Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) opens in Yate

A new Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) has opened at the Yate West Gate Centre, offering a drop-in service for children and adults to treat a whole range of minor injuries from cuts to sprains, from bites to broken arms.

The Unit, run by NHS South Gloucestershire’s Provider Services Team, is the first dedicated MIU in South Gloucestershire which is open seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

Patients do not need to make an appointment and the new MIU will be open seven days a week: 8.30am – 7.30pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.

An on-site digital X-ray facility and physiotherapy unit means that the MIU can diagnose and treat a whole range of injuries including sports injuries, falls, minor burns, broken arms and noses, cuts and sprains.

All patients are seen by an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) or an Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) who have a wide experience of dealing with minor injuries and treating children.

Peter James, Matron of the new MIU, said: “The MIU will be a fantastic facility for everyone who lives or works in the area providing swift treatment for a whole range of minor injuries.”

“More than half of the patients that go to the Accident and Emergency Department could be dealt with in a MIU. The Unit has an X-ray facility and blood and urine testing on site so that we can rapidly diagnose and treat patients, usually within two hours. If you went to A&E you would have to probably wait a lot longer as they must treat people with life-threatening and emergency conditions first.”

Peter continued: “Because we have direct access to other services within the Yate West Gate Centre the Minor Injuries Unit can refer people with, say, a sports injury to a physiotherapist on the site. If an older person who lives on their own has a fall and receives treatment from us, we liaise with the integrated care services team to provide a night-sitting service to ensure that the patient is safe.”

Deputy Mayor for Yate Town Council, Councillor Martin Monk, said: “It’s fantastic that we have such a facility in Yate open seven days a week. People can use this service rather than traveling to Frenchay and waiting up to four hours to be seen.”

Source: NHS South Gloucestershire

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