Recruitment pledge at Whitchurch minor injury unit
Civic leaders in Whitchurch today insisted they are confident health services in the town will soon be back to normal after members of St John Ambulance had to step in.
Gerald Dakin, Shropshire Councillor for Whitchurch, said he is hopeful more staff will be recruited to work at the Minor Injuries Unit at Whitchurch Community Hospital.
The opening hours of the unit have been cut by two days a week as bosses struggle to get cover. And St John Ambulance workers were drafted in over the bank holiday weekend to help fill gaps in the service.
Whitchurch is the only community hospital in the county which uses nurses from the main hospital wards to staff the minor injury unit.
And bosses at the Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust said nurses are needed on the wards. The unit is currently open Monday to Friday, from 9am until 5pm, but Councillor Dakin said he hopes the service will resume to its usual hours of 9am to 7pm, seven days a week, soon.
He said: "They are looking for a permanent solution, there is a lot of hope. I believe the recruitment process is open, they have had a lack of staff and it is about recruiting the right kind of staff.
"Although it is only minor injuries they have to be trained to deal with all manner of things."
Councillor Dakin said he was 'delighted' that the St John Ambulance staff stood in over the Easter weekend.
He said it helped solve a difficult situation, but insisted it was only a temporary measure and that a permanent solution must be found .
He added: "It is a priority for the area."
