New hours for Cromer Minor Injuries Unit
From Thursday December 23, Cromer and District Hospital's Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) will be open to the public from 8am to 10pm, seven-days-a-week, all year round.
The Minor Injuries Unit at the Mill Road hospital is run by emergency nurse practitioners, who are experienced nurses who can independently see and treat all forms of minor injury. The unit has previously been open 24 hours a day but an audit revealed less than one person a night used the service.
The MIU is not, and never has been an accident and emergency service, but can help with the following health problems.
What Cromer's MIU can deal with:
- Minor head injuries (with no loss of consciousness)
- Simple wounds
- Simple eye conditions, foreign body, corneal abrasions
- Minor burns
- Soft tissue injury
- Bites and stings, with no associated complications, or acute reaction
- Simple fractures
- Fingers that may be broken or dislocated
What Cromer's MIU cannot deal with:
- Children under the age of two
- Pregnancy problems
- Complicated or serious injury
- Fractures that may need manipulation (other than fingers)
- Head injury where there has been loss of consciousness
- Alcohol-related head injuries or illnesses
- Medical conditions in their acute form, asthma, diabetes, allergic reaction ·
- *Major illness i.e. Stroke, Heart attack
*These patients should attend the Accident and Emergency department at NNUH. In an emergency, call 999 for an ambulance.
For less serious health problems the alternatives in North Norfolk are:
- Self care – coughs, colds, indigestion, cuts and bruises can be handled by a well-stocked medicine cabinet.
- Pharmacy – a pharmacist can give advice about treating many common illness and on over the counter and prescription medicines
- NHS Direct (0845 4647 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) offers 24-hour confidential health advice and information from NHS nurses
- Anglian Medical Care provide an out-of-hours service for GPs’ patients from 6.30pm to 8am, 01603 488488.
- Accident and Emergency – is at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and is for people with critical or life-threatening problem such as:
- Unconsciousness
- Heavy blood loss
- Suspected broken bones
- A deep wound such as a stab wound
- A suspected heart attack
- Difficulty in breathing
- Severe burns
- Severe allergic reaction
Media contact: Andrew Stronach or Hayley Gerrard on 01603 287200.