A first aid unit has seen several temporary closures at peak times due to high levels of staff sickness.

Bicester First Aid Unit - a walk-in service housed at Bicester Community Hospital which serves patients with minor injuries outside of normal working hours – has been closed on five nights over the last two weeks.

The unit was closed from 6pm to 11pm on Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3.

It was then shut on Friday, July 8 from 6pm to 11pm, and on Saturday July 9 from 4pm to 11pm.

And a further closure took place on Tuesday, July 12, from 6pm until opening on the following day.

A spokesperson for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Bicester First Aid unit is the Trust’s smallest walk-in unit in Oxfordshire in terms of the number of patients who attend and is commissioned as a part-time service.

“It is run by a small team of dedicated and hard-working staff.

“Unfortunately, with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in the community, the team has been affected by higher than usual levels of sickness over the past year.

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“As a result, we have needed to close the unit temporarily from time to time when there are insufficient staff to provide the service safely.

“When this happens, staff who are able to work are moved to a nearby minor injuries unit to boost their capacity to see more patients, including any people who are redirected from the Bicester unit or referred by NHS 111.

“This ensures that patients are managed safely and effectively and, as a whole system, we can manage as many patients as possible in the community at the right time, alleviating pressure on Hospital Emergency Departments.

“We appreciate the inconvenience these unplanned closures cause to local people and, as part of the work we are doing with NHS and social care partners, are developing an improved urgent and emergency care pathway and workforce plan, which will enable us to provide services locally in a more resilient and sustainable way.

“Anyone who thinks that they may need first aid should contact NHS 111 in the first instance.

“They are able to give immediate advice and are kept aware of which local units are open or closed so, if necessary, they can direct you to the nearest and most appropriate facility for your needs.”

The Oxford Health NHS Foundation trust governs more than 50 health centres in Oxfordshire, including specialist mental health facilities.

It also encompasses health centres in Northamptonshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and Middlesex.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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