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Update on Prince Philip Hospital's Minor Injury Unit

>Members of the community raise questions at the second engagement event in Llanelli

20 February 2025

 

Current status and next steps

The temporary change to the opening hours of Prince Philip Hospital’s Minor Injury Unit (MIU) was implemented on 1 November 2024, changing the hours to 8:00am - 8:00pm daily for six months. This change was necessary to ensure patient and staff safety due to a shortage of GPs available to cover the MIU overnight, and it addressed safety concerns raised by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.

Engagement process

To determine a sustainable long-term solution, we are holding a series of engagement sessions with a diverse group of stakeholders. Together with our stakeholder group, we are working through a list of options that will be considered by the Board at its meeting at the end of March. The stakeholder group includes nurses, clinicians, the ambulance service, out-of-hours GPs, campaign group representatives, and community members (chosen at random from a long list of volunteers).

  • First Session: The initial session introduced the process and set the stage for collaborative discussions.
  • Second Session: Held in-person in Llanelli on 10 February, presented a long list of potential options. Participants were encouraged to ask questions, share suggestions, and challenge ideas. Feedback from this session led to the addition of four new options for consideration.
  • Third Session: Known as the hurdle session, met online on 17 February and involved evaluating the options against key criteria such as sustainability, accessibility, alignment with the health board’s strategy, and realistic deliverability.

Options being considered

The long list of 12 options included various GP and nurse-led models, as well as different types of Same Day Urgent Care (SDUC) with varying opening hours. These were:

  • GP Led Minor Injuries Unit Options, open 24, 16 or 12 hours
  • Nurse Led Minor Injuries Unit Options, open 24, 16 or 12 hours
  • Same Day Urgent Care (SDUC) type Options, open 24 or 12 hours

and four alternative options added because of feedback received during the check and challenge session:

  • 14+2 hours SDUC type option
  • 16 hours SDUC type option
  • 24 hour ‘Phone First’ option
  • Phased return to 24-hour GP Unit

Key considerations include:

• GP and Nurse-led options: These models focus on ensuring that the MIU can operate effectively with the available workforce.

• Same Day Urgent Care (SDUC): This model aims to expand the range of conditions treated at the MIU while ensuring patients see the most appropriate clinician.

Challenges and considerations

Discussions have highlighted several challenges, including the ongoing difficulty in recruiting GPs to staff a 24-hour MIU service. Transport issues were also raised, with concerns about access to care for individuals without a car.

Next steps

At the conclusion of the third session (held on 17 February), participants voted on the options. Those that met the hurdle criteria will proceed to the next stage.

The next sessions, scheduled for 24 February and 3 March, will focus on a further check and challenge and scoring of shortlisted options.

A final recommendation of shortlisted options will be presented to the Board at its meeting on 27 March.

Thank you to all the invaluable contributions of the community representatives, partners and staff in supporting the process to date.