After having remained closed for a period while staff were redeployed to help care for Covid-19 patients, Trowbridge Community Hospital has now reopened its Minor Injury Unit for referrals from NHS 111 and GPs.
The unit will have appointments available for patients who have been referrred by NHS 111, with the service operating seven days a week between 10am and 6pm. It should be noted however that the unit will not be open to ‘walk in’ patients.
A NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group spokesman said “This change in service has been designed to maintain the safety of patients and staff and is in line with the national campaign to ‘Think 111 First’. NHS 111 will continue to triage all appointments and, if a patient meets the criteria, they will be referred to the unit and a member of staff will call them back to arrange an appointment.”
Like most Minor Injury Units, Trowbridge will offer a facility for treating injuries that are not serious, such as sprains and strains; minor burns and scalds, wound infections, insect and animal bites, and minor injuries to the eye and head. They are not however specifically equipped to treat more serious conditions such as stab wounds or chest pains. Anyone with a life-threatening condition should call 999. Those with Covid-19 symptoms should not attend any medical setting unless explicitly directed to do so by the NHS 111 service or a 999 call operator.
