New urgent care centre for Cork

A new urgent care hospital centre to treat minor injuries has been opened in Cork city. The centre is expected to reduce pressure on the city's major emergency department services.

The Mercy Urgent Care Centre, which will treat patients with minor injuries quickly, has opened at St. Mary's Health Campus (former St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital) in Gurranabraher, Cork.

The new centre will treat patients, aged 10 and over, with minor injuries such as suspected broken bones, minor burns, scalds and cuts requiring stitching and will have the facilities to take x-rays and apply plaster casts.

The centre will open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm, seven days a week and will treat people suffering from minor injuries in Cork city and county who self-refer or are referred from other services such as GPs and the Southdoc out-of-hours service.

Forming part of the HSE South's network of emergency services in Cork, the centre will be under the governance of the Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

Dr. Gerry McCarthy, consultant in emergency medicine, said it was vital to reorganise emergency services in order to provide the most appropriate care to the people of Cork.

He said the establishment of the Mercy Urgent Care Centre will ensure that people attending with injuries that are unlikely to require hospital admission will be seen speedily and discharged.

[Posted: Tue 20/03/2012]