PATIENTS arriving at Trowbridge Community Hospital were turned away from the minor injuries unit (MIU) on Monday night because of staff shortages.

Many residents took to social media to complain about the inconvenience of the Minor Injury Unit being closed, with some saying it is a reoccurring problem.

Posted on Spotted in Trowbridge, one person said: “I was there a few weeks ago and they were so short-staffed that it took about four hours to be seen. It wasn’t busy, there just weren’t enough people to see patients, I thought it was a one off, seems not.”

Another added: “It has always been the same, on the way to a works' night out one of the blokes gashed his head locking up the work gate. Took him along to get a dressing as we obviously had none on us. Absolutely nobody else was waiting [and] there were three nurses. After waiting an hour [we] told them they were taking the piss and left. Got wound sorted at venue of works do within five minutes of walking through the door by their first aider.”

The MIU is managed by Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who have said that signs were displayed at the unit on Monday night informing patients who turned up that they would have to find an alternative service – the nearest MIU is at Chippenham or there is the emergency department at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

A Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “A very small number of patients make use of the Minor Injuries Unit, which offers convenient access to a range of treatments 24/7 and high quality healthcare outside of regular GP hours.

“We apologise to anyone inconvenienced by the temporary overnight closure on Monday, which was due to unavoidable staff absences.

“It’s essential that we have enough staff to provide services safely and we are pleased to have recruited a number of new staff in the last week.

“Patients needing treatment for minor injuries can make use of the Trust’s two minor injury units in Chippenham and Trowbridge without an appointment. Alternatively, NHS 111 can offer advice and direct you to the nearest and most appropriate healthcare service.”