SIR — This week the new Minehead Community Hospital opened – a wonderful facility bringing with it the opportunity to develop more local services for the people of West Somerset.

The open day on January 29 saw over 1,200 visitors, who expressed widespread appreciation of the new facilities.

Following your recent front page report regarding the services provided at the hospital's Minor Injury Unit, we would like to reassure your readers that all parties are currently in discussions to ensure appropriate and high quality health services are available in the community.

The organisations we represent (as commissioners and providers of NHS services) are undertaking a review in partnership to consider how services provided at the new hospital should be configured so that an even greater number of people can receive high quality treatment locally.

Until this review has been completed there will be no changes to the service currently offered by the Minor Injury Unit in Minehead.

Any changes thereafter will only enhance the service rather than lead to a reduction in quality or safety.

We are currently consulting with key partners regarding these changes and would be happy to keep your readers informed of the results.

Dr Ed Ford (Chairman of West Somerset GP Federation),

David Slack (Director of Primary Care Development,

NHS Somerset),

Judith Brown (Chief Operating Officer, Somerset Community Health).