A MINOR injuries facility plagued by staffing problems has been forced to close for the weekend because health chiefs said it would not be safe for patients.
The Minor Injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU) in Crieff, Perthshire, will re-open at on Monday. NHS Tayside said it would not be safe to treat patients at the centre today or tomorrow because there were not enough staff.
The facility is designed to relieve pressure on A&E departments by treating less serious injuries and ailments such as sprains, burns and cuts.
The latest blow for the service comes days after NHS Tayside announced that operating hours at its minor injury units in Crieff and Pitlochry will be temporarily reduced from Wednesday August 1 due to "ongoing recruitment challenges".
The changes include closing Crieff MIIU at weekends, starting in August, and closing the unit earlier at 4.30pm on weekdays. Pitlochry MIIU will be open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 9pm at weekends.
In July 2017, the Crieff MIIU was closed for a week because too many staff were absent due to a combination of annual leave and sickness.
Patients were asked to attend the MIIU at Blairgowrie Memorial Hospital in Perthshire, 30 miles away, instead or to use out-of-hours services such as NHS 24.
Confirming this weekend's shutdown, Robert Packham, who heads up Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We would like to apologise for any disruption this may cause. “It is essential that we provide an MIIU service with appropriately skilled staff which is safe for patients and staff.
"Due to staffing difficulties, we have had to make the decision to restrict the opening of the unit for a temporary period.”
Conservative MSP Liz Smith said it was another “slap in the face” for people in rural Perthshire.
She said: “Last year, the Crieff MIIU closed temporarily as a result of staff absences and I was inundated with complaints from patients who were unable to access this vital service,
“Although this is only a partial closure, it will have a big impact on local residents who are dependent on this service.
“Staff recruitment is clearly a challenge, but NHS Tayside officials have been aware of this for some time and it gets to the point where this excuse doesn’t wash.”
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