Urgent meeting called with health bosses as Ilfracombe prepares to protest to keep its MIU

County councillors have called an urgent meeting with health bosses as Ilfracombe fights to secure its minor injuries unit (MIU).

Protestors will gather at the Tyrrell Hospital tomorrow (Friday, July 18) at 1pm, just over a week before the MIU contract ends.

There are fears that the future of the weekend-only service could be in doubt beyond July 31 and campaigners say if it closes North Devon will be left with no minor injuries units.

READ MORE: UPDATED: Campaigners claim the ‘last Minor Injuries Unit in North Devon’ will close

North Devon MP Ian Roome will also be attending Friday’s event after he backed a 3,000 name petition calling for the return of the seven-day-a-week service at the hospital.

At a Devon County Council health and adult care scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday the issue was raised under ‘urgent business’.

Green county councillor for Ilfracombe Sara Wilson said it was agreed she and chair of the committee Jess Bailey would meet with the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), which commissions services, ‘as soon as possible’.

There had been an ongoing reissuing of contracts for the MIU for the last few years and no long term plan, Cllr Wilson said.

She added: “We understand the problems of finance and that the current reorganisation of health services can be difficult but it can’t just keep being kicked into the long grass.

“The Tyrrell is very valued and people see it as being underused and a great opportunity for potential. It would be perfect as a local health hub and we want to see it kept open so it can be transformed into something like this in the future.”

READ MORE: Health authorities respond to claims Ilfracombe will lose its MIU service

League of Friends member Terry Elliott said prior to Covid the MIU was open seven days a week with skilled urgent care nurses, but the service had been reduced.

She said she was grateful to the private paramedic firm that had kept the MIU running at weekends, but they could not provide a full service as they were unable to prescribe drugs or suture.

“We have been told that the contract is not viable to carry on but we are getting no answers from the ICB,” she said.

“Rural and coastal communities like ours are being starved of services. We are losing the fire service co-responders who respond to medical emergencies and the Link centre for people with mental health problems has gone.

“We need more services not less. We have the worst health inequalities in Devon outside Plymouth.”

Ms Elliot said there was an acute service at Combe Coastal Practice surgery during the week but it was not ‘walk in’ and appointments were given out once other patients had been seen.

She said this was ‘complicated and confusing for patients’, adding: “If we lose provision at the Tyrrell there will be no MIU in North Devon.

“This hospital is not only needed for the local community but it serves a wide area of holiday spots, from Woolacombe to Combe Martin and Georgeham and deals with a range of injuries.”

She urged as many people as possible to turn up to the protest on Friday to show the strength of feeling for their hospital and its MIU.

At a special meeting on health inequalities held by North Devon Council last Thursday (July 10), residents and councillors talked about a north/south divide in Devon with the south having more MIU services – as many as 10 on some days.

Limited public transport, low wages, a lack of investment, poor housing and retention and recruitment of staff were all mentioned as contributing to the problems in the north of the county.

A spokesperson for NHS Devon said it was “still exploring options for extending the MIU service further for a period past July 31 and these discussions are still active.”

“Meanwhile people in Ilfracombe and the surrounding areas were still able access the minor injury service at Combe Coastal Practice, Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 6pm by contacting 111.

 “Future provision of minor injury services at Tyrrell Hospital will form part of the wider review of minor injury service/urgent treatment centre provision across Devon which is currently underway,” it said.

NHS Devon said there was no proposal to close the MIU and denied claims the GP practice service at Combe Coastal was to end in September.

It also said that South Devon had two minor injuries units that provided ‘weekend cover’ not 10.