FRIENDS of Frome Hospital have reassured residents that there is no imminent planned changes to Frome’s Minor Injury Unit, or any other services provided by the community hospital.
They say that rumours started circulating on social media following a meeting to review services by the Somerset Commissioning Care Group’s governing body. Discussions were held about a new proposal to start public engagement about improving community-based health and care services for people in Somerset – known as ‘Fit for my Future’.
In a report, presented at the meeting by Alison Rowswell, the deputy programme leader, it says, “The NHS has recommended that urgent treatment centres, which provide a greater range of services and a higher level of care than current minor injury units, are opened across the country.
“In Somerset it will not be practical or affordable to replace every minor injury unit with an urgent treatment centre, so we will have to consider how many we need for the county. This means that some minor injury units would close, while others would be replaced by urgent treatment centres.”
However, Friends of Frome Hospital chairman, Derek Trick, says this is only the start of many months of consultation, with no imminent threat to services. He said, “We believe someone has sighted an NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group statement of the 30/01/2020 whereby they are about to launch a public engagement programme on ‘early thinking’ around improvements to community health and care services.
“The programme will be flagged up under the name ‘Fit for my Future’ and we understand it will review a whole range of hospital and community medical services – of which the minor injuries units could also be reviewed. The intent of Fit for my Future is to review on how the local NHS needs to adapt to providing medical services to this and future generations of people.
“The people of Frome will be amongst the first in our region to have a preliminary review and be able to make their observations at a planned drop-in session in the foyer of the Frome Community Hospital on Thursday 20th February from 11.00am -2pm.
“It is understood there will be a more in-depth evening meeting later in the public engagement programme, after the wider views from across Somerset have been gathered.
“These public engagement meetings are then followed by further discussion sessions with suggested possible scenarios, then a final overview, which will take many months.
“I think it is a shame that social media posts can pick on a particular item, which could start to undermine such an important review of services, even before it has been explained face-to-face to the public.”
To take part in the consultation online or for more information about the scheme, visit www.fitformyfuture.org.uk.
Dr Helen Kingston, senior partner at Frome Medical Practice said, “The Frome Medical Practice has not been formally approached regarding the review of minor injury units across the county. Both our patients and ourselves value the minor injuries unit in Frome, particularly as GP services out of hours are based in Shepton Mallet.
“Our practice has a strong collaborative relationship with the community hospital, which is located adjacent to the practice at the Health Park in Enos Way.
“Frome is the largest town in Mendip and has the fourth largest population base in the county.
“I understand that nationally the NHS has asked for a move from minor injuries unit provision to new urgent care centres. I very much hope that in their consideration of the health needs of the population, the CCG will fully recognise the needs of the Frome population and base the urgent care centres where populations are concentrated and where that need is greatest.”
