Autumn is here and so are speedy services at Southampton Minor Injury Unit

Company news

Nov 03, 2014

Patients are giving the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) in the Royal South Hants Hospital the thumbs up and that’s official!

The improved service run by Care UK, which has been in operation Since August 1st, is bedding in well and the reaction from patients has been very positive.

Advance Nurse Practitioner, Kath Jones who leads the service said: “X-ray services are now available for children over two for the first time and we have a new model of care which means patients are seen by a health professional faster. Along with our extended opening hours these improvements are proving popular with patients.

The MIU provides treatment for a wide range of minor injuries and with average waiting times significantly shorter than those in Accident and Emergency (A&E) it is no surprise it is proving a hit with local people.”

The MIU is open from 7.30am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 10pm on weekends and bank holidays, with the last patient accepted at 9.30pm. The MIU team can treat animal and insect bites, minor burns and wounds, fractured bones, sprains and minor back, chest, eye, head and shoulder injuries.

Advanced nurse practitioner Kath Jones said: “We have had a busy summer at the unit. Previously the centre could not offer X-rays for children but now we have that facility for everyone over two years old.

“As we move into autumn the nature of accidents change. People out may trip in the dark, we see hand burns as people hurt themselves on sparklers on Bonfire Night and as the mornings get colder we see injured wrists and ankles from slips on footpaths. Whatever the circumstances we are here to help and our waiting times are usually significantly lower than A&E.”

Care UK’s unit manager Paul Fisher said: “By removing the traditional triage system, and having experienced nurses taking details and treating very minor injuries at the reception stage, we can stop people having to wait for potentially several hours for a 10-minute treatment.

“Along with this change, our increased opening hours and our ability to X-ray children, we are anticipating being able to treat around 40,000 people each year – that’s around 8,000 more patients seen and treated, removing some of the strain from local A&E services.”