SIR,

In July, members of Chepstow Labour Party met, not for the first time, with representatives of Aneurin Bevan Health Board to discuss the question of whether they would consider re-opening the Minor Injuries Unit at Chepstow Community Hospital which closed without consultation in October 2011.

We were given the blunt answer that the ABHB had chosen to ignore the 2,500 on the petition for the return of the MIU. We were told they had no plans to reopen it nor to consider reopening it. They did not enter into any detailed discussion as to how or why they had reached this decision.

The only concession that ABHB have made to strong public opinion on this matter is to agree that they handled the public relations aspect of the closure badly.

They went on to state that they will attempt to communicate better to the population of Chepstow and surrounding areas, what services are available, where and when, for those who might otherwise have used the MIU. We can only hope that they are as good as their word in this minor respect. They mentioned September.

For nearly two years the people of Chepstow have been forced to seek attention for minor injuries at Nevill Hall in Abergavenny or at the Gwent in Newport.

If you feel strongly about this issue you can contact the Aneurin Bevan Health Board at: 

Aneurin Bevan Health Board in Newport by calling 01633 436700 or emailing [email protected]">[email protected]

You can also contact the watchdog body, Community Health Council by calling 01633 838516 or emailing [email protected]">[email protected]

Gerry Rowe

(Chairman, Chepstow Labour Party)