Temporary closures at Minor Injury Units as staff redeployed to care for Covid-19 patients
From Monday 18 January, Trowbridge MIU will be temporarily closed to patients booking appointments through NHS 111, but will keep some services open including dressing clinics.
Paulton MIU will also be temporarily closed for NHS 111 appointments and will suspend other services.
Chippenham MIU will remain open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and will continue to see patients who have contacted NHS 111 either by phone or online and are referred for an MIU appointment.
The closures have been introduced on a temporary basis so staff can be redeployed to provide care where it is needed most. They will be monitored with a view to reopening the units as soon as it is feasibly possible and safe to do so.
Tracey Cox, Chief Executive of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (BSW CCGs) said:
“Our Minor Injury Units in Chippenham, Paulton and Trowbridge were temporarily closed during the first peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April, but were opened up again during the summer as soon as it was safely possible.
“We have taken the decision to temporarily close Paulton and Trowbridge MIUs again so our dedicated and hardworking staff can help to look after the rising number of people requiring treatment for Covid-19.
"I would once again like to assure local people that these new arrangements have been put in place as a temporary measure and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.”
How to use NHS 111 First
You can contact NHS 111 either online or by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is free to use, including from a mobile phone.
Call 111
What you can be treated for at a Minor Injury Unit
Patients can be treated for:
-
Minor cuts and lacerations, including septic wounds
- Dog and cat bites
- Bruises
- Strains and sprains
- Simple fractures and dislocations
- Minor burns and scalds
- Head injuries – but new increased confusion, any loss of consciousness and intoxication cannot be treated in MIU
- Minor eye injuries
- Splinters and other foreign bodies in the skin, the eye, ear or the nose
- Insect bites and stings
Anyone with a life-threatening condition should call 999.
