Minor injuries unit discharges patients in 65 minutes

An average discharge time of 65 minutes has been reported for patients seeking emergency treatment at an urgent care centre on Cork city’s northside.

More than 3,000 people have been treated at the Mercy University Hospital centre since it opened last March at the former St Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Gurranabraher.

Management at the unit said the total number of admissions was spilt almost equally by referrals from GPs and those who turned up themselves.

The most common injuries treated were to hands and ankles.

Mercy chief executive Sandra Daly said the new service was fully operational and, to date, statistics show people attending were seen quickly and discharged.

She also pointed anyone attending the unit, and subsequently requiring hospital admission, had the benefit of its link with MUH’s emergency department and the full range of facilities at the acute hospital.

She said the urgent care centre reaffirms the hospital’s pivotal role in the provision of emergency services in the Cork region.

“Patients from all over Cork City and surrounding areas with minor injuries are encouraged to attend anytime between 8am and 6pm, weekdays and weekends,” Ms Daly said.

On average the centre treats approximately 21 patients per day, but less at weekends.

The centre treats patients aged 10 and over with minor injuries such as suspected broken bones, minor burns, scalds and cuts requiring stitching.

However, unlike some minor injuries units, it has facilities to take X-rays and apply plaster casts.

The normal €100 emergency department charge applies to non-medical cardholders, but is not applicable for patients referred by GPs or Southdoc with a doctor’s letter.

The centre is led by Dr Gerard McCarthy, consultant in emergency medicine and staffed by doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers along with other health care professionals.

Physiotherapists and social workers are available for two days a week on a sessional basis.