A TEMPORARY closure of Newquay’s Minor Injury Unit has been further extended due to workforce pressures.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust says the facility in St Thomas Road will remain closed until Monday, November 2, as it is not able to provide a “safe, reliable service.”

The trust initially stated the Minor Injury Unit would temporarily close from Friday, August 21 as it was managing sickness absence, staff changes and ongoing recruitment. The rest of the hospital will remain open as normal.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “We have taken the difficult decision to further extend the temporary closure of Newquay Minor Injury Unit.

“Patient safety is our top priority. In recent months, vacancies and sickness have led to short-notice changes to opening hours. After a careful review, we believe extending the temporary closure is the safest option while we work to strengthen and stabilise the service.

“A new team lead is now in post and working with colleagues to support the future development of the service.

“Extending the closure will give us more time to embed these arrangements, support the team and ensure the unit can reopen safely and sustainably.

“We know how important the unit is to local people and visitors, and we recognise that this extension will be disappointing. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We remain committed to reopening the service as soon as it is safe and sustainable to do so.

“Our current plan is to reopen the unit on Monday, November 2 on a phased basis.

“At first, we expect the service to open on reduced days until after Christmas. The days and times will be based on when the unit is usually busiest. This will help the team safely re-establish the service and continue building a sustainable service for the future. We will confirm the opening days and hours as soon as we can.”