THE Minor Injury Unit at Trowbridge Community Hospital will start to receive referrals from NHS 111 and GPs from Monday September 28 five months after being closed in April.

Trowbridge MIU will have appointments available seven days a week from 10am-6pm for patients who have contacted NHS 111 by phone or online and are referred for an MIU appointment. It will not be open to ‘walk in’ patients and there will be no x-ray facility on site.

This change in service has been designed to maintain the safety of patients and staff and is in line with the national campaign to ‘Think 111 First’.

Patients will not be able to directly book an appointment. NHS 111 will continue to triage all appointments and, if a patient meets the criteria, they will be referred to the unit and a member of staff will call them back to arrange an appointment. Anyone with a life-threatening condition should call 999.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should not attend any medical setting unless explicitly directed to do so by the NHS 111 service or a 999 call operator.

Minor Injury Units offer a facility for treating injuries that are not serious, such as sprains and strains; minor burns and scalds, wound infections, insect and animal bites, and minor injuries to the eye, head.

They are not specifically equipped to treat more serious conditions such as stab wounds or chest pains.

Douglas Blair, managing director of Wiltshire Health and Care, which runs the MIUs in Chippenham and Trowbridge, said: “Keeping our patients and staff safe and ensuring people get the right care, at the right time in the right place is our priority.

“We are now in a position to reopen Trowbridge MIU for booked appointments. This system has worked well at Chippenham MIU and reflects the national move to Think 111 First.

“Our team are ready to respond to your needs, if you remember to contact NHS 111 online or by phone first.”

Trowbridge MIU closed in April after a decline in the number of patients attending since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Staff employed at the units were redeployed to help look after patients across the local health and care system.