THE temporary closure of Newquay Minor Injury Unit is set remain in place due to workforce pressures.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was due to re-open the facility in St Thomas Road on Monday (November 2), but the organisation has said it is still not in a position to provide a “safe and reliable service.” The rest of the hospital will remain open as normal.

Newquay Minor Injury Unit was initially closed from Friday, August 21 due to managing sickness absence, staff changes and ongoing recruitment. The Trust says it is committed to re-opening the facility as soon “as it is safe to do so” but no date has been announced.

A Trust spokesperson said: “After a further review of the service, we have made the difficult decision to continue the temporary closure of Newquay Minor Injury Unit.

“While we have made progress on recruiting staff and strengthening local leadership, workforce pressures remain. We are not yet in a position to consistently provide the safe and reliable service that local people need and deserve. The rest of the hospital will stay open as normal.

“In recent months, staffing challenges have led to changes in opening hours at short notice. Our priority is to make sure any service we provide is safe and dependable. At this time, keeping the unit temporarily closed is the responsible thing to do while we continue to strengthen the team.”

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust says it is continuing to recruit new staff to ensure the Newquay Minor Injury Unit re-opens as soon as possible.

A spokesperson added: “We are continuing to recruit, with interviews and further advertising planned for healthcare assistant and specialist practitioner roles. We are also looking at longer term ways to recruit and retain staff. Our new team lead is playing an important role in this work. They are supporting the current team, leading recruitment and helping to plan for the future.

“Like many rural and coastal areas, Cornwall faces challenges in attracting and retaining healthcare professionals. Its geography, a smaller workforce and wider staffing pressures can make recruitment harder. These challenges have affected Newquay and are also seen in many similar communities.

“We know how important the unit is to local people and visitors and we understand this news will be disappointing. We are sorry for the continued disruption. Thank you for the patience and support shown by our communities.

“We remain committed to reopening Newquay Minor Injury Unit as soon as it is safe to do so. Rather than set a date that may need to change, we will reopen the unit when we are confident it can provide a safe, reliable and consistent service. We are continuing to review progress and the staffing levels needed to reopen the unit safely.

“We will keep continue to keep local people and stakeholders updated.

“Other minor injury units are available. People can walk in without an appointment. The closest units include Bodmin, which is open between 8am to 10pm, Camborne/Redruth, open from 8am to 10pm, as well as St Austell, which is open between 8am and 8pm.”