Mayo patients reminded Roscommon Injury Unit is there for you this winter

AS winter takes hold, Roscommon University Hospital is reminding people that their Injury Unit is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the year to treat a wide range of injuries which are non-life or non-limb threatening, as an alternative to visiting an emergency department.

The Injury Unit is staffed by doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and nurses. They treat patients from Mayo.

Maggie Mew, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Roscommon Injury Unit, said: “Every year and particularly during the winter months emergency departments see vast numbers of patients who could be treated more appropriately somewhere else and a busy emergency department is not the right place for you if you have a minor injury.

“Here at Roscommon Injury Unit we are able to see, diagnose and treat a wide range of injuries for both adults and children over the age of five. You do not need to make an appointment, we have a walk-in service and the team is experienced in treating people quickly and efficiently.

“We treat injuries from shoulder to finger and from knee to toe, including non-life or non-limb threatening injuries like broken bones, fractures, scalds, minor burns, traumatic wounds, sports injuries such as hand and ankle injuries, removal of foreign bodies from the eye, ear and nose. The injury unit provides quick access to tests and x-rays and should you require a referral to specialist care, we will arrange all that for you.”

She continued: “This winter if you need treatment for a minor injury, come to Roscommon Injury Unit and by doing so, you will get the care and treatment you need, you will avoid long wait times and more importantly by coming to us for your care, you are allowing emergency department staff to concentrate on patients who have serious and life-threatening conditions.

“The attendance at Roscommon Injury Unit has been growing consistently year on year. In 2021 the unit treated 10,500 patients, an increase of 39% on 2020. Based on activity so far this year, it is expected that the injury unit will have treated close to 13,000 patients by the end of 2022, an increase of 24% from the previous year.

“You don’t have to be from Roscommon to attend our injury unit. We see patients from Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Offaly, Galway and Westmeath.

“If you are looking for advice on your injury and want to know if you should attend the Roscommon Injury Unit, please do call us on 090 663 2212.”