The Aneurin Bevan Health Board 'misled' stakeholders in meetings about the future of Monmouth's Monnow Vale Hospital, it has been claimed.

The health board closed the hospital's minor injuries unit last year but members of the Monnow Vale Service Users Focus Group say they only found out by reading the Beacon.

The group's chairman Terry Christopher and deputy David Hill helped set up a sub committee to look at minor injuries units (MIUs) in October 2008.

"We spent 12 months compiling report, visiting MIUs around Monmouthshire and in Ross, Leominster, Ledbury, Brecon, Aberdare – comparable areas to Monmouth," said Mr Hill.

"They were doing procedures up and including significant fractures, and they seemed proud of their MIUs and the service they were doing for their community.

"They were practicing their skills to give the best service possible.

"We gave our report to the health board in 2009 and they set up a stakeholder group for minor injuries across the board, involving GPs, medical directors etc.

"We were presented with four options for the MIU at Monnow Vale – one was to do nothing, two was to have everything retracted to the A&Es at Nevill Hall and the Royal Gwent.

"Option three was to introduce a new service model locally including first responders, GPs etc, and option four was to start again and do the job properly.

"On 28th September option three was accepted by Aneurin Bevan Health Board but we then heard nothing until the sudden announcement that our MIU was being closed."

Mr Hill and Mr Christopher say Monmouth's GPs will not be paid by the board to carry out "minor injuries and wound management work" after April, while no other services have been set up.

For the full report on this story, see this week's Beacon (1st February)