A PILOT scheme that has helped ease the burden on Southampton’s emergency department has proved such a success that it will continue for another 12 months.

The Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at the Royal South Hants Hospital will keep its extended opening hours as patients have been using it as an alternative to the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Southampton General Hospital.

This means that the MIU and the X-ray service will both be available from 8am until 10pm, seven days a week, with the last patients booked in at 9.30pm.

Extended hours were originally introduced earlier this year as a pilot to help ease winter pressures on A&E, which as previously reported, experienced huge pressures during the winter months as waiting times soared beyond the four-hour target.

This is a trend that was mirrored across the country and health bosses both locally and nationally are trying to tackle the issue so that the situation is not repeated next winter.

Both the MIU and X-ray service had been open until 11pm during February and March, but demand during the last hour proved sporadic so it was revised by an hour from April. It has been now been confirmed that the current hours will stay in operation for the next 12 months.

Dr Steve Townsend, pictured left, chair of NHS Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The MIU and X-ray service are both well-used facilities that play an important role in helping to keep the emergency department for those who are seriously ill or badly injured, who genuinely need urgent medical attention.

“Attending an MIU usually means that you’ll be seen sooner and, in many cases, in a location that’s more convenient.

“It’s ideal for a range of minor injuries, including cuts, grazes, sprains and small fractures, and there’s no need to make an appointment.

“My thanks go to the staff of the MIU for their continued efforts in providing a first class service to all patients who come through the doors needing treatment.”