MINOR injuries units (MIIUs) were described as “a thing of the past” at the meeting of Gloucestershire’s health scrutiny committee on Tuesday.

Conservative Gloucester city councillor Collette Finnegan made the comments during a discussion about the development of the county’s NHS sustainability and transformation plan (STP) which sets out health priorities.

“I appreciate what colleagues have said about minor injuries units but I do think that they are now a thing of the past,” she said.

In response to concerns from fellow councillors about the remark, Mary Hutton, Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group accountable officer, said it was clear that they needed “a network of urgent care centres” rather than grouping it one place.

Stroud district councillor Doina Cornell (Lab, Dursley), who is also a member of the committee said she was shocked by Cllr Finnegan's comment.

"At first I couldn't actually believe I heard her correctly," she told the Gazette. "I've just had a meeting with Gloucestershire Care Services assuring us about the MIIU and yet another scrutiny committee meeting today saying much the same and then we get this bombshell.  

"If her comment revealed inadvertently what the Tories are thinking I am really shocked.

"Are they going to junk all that public investment into the Vale, for example?

"They should be putting in more resources and services into such a local and accessible health facility - not choking it off."

Staff shortages have resulted in the county’s six minor injuries units partially closing 32 times in the last two months.

The most impacted is Dursley’s Vale Hospital which has closed 11 times in that period to allow its staff to cover at Stroud General Hospital.

In response to Cllr Cornell's comments, Cllr Finnegan said: "I am disappointed that the "shock" voiced by Cllr Cornell at the "bombshell" when I "revealed inadvertently what the Tories are thinking" has been reported without right of reply - together with a photo of me apparently enjoying the moment when in actual fact I was smiling in spite of the vitriol I had to endure from the councillors pictured behind me.

"Councillor Cornell said nothing publicly on the subject at the meeting and yet had the ear of your reporter afterwards and attempted to make sensationalist political capital out of my simple statement that "minor injuries units are a thing of the past".

"As Gloucester city health champion and with over thirty years professional experience in senior health management am I not qualified to pass judgement on what is clearly an out of date and unviable system?

"This is not "Tory thinking" but common sense.

"The NHS is fast changing and minor injuries units should in my opinion be phased out in deference to a better model - such as larger multipurpose GP practices like the exciting project in my own ward of Abbeydale.

"Councillor Cornell could quite easily have had her shock symptoms allayed had she had the courtesy to engage with me properly on the subject instead of remaining mute until the opportunity arose to cast unchallenged aspersions to the press."

Cllr Cornell added: "I made a political response to Cllr Finnegan's comment, so I am surprised she has responded with a personal attack.

"There was no 'vitriol' just surprise that after so many assurances of the importance of the MIIUs from the health professionals, someone would make such a remark.

"She is also inaccurate, as I did raise the issue of MIIUs at the meeting.

"I would also like to know how she thinks moving more urgent care services to the GPs and getting rid of the Vale MIIU would work in Dursley and Cam where parking is almost impossible outside the surgeries, which are both tucked away down minor roads, as opposed to the Vale which is easy to find and visit."