NEWS FEED
A more spacious, accessible and comfortable Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) is now open at Wimborne’s Victoria Hospital.
L–R MIU sister Karen Royles, receptionist Emma Earley and nurse Nancy Hall in the new reception area at Wimborne Hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit
People needing treatment for cuts, sprains, broken bones and other non-emergency injuries can now report to a new section facing the rear car park, instead of the old MIU squeezed into rooms near the building’s main entrance.
Dorset HealthCare, which runs the community hospital, has invested £100,000 to create a new reception, waiting area and two treatment rooms, all next door to the X-ray department and outpatients area.
The MIU has electronic doors and is wheelchair-friendly, while the Friends of Victoria Hospital have also donated around £3,000 for additional equipment to improve the service.
MIUs are nurse-led, and can usually offer faster treatment for minor bumps, breaks and wounds than the county’s busy A&E departments. And hospital Matron Teresa North said the move had made Wimborne’s unit much more user-friendly.
“It has given us better facilities and a lot more space. And being located next to the X-ray department is much more convenient – now no-one has to hobble across the car park and up a slope to X-ray, and back again,” she explained.
“Overall, it is much lighter, brighter and more comfortable.
“Some patients with more serious problems may still have to be referred to A&E at Bournemouth or Poole, but many every-day knocks or abrasions can be assessed and dealt with here. Our waiting times are usually under 30 minutes, so we can often treat people more quickly and closer to home.”
The unit is currently open Monday-Friday, 8.30am-4pm and some Bank Holidays. For more information, including full details of what can be treated, go to www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/wimborne-miu
