Unit on the front line of NHS patient care in Shropshire

From bites and stings to fractures, sprains and bruises – it is all part of the routine.

But at a time when the future of our accident and emergency units are being debated, Oswestry Minor Injury Unit is on the front line of NHS care.

It, along with similar centres in Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Whitchurch, is exactly the kind of treatment centre that bosses hope will form the backbone of care in Shropshire.

The Future Fit review, which is set to report this spring, is almost certainly going to signal the closure of an A&E department at either Shrewsbury Royal Hospital or Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

The new single A&E will then be supported by a network of 'urgent care centres' – and one is likely to be at Oswestry Health Centre, which opened in July 2011 as a multi-purpose outpatient healthcare centre.

The site is home to a range of services provided by a number of organisations, including Shropshire Community Health Trust, South Staffordshire and Shropshire Mental Health Foundation Trust, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and Cambrian Medical Practice.

But the minor injuries unit is perhaps the most important as it deals with patients who might otherwise end up queueing for hours in A&E.

Staffed by specialist emergency nurse practitioners, if you are walking wounded and need something sewn, glued, cleaned up or soothed, it is the place to go.

The nurses can see, assess and treat people for a wide range of injuries and wound infections.

Michael Navin, Oswestry MIU team leader and emergency nurse practitioner, said they are now aiming to make more people aware that the MIU is no longer at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital but in the town centre.

He said the unit is establishing itself as the place to go for the walking wounded or people feeling ill – and the waiting time is also far less than at the A&E units.

He said: "We see all sorts from the very young to the very old. There's a whole spectrum we can see and treat here, and those that fall out of what we commission for we will redirect to the emergency services or their GP."

Located at Oswestry Health Centre in Thomas Savin Road, attendance is growing year on year – with almost 10,000 attending in 2015 – which Mr Navin thinks is down to the red sign outside the building.

"The red sign is here because it's a sign people gravitate towards. Here we're known as A&E in Oswestry. We assess, stabilise and discharge or refer on everything that crosses our doorstep," he said.

"Part of the key is delivering a close-to-home service. The more you can deliver on people's doorsteps, the better."

Mr Navin said the average time patients were in and out after being seen at Oswestry's MIU is one hour, one minute.

He said: "Nobody gets turned away. People may not think their injury is a minor injury but we can see, assess and treat a range of injuries – and anything we can't treat, we can refer on."

The installation of new signs, off the Whittington Road junction and near Morrisons supermarket, is aimed at helping to improve people's awareness that the unit is in Oswestry's town centre.

The Minor Injuries Unit is a nurse-led centre with experienced practitioners whose backgrounds are in emergency and unscheduled care.

It is staffed by three full and one part time emergency nurse practitioners, and one junior and trainee practitioner.

Mr Navin's background is accident and emergency and community nursing.

He said: "We're a small but highly skilled workforce offering a seven day a week service. We're quick, friendly and it's good atmosphere where you're seen by skilled practitioners closer to home."

Anyone who cannot be treated at the MIU will be referred to their GP or nearest Accident and Emergency department or to another appropriate service by MIU staff.

The trust also has Minor Injury Units in Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Whitchurch.For more details including contact details and opening times visit www.shropscommunityhealth.nhs.uk