The Emergency Department at Mallow General Hospital has been replaced this week with an Urgent Care Centre. The Urgent Care Centre is made up of a Local Injury Unit and a Medical Assessment Unit with patients attending the Unit that best meets their healthcare needs. If you or your child aged five years or over has minor injuries such as a suspected broken bone, a sprain, a facial injury, a minor scald or burn, you can be treated at the Local Injury Unit, where staff can take x-rays and apply plaster casts and stitches. You can present to the Local Injury Unit yourself or be referred by your GP/Southdoc. If you need medical treatment outside of the opening hours, you can attend your nearest Emergency Department or Southdoc. For minor injuries you may attend the Local Injury Unit the following morning. The Local Injury Unit is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, and treats suspected broken bones to legs (from knees to toes), suspected broken bones to arm (from collar bone to finger tips), all sprains and strains, minor facial injuries(including oral, dental and nasal injuries), minor scalds and burns, wounds, bites, cuts, grazes and scalp lacerations (cuts), small abscesses (swellings) and boils splinters and fish hooks, foreign bodies such as dust, food or sand in eyes, ears or nose, minor head injury (fully conscious patients, who did not experience loss of consciousness or vomit after the head injury). Please note, the above list should be recent injuries.

The Local Injury Unit does not treat; Children younger than five years of age; conditions due to ‘medical’ illness such as fever, seizures and headache; injuries following a fall from a height or a road traffic accident; serious head injury; chest pain; respiratory (breathing) conditions; abdominal (stomach) pain; neck or back pain; gynaecological problems; pregnancy related conditions; pelvis or hip fractures; children aged five years or older with non-use of a limb or a non-traumatic limp (a limp which has not been caused as a result of an injury or an accident).

In an emergency, please go to your nearest Emergency Department or call an ambulance on telephone 999 or 112.

Medical Assessment Unit; this is open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. If you are suffering from a recent onset of symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain or blackouts, your GP or Southdoc can refer you to the Medical Assessment Unit for urgent assessment and/or treatment. If you are referred to the Medical Assessment Unit, please bring your medicines with you. At the Medical Assessment Unit you will be seen within an hour by a senior doctor. You may have to have blood tests, x-rays or scans. If necessary, your GP or Southdoc can admit you directly to Mallow General Hospital (even outside opening hours).