Two-thirds of patients visiting Ely's Minor Injuries Unit would have gone to A&E

Tali — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:40:22 +0000

Two-thirds of patients attending the revamped Ely Minor Injuries Unit say they’d have travelled to Accident & Emergency, had the service not been saved from closure.

This staggering figure is revealed in a just released report by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group.

Spotted in Ely launched a campaign in July 2016 to #saveourminorinjuriesunit, after a leaked memo revealed plans to close the Minor Injuries Unit.

Following a massive public outcry, the CCG decided that rather than shut down the MIU, it would pilot it as a Local Urgent Care Services (LUCS) hub, with extended services.
Since May 2017, when the Ely LUCS was launched, staff have seen almost 13,500 patients – an increase on previous years.
A CCG review found that two-thirds of patients interviewed would have gone to A&E, had the service not been available – at a time when overstretched A&E units are asking people to stay away unless they need urgent attention.
Ely childminder Nicky Evans said she would have had no option but to travel to Cambridge when she recently experienced breathing difficulties. Fortunately she was able to attend Ely LUCS instead.

Nicky Evans, pictured with husband Tim, Stanley, six, and Felicity, eight.

“After seeing a doctor and using a nebuliser, I was given a prescription and advised to see an asthma nurse. I have now been diagnosed as an asthma sufferer.”
Her son Stanley, six, also attended the centre after a fall.
“He had to have the skin around his eye glued and the nurses were fantastic with him. It’s great to have this service on our doorstep as previously we would have had to go to A&E at Addenbrookes.”
Two-thirds of patients visiting the Ely LUCS were treated immediately without any follow-up treatment required.
Ambulance crews can now call the LUCS GP for clinical advise and take patients to the MIU to be assessed, rather than to A&E.
The CCG review found that during the winter months, from December 2017 to February 2018, there was a 6% rise in patients attending the Ely LUCS hub, compared to the same period the year before.
Since May 2017 staff have treated 417 sprains, 306 finger injuries, 197 minor eye injuries and 192 minor head injuries.
They’ve also dealt with 170 wrist injuries, 126 cases of earache, 107 chest infections and 101 foot injuries.

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"No decisions" made about future of minor injury units, CCG says, calling further public meetings

Tali — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:51:32 +0000

More public meetings are planned regarding the future of three threatened minor injury units and other outpatient services, following the large turnout in Ely this week.
Today Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, responsible for making financial decisions about NHS services in our area, announced that it would be holding further meetings in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland so that people can have their say.
Chief officer Tracy Dowling said over 170 people had attended the meeting at The Maltings in Ely on Tuesday “to listen to our ideas and share their views on the work we are doing to review minor injury services in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland and we’re keen to keep these discussions going.
“To ensure that everyone is given a chance to have their say and feed into the review of services, additional meetings are being arranged for over the coming months.
“We welcome the contributions that have been made so far and will continue to listen to what people have to tell us over the coming months.
Ms Dowling reiterated that “no decisions have been made” about the future of the minor injury units and outpatient services services in East Cambridgeshire and Fenland.
“We are looking at how these services relate to recommendations from the national review of urgent care services and how we might deliver minor injury services locally, working alongside other services including GPs and community services. If any significant changes are considered necessary as a result of these discussions then a formal public consultation will take place.”
The public meetings follow the leaking of secret documents prepared by the CCG, recommending the closure of minor injury unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely, as well as units in Wisbech and Doddington.
Public meetings:
• Tuesday 23 August, Doddington Recreation Hall, 7pm-9pm
• Thursday 25 August, Wisbech Rosmini Centre, 6.30-8.30pm
• Thursday 8 September, March Community Centre, 6.30-8pm
• Additional dates for Wisbech and Ely to be confirmed.

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tracy dowling Archives - Spotted in Ely

Two-thirds of patients visiting Ely's Minor Injuries Unit would have gone to A&E

Two-thirds of patients attending the revamped Ely Minor Injuries Unit say they’d have travelled to Accident & Emergency, had the service not been saved from closure.

This staggering figure is revealed in a just released report by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group.

"No decisions" made about future of minor injury units, CCG says, calling further public meetings