SOLIHULL’S Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) will reopen in June.
The news has been welcomed by campaigners including Solihull Council’s deputy leader and chair of Solihull Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Karen Grinsell who has collected more than 11,000 signatures calling for the unit to open its doors once more.
The MIU closed its doors in May 2020 after University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) decided Solihull Hospital would be a Covid-free site so elective surgery could continue during the pandemic.
The Trust say it is now in a position to proceed with plans to re-open a refurbished MIU at Solihull Hospital which will treat cuts, minor burns and scalds, broken bones and injuries to the back shoulder and chest.
As well as reopening the MIU plans to create six new operating theatres at the Lode Lane site have been submitted for planning permission.
The theatres will cover a broad range of low and high complexity cancer and non-cancer surgery for around 15,0000 patients each year.
The Trust says it hopes to open these in December 2023.
Coun Grinsell said: “We welcome the plans to reopen Solihull’s Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) next year as well as the expansion of theatre capacity at Solihull Hospital.
“The MIU is a much-needed service for Solihull residents, and we are keen to see it reopen as quickly as possible.
“Delivering health services as close as possible to where people live has never been more important both for patient’s health and for the environment.”
For more or to have your say there are two engagement sessions at Solihull Hospital on December 2 and 12 for residents to attend or visit www.uhb.nhs.uk/get-involved/improvement-expansion/
