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Drop-in event for information about Llanelli's Minor Injury Unit

Person with a bandage on left hand

14 October 2024

Members of the local community in Llanelli are invited to attend a drop-in event to learn more about forthcoming and temporary changes to the opening hours of the Minor Injury Unit at Prince Philip Hospital.

People can drop-in to the event, at the Antioch Centre, any time between 2pm and 7pm on Wednesday 23 October 2024.

They will be able to learn more about why the temporary change is needed, how to access care in different circumstances, and what the next steps will be for further engagement with the community.

Hywel Dda Health Board staff, including clinical staff from the hospital’s Minor Injury Unit, the Acute Medical Assessment Unit, and the (GP) Out-of-Hours service, will be available to speak to people and answer any questions.

From Friday 1 November 2024, for a period of six months, the Minor Injury Unit at Prince Philip Hospital will be open from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week.

The Minor Injury Unit provides care to adults and children over 12-months old with minor injuries such as minor wounds, minor burns or scalds, minor limb injuries, bites and stings, foreign bodies in the ear or nose, and minor eye injuries.

The temporary change to opening hours, which only affects the Minor Injury Unit, has been put in place to protect patient and staff safety due to not having the appropriate MIU GPs in place during evenings and overnight.

During the past year (1 October 2023 – 30 September 2024), approximately 31,000 patients used the MIU at Prince Philip Hospital, with around 25,000 daytime presentations and 6,000 evening presentations.

There have been problems in securing suitably qualified doctors to provide cover in the unit. For example, in the five-month period between February 2024 and July 2024, there were 42 uncovered slots, of which 23 were overnight and 16 were afternoon/evening slots.

The hospital’s Acute Medical Assessment Unit, which provides emergency care for very sick medical patients, such as those who have suffered a stroke or heart attack, remains a 24/7 service at Prince Philip Hospital and is not part of this temporary change.

Patients are brought into this unit directly by the ambulance service, or are referred by their GP, or by the Out-of-Hours service.

The local Out-of-Hours service will continue to operate from the Llanelli Hospital and is accessed by calling NHS 111 Wales when your GP surgery is not open (between 6.30pn and 8am Monday to Friday, weekends and Bank Holidays). Patients are only seen through arrangement with NHS 111 Wales as this is not a ‘walk-in’ service.

Minor Injury Unit Clinical Lead Jon Morris said: “To ensure the safety and confidence of people attending the minor injury unit, we need to able to provide a fit for purpose service during all opening hours. 

“The inability to consistently cover the rota, with suitably qualified doctors, particularly during the evenings and overnight, carries risk to our patients and our staff, with staff absences then compounding the problem.”

Hospital Clinical Director Robin Ghosal added: “Whilst this temporary change is in place, it is important to stress that Prince Philip Hospital continues to provide acute medical care for the local population. These cases come into the unit via ambulance or via GP referral. We will work closely with GPs and the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust to ensure these patients continue to be seen in Prince Philip Hospital, as their closest hospital, during this temporary change to the Minor Injury Unit. This means we continue to care for medical emergencies at Prince Philip Hospital and in typical circumstances, these will not be diverted to either Glangwili or Morriston Hospitals.”

Advice for people in accessing the care they need:

  • If you need help with a minor injury between the hours of 8am and 8pm, people can continue to self-present (walk-in) to the Minor Injury Unit, at Prince Philip Hospital. For further information on how the MIUs can help you – please visit Minor injuries units - Hywel Dda University Health Board (nhs.wales) (opens in new window)  
  • If you have a minor injury outside of these hours, which cannot wait until the next day, or, if you are unwell and unsure what help you might need, please visit the NHS Wales symptom checker on the website NHS 111 Wales - Homepage (opens in new window); or call NHS 111 Wales
  • If you need mental health advice that is urgent and not an emergency, call 111 (press Option 2) and you will get the best advice and support needed for you.
  • You can access your GP, community pharmacy, optometrist (optician) or dentist in the usual way. Out-of-hours, you can contact the  Out-of-Hours service by calling NHS 111 Wales.
  • In a life-threatening emergency, call 999.