A 15,000-strong petition has been delivered by two sister weeklies campaigning to save hospital services on their respective patches.

HTFP reported earlier this year how the Tamworth Herald and Lichfield Mercury joined forces for the ‘Save The Units’ campaign, after the minor injury units at Tamworth’s Sir Robert Peel Hospital and Lichfield’s Samuel Johnson Hospital were put under threat of closure.

The Trinity Mirror-owned newspapers have now delivered more than 15,000 signatures to the Staffordshire and Seisdon Clinical Commissioning Group, which oversees the hospitals.

In July, medical chiefs from members of the Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the CCG said that the future of the MIUs in Tamworth and Lichfield continue to be discussed and plans to team up with GPs to create Urgent Care Centres could be on the cards to enhance services.

Gary Phelps, who edits both titles, said: “It has been a long hard road, but we are finally at the point where we can present the NHS decision makers with a petition of 15,000 signatures which clearly shows just how cherished the MIUs in Lichfield and Tamworth are.

“We know they have some very difficult decisions to make, but we hope that they will take into account the opinions of so many people across our area.

“There’s no doubt that people feel passionately about the units.”