We are all too familiar with the concerns about journey times to our nearest hospitals and whilst I am keen to see an A&E hospital closer to Horsham, in the meantime I am determined to ensure that Horsham Hospital is used to its maximum to ensure that residents can access local healthcare.
I recently wrote to the Chief Executive of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust responsible for the Minor Injuries Unit asking what recent consideration had been given to extending its opening hours. The MIU is a really useful service (meaning patients do not have to take long trips to A&E for minor injuries). However, the current opening hours do not serve all those who may injure themselves or want to seek advice outside of office hours.
The Trust have informed me that the number of patients currently using Horsham MIU is much lower in comparison to other similar services. As a result the Trust are not looking to increase the opening hours of Horsham MIU. I am very keen to hear from residents about their experience of Horsham MIU to get a broader understanding of how well used this service is. Please do drop me an email on jeremy.quin.mp@parliament.uk
Having an MIU that provides a greater level of service is even more important given the recent announcement by the same Trust to temporarily change the opening hours at Crawley Hospital UTC. Whilst the UTC will remain open seven days a week, it will no longer be open 24 hours a day. Instead the Trust have decided to open the UTC from 7:30am-10pm to ensure a safe level of staffing.
I am concerned by this decision and I have been in touch with the Trust directly to ask how long this temporary change is likely to last and if they will be monitoring its impact on both GP practices and our local A&Es.