Three minor injury units in Aberdeenshire will permanently close overnight from next week.
From Monday, July 1, minor injury units – or MIUs – in Fraserburgh, Huntly and Peterhead will open from 7am to 7pm instead of 24 hours.
Despite over 3,200 people signing an online petition to keep the three MIUs open overnight, the Aberdeenshire Integrated Joint Board (IJB) decided to cut their hours in half.
The move, which is predicted to save £716,000 in the 2024-25 financial year and around £1 million annually, means that Aberdeenshire and the north-east will have no 24-hour MIUs.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) said MIUs “can only treat a very limited number of injuries” and reiterated that the Out of Hours GP Service (GMED) will continue to operate overnight.
The HSCP said that both of these services often “operate from the same building”, with both being accessed by calling NHS24 on 111.
Minor injury units underused
According to the HSCP, data shows that the three MIUs are underused, with the maximum number of patients seen in one night in Huntly being three in December 2023.
In that same month, 17 nights saw no presentations of minor injuries at the unit, which is based at the town’s Jubilee Hospital.
For Peterhead Community Hospital, the maximum number of patients seen in one night in the last month of 2023 was five, while eight saw no one attend with minor injuries.
Further north in Fraserburgh – at the town’s hospital – the highest amount of patients seen in one night in December last year was four, while seven nights saw no one turn up with minor injuries.
All other presentations recorded in the units were to see GMED.
In Aberdeen, where there have been numerous issues with ambulances being stacked up outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), the MIU closes at 8pm each night.
‘Nothing to suggest’ increase on ARI or Dr Grays services
Regarding concerns that the three MIUs closing overnight will put pressure on A&E services across Grampian, Aberdeenshire HSCP said: “Looking at the data we have about who is attending our units overnight and why, there is nothing to
suggest that the number of ambulances needed, nor the number of people having to travel to ARI or DR Grays will increase.
“This is because anything that would require emergency care would need to go to ARI or Dr Grays just now, so closing overnight would not impact on this.”
Conversation