‘People should definitely be using the Injury Units more’
Mother praises Nenagh Injury Unit for fast, efficient treatment of daughter’s injury
At a time when the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick is managing record attendances of very sick patients, UL Hospitals Group’s three Injury Units at Nenagh, Ennis and St John’s hospitals are a fast, effective pathway for thousands of people who suffer sprains, cuts, breaks and burns, but do not need to attend ED for treatment.
The service is particularly useful for parents of young children who are all too prone to accidents arising from play. Scariff mum-of-three Theresa Tierney-Bugler recently experienced at first hand the effectiveness of the Injury Unit in Nenagh after her daughter Andrea took a tumble at a birthday party.
“Andrea was at a birthday party where the hosts had laid on a bouncy castle and trampolines, and other things,” she said.
“Everything was going fine, until the children decided to improvise their own obstacle courses, and Andrea fell on her wrist.
“I brought her home, and she was crying, but young children can be a little dramatic and so it was difficult to tell how much pain she was in. I gave her a Neurofen, but when she still seemed in a lot of pain in the morning, I decided to bring her to the Injury Unit,” she said.
Theresa was at the time expecting the arrival of her third baby, and her husband was away on duty with the Irish Navy. She called the Injury Unit and speaks highly of the calm, professional manner in which the staff dealt with her concerns over the phone, and later on arrival at Nenagh hospital.
GREETED BY PALS
“It was all a bit hectic as my husband was away, but we all went over, and the PALS (Patient Advocacy Liaison Service) volunteers were there to greet us at the door and get us to where we needed to go. Andrea was triaged very quickly. To be honest, I thought it was a sprain, but the doctor swiftly confirmed it was a break.
“So, they brought her for an X-Ray, and then put her arm in a cast. We were in and out in under an hour,” she recalled.
“As I was pregnant at the time and being highly conscious of the risk of infection, I couldn’t help but notice how clean the hospital is. Seriously, you could eat your dinner from the floor it was clean!”
The Injury Unit at Nenagh hospital is staffed by an expert team of three full-time Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioners and one trainee ANP, along with two registrars, administrative support and led by Dr Damien Ryan, senior Consultant in Emergency Medicine. They provide timely treatment for injuries that are non-threatening to life or limb, but which still require expert and prompt medical attention.
Injuries like Andrea’s account for a significant volume of the work that’s done in the UL Hospitals Group Injury Units every year. In 2021, a total of 33,853 people attended the three units, 13% more than the total for 2020.
OVER 10,000 ATTENDANCES in 2021
In the Nenagh Hospital Injury Unit alone, a total of 9,971 patients attended for treatment, which was a 14% increase on the number for 2020, and almost a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity. In 2019, the last full year prior to the public health emergency, 10,025 patients used the unit in Nenagh Hospital.
As Theresa found, all patients, including children over the age of five years, can rest assured of accessing treatment in an Injury Unit in a fraction of the time they would expect to wait in the busy Emergency Department at UHL. One of the key functions of the Group’s three Injury Units is to ensure that the Emergency Department can provide treatment for the most seriously ill or injured patients.
The units also treat sports injuries, including wrist and ankle injuries, and also remove foreign bodies from the eye, ear and nose. Staff can provide quick access to diagnostics and x-rays, make the necessary arrangements to refer patients to specialist care when required, and arrange follow-up appointments within the Injury Unit where necessary.
Dr Damien Ryan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and clinical lead at the Injury Unit in Nenagh Hospital, welcomed the increase in patients at the Injury Units over the past year, and he reminded people that who suffer injuries like Andrea's, not to delay seeking treatment for an injury that needs medical care. “Minor injuries may indeed be clinically minor, but that does not mean they are insignificant. If they are not treated early, these injuries can become more complex and difficult to treat, and perhaps lead to serious illnesses,” Dr Ryan said.
Dr Ryan and his colleague at Nenagh hospital, Clinical Nurse Manager Catherine Quinn, said that while it is encouraging to see more people attending, it still important for people to first seek out the most appropriate options for treatment.
CNM Quinn explained: “It’s important for people to attend if they have an injury, but we have seen quite a lot of patients in recent times presenting with injuries that are life-threatening, possibly from major trauma, as well as people who are experiencing severe headaches, chest or abdominal pain. We refer these patients to the ED, as we are unable to treat them in the Injury Unit.”
‘FIRST PORT OF CALL’
Dr Ryan urged people to familiarise themselves with services available in the region and in the Injury Units. “It is human nature not to think about these things until you need them. For injuries to the legs and arms that are not life-threatening – all of which is outlined on the HSE website – your local Injury Unit should be your first port of call, and not the Emergency Department,” Dr Ryan added.
Young Andrea was so impressed that the very next day she asked her mum to send a ‘thank you’ message to staff on her behalf. She wrote: “I want to thank all the staff for looking after me yesterday when I had a broken arm.
“Everyone from the meet and greet people at the front door, the lady in administration, the nurses, doctor and radiographer were all very kind and friendly, and explained everything to me. I was very happy with the care I got.
“My Mammy was very impressed with how clean the hospital was. It was spotless. We feel very lucky to be living near such a good quality service. Thank you.”
STAFF SHOULD BE PROUD
Mum Theresa added: “Everyone was very professional and kind. People can be very stressed as hospitals can be high-stress environments, but it certainly didn’t show in Nenagh. The staff should be very proud of what they’re doing. Being able to get people in and out again within an hour or two is just fantastic.”
She urged all parents, and all people who suffer minor injuries, to first think about the Injury Unit rather than panicking and heading to the Emergency Department at UHL.
“People should definitely be using the Injury Units more. Compared to ED at a time when it’s so busy with emergency care, the Injury Units are very efficient and fast. I think there might be a lot of unnecessary trips to ED made by people who might not realise the Injury Units exist. I Googled them and called ahead, and I would urge anyone to do the same,” she said.
“Now all I have to do is keep reminding Andrea to be more careful when doing cartwheels!” she laughed.
INJURY UNIT DETAILS
All three UL Hospitals Group Injury Units are open seven days a week, 365 days a year. The unit at Nenagh hospital (open 8am-8pm), can be contacted on 067-42311. The St John’s unit (open 8am-7pm), can be contacted on 061-462303; and the Ennis unit (open 8am-8pm) can be contacted on 065-6863121.