"bad situation made copeable by professional..."

What I liked

I am writing to advise of what we consider to be an excellent service provided to my wife on the evening of Thursday 12th July 2012 at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital Minor Injuries unit . In addition I wish to express great concern about the potential closure of this unit.

My wife accidentally cut through the webbing of her small finger yesterday evening whilst slicing some bread. She lost a quantity of blood and was badly shaken by the incident. I drove her to the Minor Injuries Unit and arrived at 7.05pm. We were seen immediately at the reception area, with some basic details taken. A qualified nurse then assessed the injury and cleaned it and sent her for an x ray. Upon return from the xray department the same nurse was able to assess and apply steri-strips and bandage dressing. Reassurance and advice was given throughout by all the professionals involved with a follow up appointment provided within 2 days to check on the finger’s progress for potential nerve damage. The whole process lasted no more than 55 minutes. When we left my wife was both safe and reassured by the treatment and advice given. All the staff were efficient, professional in their manner, and friendly. Our own concern was quickly reduced by the way she was treated.

Please can our thanks be passed onto the staff who were on duty at that time.

Can I also express my deep concern for the potential loss of this service. With its closure the only option would have been too travel the long journey to the NGH A+E unit. Given the minor nature of the injury treatment would no doubt have not been a priority and we would have been at the A+E unit for a lot longer, gumming up the efficient service provided to more serious cases perhaps. Additionally we were able to drive to the unit from our home in the South of Sheffield. Other people may have had no independent transport and have had to call paramedics – a significant waste of NHS resources.

What could be improved

nothing

Anything else?

It is essential in our opinion that the Minor Injuries Unit is not closed and continues to provide a service for the citizens of Sheffield, particularly those people who reside in the south of the city and outlying areas. Please can this view be represented to the Board when decisions are being made about cuts in services in the future. Can I also suggest that the service provided by the Minor Injuries Unit is advertised more effectively to the public in order to assist the A+E unit at NGH.