MALTON Hospital’s minor injuries unit (MIU) will reopen at weekends from the beginning of August, it has been announced this week.

The MIU will be open during the day between 9am and 5pm, seven days a week, from Saturday, August 3, but remain closed on evenings when less patients access the service.

Opening hours at the MIU were reduced in December 2012 after a decision by the former Primary Care Trust, NHS North Yorkshire and York, to introduce a number of cost-saving measures in response to a challenging end of year financial situation.

A campaign, launched by district and county councillor Lindsay Burr and backed by the Gazette & Herald, gathered more than 10,000 petition signatures and was followed by a march through Malton against the cut in hours.

Coun Burr said she was delighted the long-awaited return to a seven-day week at the MIU Malton would now take place.

“All our efforts were listened to and although it has taken longer than expected, this week it’s now official and we will soon have our MIU hours back and be back open to seven days a week.

“Thanks again to every single individual who supported this campaign.”

In the run-up to taking over the responsibility for local health services in April 2013, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG gave a commitment to review the reduced hours and subsequently launched a period of consultation with local residents to hear their views.

More than 120 members of the public completed a survey about their use of the MIU and their views towards keeping it closed in the evenings and at weekends. A number of people also took the opportunity to speak face-to-face with members of the CCG through a number of drop-in sessions held across the Ryedale district.

In summary, the majority of people agreed that closing the MIU on evenings, when only small numbers of people access it, was a good idea.

However many people felt that a service was essential at weekends particularly for treating sporting injuries.

Simon Cox, chief officer for NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG, said: “I am pleased that we have been able to come to a decision that responds to the needs of local patients while still enabling us to make important savings by closing the MIU during the evening.

“As a CCG which has made clear its intentions to give people the opportunity to shape local services, I think this process has demonstrated our commitment to listening to people’s views and ensuring they form part of our decision making process.

“I’d like to thank anyone who has taken the time to share their views about the MIU.

“An important issue that was highlighted during the consultation was that many people are unsure of what the MIU is actually able to treat.

“I’d like to reiterate that the MIU is not the same as an A&E department and is designed to treat only minor injuries and ailments such as cuts, sprains and minor burns.

“We are looking at how we can raise awareness of what health services are available locally to ensure people are able to access the most appropriate service for their needs.”