A minor injury unit is due to reopen at a Dorset hospital in the latest phase of a countywide emergency care provision review.
Dorset HealthCare has reopened the Minor Injury Unit (MIU) at Blandford Hospital two days a week.
Additionally, to help relieve pressure on emergency departments in Poole and Bournemouth, the extended opening hours of the MIU at Victoria Hospital in Wimborne will continue.
Dorset HealthCare has been forced to close its MIUs at hospitals in Blandford, Portland and Sherborne during the pandemic, to help manage the spread of Covid-19 and deal with staff absences. Wimborne’s opening hours have been increased, to help compensate.
As restrictions began to ease, the MIU at Yeatman Hospital in Sherborne was reopened five days a week, and now the Blandford unit will be available Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (call 111 to make an appointment).
Despite the partial closure of Dorset’s MIU network, attendance at available units has increased markedly from pre-pandemic levels – with nearly 93,000 appointments scheduled for this year compared to just under 57,000 for the whole of 2019.
Emma Wilson, emergency and emergency care manager at NHS Dorset, said: ‘Our hospitals are very busy at the moment so if you think your need is urgent but not a life-threatening emergency, you may be treated longer. quickly by calling 111 and if you need face-to-face treatment, our network of UTCs and MIUs can provide it.
Visit dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/miu for more information.
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