The GP Hub / Minor Injury Unit at Purley Hospital opens 365 days a year, 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm). This is very useful to ensure people can see a GP very quickly if their own one is busy, or get a minor injury fixed without needing to go all the way to A&E in Croydon town centre. There has however been some confusion about what the GP Hub / MIU does and does not do. A definitive list on the services on offer is below. (There are also other services at Purley Hospital besides the GP Hub / MIU, such as the new elective care operating theatres, blood tests, X Rays, diagnostics, a Moorfield Eye Clinic and many more besides).
Booking in Advance vs Walking In at the GP Hub / Minor Injury Unit
If you, or your family, have an urgent need to see a GP the NHS advises calling NHS 111 for a phone assessment and to book an urgent appointment at the GP Hub if needed. The GP Hub does also allow walk-ins with no appointment for in-scope services (see below), but the NHS prefers people to phone first if possible. People booking an appointment in advance are seen within 15 minutes of arrival, and people walking in with no appointment will be seen as soon as a slot is available. Appointments at the GP Hub are available to people living and working in Croydon if they are unable to get an appointment with their own GP quickly enough.
In-scope Services for Purley GP Hub / Minor Injury Unit
Simple minor injuries, where examples include (but not limited to):
- Lacerations capable of closure by simple techniques (stripping, gluing and suturing) but excluding injuries involving broken glass in which x-ray may be required to identify any broken glass
- Bruises
- Foreign bodies, e.g. children sticking beads, etc. in noses or ears (in which case a quick assessment needs to be made to determine whether these can be removed or whether the child needs to be referred to ENT), splinter/other foreign bodies stuck in wounds which could then be removed with tweezers
- Non-penetrating superficial foreign bodies in the eye
- Following recent injury of a severity not amenable to simple domestic first aid
- Following recent injury where it is suspected stiches may be required
- Following blows to the head where there has been no loss of consciousness or vomiting
- Recent eye injury where there is no loss of vision, chemical or blunt injury
- Partial thickness thermal burns or scalds involving broken skin: size according to clinical discretion (minor burns) not involving the hands, feet, face, neck, genital areas
- Foreign bodies superficially embedded in tissues
- Minor trauma to hands, limbs or feet.
- Strains and sprains
Urgent minor illnesses, which are all illnesses that would warrant a patient to normally visit a GP. Examples include (but not limited to):
- Earache and sore throats
- Stomach pain and nausea
- Headaches and rashes
- Emergency contraception
- Urinary tract infections
- Incisions and drainage of minor skin abscesses e.g. infected cysts, paronychia, etc.
- Minor skin and tissue infections
- Bites and stings
Out-of-Scope for Purley GP Hub / Minor Injury Unit
Those services are not covered at the Purley GP Hub / MIU:
- Broken bones, serious trauma/injury or medical emergencies (e.g. stroke, heart attack) – Requires a visit to Accident & Emergency or Urgent Care Centre at Croydon University Hospital (Mayday) at London Road, Croydon
- Injuries where glass is in the wound – Requires a visit to A&E (as above) or St George’s Tooting
- Dental issues – requires a visit to a dentist
- Referrals to secondary (i.e. hospital) care – requires seeing your own GP
- Test results – requires your own GP, the testing service, or hospital the that ordered the test
- Referrals for diagnostic (e.g. X Ray, blood tests etc) – requires seeing your own GP or hospital doctor (BUT we are working on getting this added to the GP Hub)
- Fit (i.e. sick) note – requires seeing your own GP
- Repeat prescriptions – requires seeing your own GP
- Chronic low-level issues – requires seeing your own GP
