More treatment stays local

PEOPLE with minor injuries will be more likely to receive treatment at Uckfield or Crowborough hospitals in future, rather than be transferred to one of the big district hospitals.

PEOPLE with minor injuries will be more likely to receive treatment at Uckfield or Crowborough hospitals in future, rather than be transferred to one of the big district hospitals.

Proposals are underway to upgrade the minor injury units at Community Hospital and Crowborough War Memorial Hospital.

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The new Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust has announced that improving the units will be one of its main priorities when it is launched on April 1.

The aim is to increase the numbers of specialist nurses in both hospitals so that more local people with minor injuries will be treated in their home town rather than be referred to larger accident and emergency units in hospitals in Eastbourne, Brighton or Tunbridge Wells.

An action plan for both minor injury units has been presented to local GPs and representatives of local organisations, such as the Eastbourne, Seaford and Wealden Community Health Council. The plan was also due to be discussed yesterday (Thursday) at a meeting of the Joint High Weald and Ouse Valley Primary Care Group.

The new primary care group will manage the two hospitals together with Lewes Victoria Hospital, and aims to extend the MIU service as part of its overall objective to provide more health services locally.

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The proposals developed on the advice of A&E consultants in Tunbridge Wells and Brighton include:

l Minor injury units open from 8am to 8pm at Crowborough and 8am to 10pm at Uckfield, with all nurses working in the units being qualified as 'emergency nurse practitioners' that is, trained to treat minor injuries;

Prescriptions

l ENPs able to prescribe certain medication to patients, and to order and interpret x-rays;

l Links with the larger A&E departments at Eastbourne DGH, Kent and Sussex, Tunbridge Wells, or Princess Royal, Haywards Heath, for training and teaching.

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Fiona Henniker, chief executive designate of Sussex Downs and Weald PCT, said: 'The minor injury units at both Crowborough War Memorial and Uckfield Community hospitals are under-used. There is great potential for emergency nurse practitioners to treat more local people for a wider range of minor injuries and health problems, saving many patients having to travel to other hospitals.'

At the moment, about a third of patients attending Uckfield or Crowborough's MIUs have to be referred to A&E departments, or their GPs, for treatment. Lewes Victoria Hospital, with more specialist nurses, can treat about 97 per cent of patients attending their minor injury unit.