Putney's MP will lead a debate in Parliament today (October 12), calling for the reopening of the Minor Injuries Unit at Queen Mary’s Hospital.  

The Urgent Care Centre in Roehampton serves over 16,000 local residents annually. It was closed in March to cope with the outbreak of coronavirus. 

Speaking on the closure Fleur Anderson says:  

‘I am taking this to the House of Commons today to show how much local people want the Minor Injuries Unit to reopen. There is no A and E in the whole Putney constituency and so, the Unit is a vital local healthcare service treating up to 18,000 residents each year. Since lockdown, these residents have been told to go elsewhere.   

'I really value Queen Mary’s Hospital and all the fantastic staff, but I am worried that it gets overlooked by NHS Managers. This leaves local people in a desperate situation if they need help urgently."

She says it is unacceptable that residents must travel to Teddington or Kingston for medical assistance, taking up to an hour. 

And is worried about lower diagnosis rates of people with cancer and reduced access to GP appointments, due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

'During the summer I was concerned that the Chief Executive of the Hospital Trust could not tell me when the Minor Injuries Unit – now called the Urgent Treatment Centre - would reopen and if it would reopen at all. So today I will ask the Minister to do his duty for Roehampton residents and reopen the Urgent Treatment Centre before the Winter. 

'The permanent loss of this service would be a gap in local healthcare and a devastating blow to local residents. As the Winter increase in need for health services is coming, it must be reopened urgently,' adds the Labour MP.  

A statement on St George's website says:

"As part of our response to the Covid-19 outbreak, we decided on 30 March to temporarily close the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton (formerly known as Minor Injury Unit).

This decision has been made to protect patients, staff and the public.

We will be reviewing this decision on a regular basis and will aim to re-open the unit as soon as we are able."

The debate will take place on Monday evening in the House of Commons Chamber. Exact timing will depend on the Parliamentary Business of the day.