Question reference: S6W-25899
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 29 February 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be a review of minor injuries units in Deeside and south Aberdeenshire.
Answer
I should firstly say that the Scottish Government do not have a specific policy on the provision of Minor Injury Units in communities. It is for local health boards and integrated joint boards to get the best combination of local and specialist services that meets the needs of their population in line with the National Clinical Strategy.
There is currently a Minor Injury Unit (MIU) in south Aberdeenshire at Jubilee Hospital in Huntly. The minor injury units at Aboyne Hospital and Kincardine Community Hospital in Stonehaven were paused in December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board report demand for the minor injury service from these two units was low and with the increase in the complexity and demands on community hospital in-patient wards, NHS Grampian are prioritising services that have the greatest demand to provide the best treatment and care for local communities.
NHS Grampian have confirmed that all services are subject to regular monitoring and that data is used to evidence that the care provided makes effective use of resources. For the future of minor injury service provision at Aboyne and Stonehaven, there are ongoing plans to progress this in combination with Community Treatment and Care Services (CTAC). This model would involve an appointment system rather than a drop-in service. It is worth noting that minor injury services are also available at the majority of the local GP practices.