New minor injuries unit to open in January at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry

The new unit is designed to take pressure off the Emergency Department (ED) and ensure shorter waiting times for people attending.

Director of Unscheduled Care, Medicine, Cancer and Clinical Services, Geraldine McKay said: “We want to reduce time for patients in our emergency department so, as part of the No More Silos funding, we have developed a plan to move our minor injuries unit out of our main emergency department in Altnagelvin and create a standalone unit. We hope that this will be in place by January 2024. We have had additional investment in relation to this unit for emergency nurse practitioners and other supporting infrastructure.”

In an effort to reduce the ‘continuing and sustained pressure’ the Western Trust have been feeling in their emergency departments, they are urging people to only attend the ED if they are having a ‘true emergency’.

Geraldine McKay continued: "I want patients to come to the emergency department when they are in a crisis – either a mental health crisis or they believe that they are experiencing an emergency illness. If a patient is suffering an emergency like chest pain or a collapse or things you may experience where you would ring a 999 ambulance, they should come to the ED. If a patient is not sure where to go and they’re in a position where they would wait to phone an ambulance, they can ring Phone First and they will direct you to the most appropriate place. That may be the emergency department, it may be a minor injuries unit, it may be your GP, or they may give you advice over the phone so you don't need to go anywhere. There's a number of pathways available there for patients but I don't want somebody with a real emergency holding off. If you believe it's a true emergency, ring 999 and get to the emergency department, we're open for business.”

The Western Trust say they are working on reducing pressure and wait times on the emergency departments coming into winter, including hiring additional staff and putting strategies in place to manage flow.

"We have put in place Site Coordination Hubs in our hospitals, which means that a senior decision maker is managing flow on a daily basis and that is either Director or Assistant Director. That is really critical going over the winter period where decisions can be made in a timely manner.

"There's also some work going on in terms of mental health liaison and contingency arrangements being agreed to support our emergency department.”

The ‘Phone First’ number to ring is 0300 020 6000.

The ‘Phone First’ text relay number is 0870 240 5152.