NURSES at Stroud’s Minor Injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU) have said the unit’s opening hours should have been cut down even further.

An unnamed member of staff told the SNJ that the majority of the dedicated team there had wanted the unit to close at 8pm every night – rather than 11pm.

She said the nurses there felt “helpless and worthless” and that the unit would still face pressure due to the lack of staff, unsociable hours and low numbers of patients in the early hours.

The source said their opinions had been consistently ignored by both NHS bosses and the community and that their “welfare and safety” had been disregarded.

It comes after Gloucestershire NHS Trust made the decision to end 24 hour care at the unit in Trinity Road, despite significant opposition from the public – who had wanted the service to remain open all night.

“We have never been involved in the decision of the opening hours and have felt totally helpless and worthless,” the team member said.

“The staff are so unhappy at the changes. We feel that as a unit we have not been listened to.

“Do the members of Stroud that have fought so hard to keep the unit open really know the full details of how we work?

“How many people we see overnight and how inappropriate some referrals are? More importantly how much valuable money is wasted with the overnight service?

“As a solid unit there will be repercussions, as members of staff are considering leaving due to these hours.

“If you really want to support Stroud Minor Injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU) please fight for us, otherwise there might not be a unit to attend. I assure you this unit will fall apart if not.”

The nurse added that the revised 8am-11pm opening hours would still mean the “inadequate staffing levels” would be dangerously overstretched and that changing shift patterns would cause further disruption among nurses.

The comments comes in stark contrast to the views of the 5000 members of the public in Stroud who called for the unit to remain open 24 hours – and shows the huge difference in opinion of those in the community who use the service, and the people who work there.

Paul Jennings, chief executive at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, said: “The review of MIIU opening hours has been conducted to ensure we are providing a safe, effective service in line with Care Quality Commission standards and for which there is demonstrable public need.

“The decision made by the Trust Board last week did take into account the views of our colleagues, who have been fully involved in a comprehensive engagement process including a dedicated event at Stroud Hospital.

“We had a difficult decision to make to strike a balance between the range of views received from colleagues, the public and partner organisations.

“With that decision taken, we are looking to implement it while ensuring the safety and welfare of our staff.

“I will be visiting colleagues from Stroud MIIU later this week to listen to their concerns and ensure we are doing all we can to resolve any issues the change in opening hours may cause.

“Although we have developed some initial proposals on revised shift patterns for the new opening hours, we are still in discussion with MIIU colleagues on these.

“I appreciate that the review process has been unsettling for some of my colleagues but am confident that this change will result in a consistent and high quality service for the people of Stroud, and a safe and supportive environment for staff.”