,” said Cllr O’Driscoll.

Importantly, support for this ambition is beginning to take shape at senior levels. As previously reported at a recent Herefordshire Council Cabinet briefing, Cllr O’Driscoll raised the issue with Simon Trickett, chief executive of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board – the body that oversees the running of minor injuries units.

Mr Trickett responded positively and agreed to work with the council on a strategy document exploring what a modern minor injuries unit could look like for a market town like Ross.

“This commitment is hugely welcome,” Cllr O’Driscoll added. “It shows there’s a willingness to explore what 21st-century urgent care should look like in a rural setting and that Ross is being taken seriously.”

While there has been some criticism and scepticism from a few individuals about the feasibility of the campaign, Cllr O’Driscoll is clear:

“Of course, there are obstacles but if we don’t try to make this happen, who will? Negativity helps no one.

“We’re making the case, working with the right people, and building support. That’s how change begins.”

With the government’s plan still in its early stages and no official list of proposed neighbourhood health centres yet published, there’s everything to play for.

In March this year the principle of the reopening of the minor injuries units in Herefordshire received cross party support. The motion called on the executives who run the authority to work with the Wye Valley NHS Trust and the Integrated Care Board and other stakeholders to reopen the units in Ross-on-Wye and Leominster.

The councillors were told that it's not a nostalgic idea of bringing back the past, but providing a facility that is fit for use in the 21st Century.

When the original minor injuries unit closed in Ross at the outset of the pandemic, some 1,500 people signed a petition calling for its return.

Cllr O’Driscoll encourages residents to stay engaged, share their views, and support efforts to ensure that Ross-on-Wye Community Hospital remains at the heart of local healthcare with services fit for the future.