The Minor Injury and Illness Unit in Tewkesbury will be temporarily closed from 8pm on Sunday 19 December.
The unit will be repurposed to provide care and treatment for people with Covid-19, who require a specific type of medical intervention called Neutralising Monoclonal Antibodies (nMABs).
John Trevains, Director of Nursing, Therapies and Quality at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Tewkesbury MIIU, said: “This is a new treatment, which has only been made available since 16 December. It is delivered through a drip to people aged 12 and above, who have tested positive for Covid and are at highest risk of getting seriously ill. Tewkesbury MIIU will be used to deliver the treatment for people across Gloucestershire and we hope will help people from our county to remain well enough to recover at home, reducing the impact on them as well as the healthcare system.”
Patients who would ordinarily attend Tewkesbury MIIU will be redirected to other units, with the best way of seeking medical advice ringing NHS111, visiting www.111.nhs.uk or calling the local MIIU triage line on 0300 421 7777.
Anyone needing urgent medical help* should call 999.
More information on Covid treatments (including nMABs) can be found here:Treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19) – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
* Call 999 in a medical emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
Medical emergencies can include:
- loss of consciousness
- an acute confused state
- fits that are not stopping
- chest pain
- breathing difficulties
- severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
- severe allergic reactions
- severe burns or scalds
Call 999 immediately if you or someone else is having a heart attack or stroke. Every second counts with these conditions. Also call 999 if you think someone has had a major trauma, such as after a serious road traffic accident, a stabbing, a shooting, a fall from height, or a serious head injury.
Minor Injury and Illness Units
There are seven Minor Injury and Illness Units in Gloucestershire in total – Cirencester, Stroud, Moreton, Dursley (Vale), and Lydney are open. The Dilke, in Cinderford, is temporarily closed and will be joined by Tewkesbury from 8pm this evening.
Full details of Minor Injury and Illness Units, their opening hours, what they can treat and how to use them can be found at ghc.nhs.uk/miius.
