Minor injuries and urgent health problems can occur at the most inconvenient times. Minor Injury Units are a modern and fast way to deliver high quality care to patients with minor injury and illness.
MIUs are staffed by Emergency Nurse Practitioners, who have the training and experience to deal with more than just the regular cuts, bruises and sprains. They are nurse specialists with extensive nursing practice based in all aspects of Accident and Emergency (A&E) nursing as well as additional skills, such as health promotion. They also fulfil some functions which were historically been performed by doctors.
What can and cannot be treated
Minor Injury Unit staff can:
- stitch cuts,
- remove foreign bodies from ears, noses etc,
- remove splinters,
- dress minor wounds, cuts and grazes, and
- apply plaster casts,
- provide screening and treatment for Chlamydia
and treat
- sprains and strains,
- minor broken bones,
- minor burns and scalds,
- minor head injuries,
- insect and animal bites,
- minor eye injuries, and
- other minor injuries.
Minor Injury Units cannot treat:
- unconscious patients,
- serious medical conditions,
- major injuries,
- overdoses,
- alcohol related problems, or
- mental health problems
and in such cases an Ambulance should be called by dialling 999.
The following community hospitals have a Minor Injury Unit or a Local Treatment Centre
Note: not all MIUs operate 24 hours-a-day. Please check the individual hospital's page for further details.
Full Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department
Full A&E Departments can deal with all injuries including potentially life-threatening emergencies.
There are full A&E Departments at:
