As Medical Director of Powys Teaching Health Board I felt that it was important to address some potential misunderstandings that may arise from a recent publication in your pages regarding Minor Injury Unit (MIU) services in Powys.

Our Minor Injury Unit nurses have excellent skills to deal with low and moderate risk injuries. But these units are strictly only for minor injuries and not for medical emergencies or for life and limb-threatening injuries.

For medical emergencies and life and limb-threatening injuries the Health Board’s clinical advice remains to call 999 or go to A&E.

Whilst MIU nurses will try to provide first aid help if a patient presents with a problem that is not a minor injury, attending an MIU can cause a dangerous delay to receiving essential time critical care that cannot be provided in a MIU .And this risk increases overnight because we frequently need to close at short notice because trained staffing is not available.

For example, Minor Injury Units cannot treat choking, chest pain, blacking out, blood loss, serious injury, suspected stroke, or medical emergencies such as anaphylaxis.

Powys units do provide treatment for people aged 2 and over for minor injuries such as bites or stings (including insect, animal and human bites), minor burns or scalds, simple fractures, sprains & strains, and cuts & wounds.

999 is the right number to ring for life and limb-threatening emergencies.

If it is urgent but not an emergency then 111 is here to help with 24 hourinformation and advice, and helpful symptom checkers are also available online at 111.wales.nhs.uk

If anyone has a question or concern on how to get the right care for a chronic or recurrent medical problem that cannot be answered by 111 we advise them to seek advice from their GP.