Hospital Attendances

 

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Minehead Minor Injuries Unit

The minor injuries service runs across the county in many of your local community hospitals. There are Minor Injury Units (MIU) at Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Chard, Bridgwater, Minehead and Burnham on Sea. They are all run by Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) with Staff Nurses and Health Care Assistants in support.

They see all patients who attend the units and hope to be able to give a complete episode of care and discharge the patient home – however if they are not able to do this they will refer the patient on to the right service for definitive care.

Minor Injury Unit staff can:

  • stitch cuts
  • remove foreign bodies from ears, noses etc
  • remove splinters
  • dress minor wounds, cuts and grazes
  • 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
  • other minor injuries
 

Hospital Appointments

Following consultation with your GP, it may be necessary for you to be referred to a specialist via a hospital appointment. The new Choose and Book service will mean that you may have a choice of where and when it suits you to be treated, dependent of course on who you need to see.

Your GP, or one of the practice team, will take you through the options available to you and supply you with all the necessary information, should the need arise.

Once your referral has been made under the Choose and Book system, you will then be contacted by a member of the Somerset referral booking service team who will discuss the available options with you.  They will then assist with making an appointment at your chosen place of treatment, at a time that you are able to attend.

 

Hospital Transport

The hospital transport service is restricted to patients who have no alternative means of transport and who are receiving certain services or treatments that mean they qualify as having a medical need.

Patients who qualify as having a medical need are those who are:

  • attending a day hospital appointment
  • having day surgery
  • being transferred to or discharged from hospital

Or those who are receiving:

  • Chemotherapy
  • Renal Dialysis
  • Physiotherapy
  • Radiotherapy
  • Cancer services
  • Mental health services
  • Rehabilitation
  • Haematology services
  • Services for people with learning disabilities

For intial referrals, contact patient support and transport booking services on 01278 432025, weekdays between 10.00 and 16.00. For follow-up appointments / pre-admission checks and operations, contact the appropriate hospital department who will pass the details on to the hospital transport officer.