AROUND 2,000 local people have continued to have their minor injuries treated at Prince Philip Hospital’s Minor Injury Unit in the first month of temporary changes to opening times.
Families like Stephanie Roberts from Llanelli and Emily Williams from Garnant can still be seen for minor bumps, bites and wounds at the Minor Injury Unit, which is open from 8.00am until 8.00pm, seven days a week.
A temporary change to opening hours began at the MIU from November 1 in order to protect patient and staff safety due to not having the appropriate Minor Injury Unit GPs in place during evenings and overnight.
Some patients attending the unit have more complex needs than can be treated by a GP, as they are considered major and cannot therefore be treated at the MIU. This means they need to be stabilised and transferred onwards.
Stephanie Roberts, who lives a stone’s throw from Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli brought her two-year-old daughter Arya for treatment after she bumped her head at home.
Stephanie said: “Arya was at home with me and my mum and dad when she fell off the sofa and hit her head on her play centre.
“Arya was very brave, but the bump had swollen to twice the size, and had gone purple. It was a fair thump on the play centre, so I was worried, as it was a head injury.
“It was nice that it was just a few minutes down the road to the Minor Injury Unit and that I didn’t have to travel half an hour to find out if she had concussion.”
Stephanie knew to come to the Minor Injury Unit where Arya was seen by a GP who was able to treat her and offer reassurance to Stephanie.
Prince Philip Hospital’s Minor Injury Unit Clinical Lead Jon Morris said: “This exactly the sort of minor injury we can deal with effectively at the unit. Arya was checked over by one of our GPs and given the appropriate treatment before we discharged her. Arya’s mum Stephanie made the right choice by coming directly to the MIU.”
Emily Williams from Garnant was brought down to the MIU by her sister to be checked out following a traffic collision.
“As soon as the accident happened, I had a severe headache to the point that there was pain going down the back of my neck and I couldn’t move,” said Emily.
“Eventually I managed to get out of the car and the police arrived. But the longer it has gone on now, the aches and pains have started to come out down my arms and down my back and in my chest.”
Although Emily felt unwell, she decided to ask her sister to take her to the MIU rather than call for an ambulance. Emily was treated by the GP and then discharged.
This is not the only time recently that Emily has needed the help of the NHS as her 13-year-old daughter began suffering from severe stomach pains.
“It was during half term. She had severe pain in the day – I put it down to a stomach bug. She’s the sort of person not to even tell me if she’s being sick, so I know when she’s being ill, I know she’s really ill.
“I called 111 and they spoke to my daughter and they said ‘can you take her down to the hospital’. So they gave me an option of Morriston or Glangwili.
“At the time MIU was open 24/7 and I asked if I could take her to Llanelli and they said no it was just for minor injuries and this was suspected appendicitis.”
Dr Morris said: “Emily made the right choice both times. We could not have treated her daughter’s abdominal pain at the MIU but by calling 111 and following their advice by going directly to an acute hospital, she was able to get the help she needed.
“I hope Arya, Emily and her daughter are feeling much better now. It is really important that people make the right choices when they need treatment,” said Dr Morris.
If you live in, near, or are visiting Llanelli and have a minor injury in the daytime (between 8.00am and 8.00pm), you can continue to walk into the Minor Injury Unit at Prince Philip Hospital.
If your minor injury occurs between 8.00pm and 8.00am and cannot wait until the next day, please use:
- the NHS Wales symptom checker online (opens in new tab).
- or call NHS 111 Wales for advice (choose option 2 for mental health support)
- In a life-threatening emergency, whether you are an adult, young person, or for a child, always dial 999.
The health board has run an information and campaign in the community, with leaflets and information online. A stakeholder group with representatives of the community to build the future options for the service has been established and is working to develop possible future options. Once options have been developed, there will be a period of engagement with the community to hear the views of individuals who live in and around Llanelli.
