Message from Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council
The new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Solihull Hospital is open for business and seeing patients. This is extremely good news for residents who previously had to travel fairly long distances if they needed medical assistance for minor injuries and minor illnesses. I alluded last week to how warmly the news had been welcomed by my colleague Councillor Karen Grinsell, our Deputy Leader. She has passionately campaigned for the return of urgent services to the hospital since the original Covid-enforced closure of the minor injuries unit and is rightly delighted to see that diligent work on behalf of the people of Solihull rewarded. I commend her for her persistence, and I’d also like to commend University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), the Trust who run Solihull Hospital, for moving quickly to restore services when they were able to do so.
The new centre will operate from 8am-8pm every day. Whilst it’s not a 24-hour service, a lot of work went into the establishment of the UTC and what it offers to residents, and I know that UHB weren’t seeing many visits to the old MIU outside those hours. We’re also assured that these hours will be reviewed and extended should there be sufficient need.
We’re proud of the role our hospital played in maintaining vital NHS services including life-saving operations at a time when the Trust had to reorganise services on a huge scale due to Covid. I know the decision to close Minor Injuries, as difficult as it was for Silhillians to accept, was not taken lightly.I’m pleased that UHB recognised our campaign and the needs of our residents. We can all now look to the future with the new unit serving us here in Solihull.
