A much anticipated move of premises by a North Cornwall minor injuries unit has been celebrated by staff.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) has confirmed that the Bodmin Minor Injuries Unit has moved to an adjacent building on the site, formerly known as Bodmin Treatment Centre. It had been previously located in the main Bodmin Hospital building since it opened in the early 2000s to replace the former Victorian built East Cornwall Hospital, on Rhind Street.

The former Bodmin Treatment Centre originally served as a private hospital treatment facility until its closure in 2017 and was also used as a vaccination centre during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to CPFT, the move will 'deliver improved services closer to people's homes'.

The move comes amid plans for the installation of a community diagnostic centre in the same building, which will offer x-ray, CT scan and ultrasound facilities, supplemented by a mobile diagnostic imaging space which has facilitated MRI scan capabilities on the site - saving people having to travel to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

The addition of the fifth CT scanner in Cornwall is also the first to be located east of Truro.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Partnersihp NHS Foundation Trust said of the unit: "The new minor injury unit boasts a dedicated triage room, 4 treatment bays, an isolation treatment bay, and all the essential areas necessary for delivering exemplary care standards. The Bodmin minor injury unit is 1 of 10 minor injury units run by the Trust across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The services make a vital contribution to the delivery of urgent care in our system taking pressure off Treliske and Derriford Hospitals."

Sister Laura Innis said it was wonderful to be in the new building, saying: "It’s wonderful to be at the new site here in Bodmin. We now have a fantastic new unit to work from and I think this is another important step in the right direction as we aim to provide the best possible service for patients.”