ELLEN Badger Hospital’s Minor Injury Unit is being scaled down and its opening hours cut after not meeting necessary standards.
The Shipston-based unit was assessed by the West Midlands Quality Review service which found emergency equipment missing and a fall off in the number of patients using the unit.
The findings have led healthcare providers in South Warwickshire to match the opening hours of a nearby GP surgery so a doctor is always available.
It will see the unit – which is run by South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT) – close an hour and a half earlier each day. It will also be renamed the Ellen Badger First Aid Centre to reflect the care it now offers.
The hospital’s 18 bed rehabilitation ward and day hospital services will run as normal.
A spokeswoman on behalf of SWFT, South Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Shipston Medical Centre said: “All health partners are committed to providing safe and clinically effective services for the local population of Shipston.
“The report summarised that the service was not able to meet the standards for a minor injuries unit, however what the centre is actually providing is a first aid service to the patients who were attending.
“To address the concerns raised the minor injuries service will change its opening hours to match the opening hours of the local GP practice so that there is always access to a doctor if the nursing staff need advice. This service will be renamed the Ellen Badger First Aid Centre so it more accurately describes to local people the nature of the service.”
A report conducted by the Quality Review Service last year found the number of patients to be around just 60 per month. In comparison, nearby Stratford Minor Injuries Unit treats up to 700 monthly.
The report read: “In summary the service did not appear to be meeting local needs effectively. The number of attendances was low, and for most patients the MIU added an additional step in their care.
“The MIU was primarily a wound care service. Activity levels were not sufficient to maintain staff competences and had not increased significantly since 2010.”
The Ellen Badger First Aid Service will change its opening hours from Tuesday (August 30) and will open between 8am and 6.30pm.
