Hospital minor injuries unit to reopen

EAST Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust are pleased to announce that the Minor Injuries Unit at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital will be re-opening from next week.

The service will be reopening on Monday, October 5, having been suspended on March 25 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Trust said the suspension had allowed them to redeploy staffing resources to their two main acute sites at Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Teaching Hospitals.

The service will be open seven days a week from 8am until 8.30pm for minor injuries only.

These include: sprains and strains, broken bones, wound infections, minor burns and scalds, minor head injuries, insect and animal bites, minor eye injuries, and injuries to the back, shoulder and chest

Tony McDonald, Director of Integrated Care and Partnerships for ELHT, said: “We are really pleased that this service is being reinstated as part of our restoration work.

“This will help us to manage patients better who are in need of our services and importantly enables both patients and staff to maintain social distancing.

“We urge patients to check they are accessing the most appropriate service for their needs.

“This means they will receive the right care, by the right person, in the right place as quickly as possible.

“If you are injured and experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 such as a new persistent cough, temperature or loss of taste or smell please do not attend a health care setting such as A&E or GP practice. Please stay at home and seek advice from NHS 111 online.”

More information on this can be found at www.elht. nhs.uk .