Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2026
780. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health if she will examine the provision of basic minor-injury treatment services in primary care and out-of-hours services such as Caredoc, rather than directing such cases to emergency departments; if she accepts that patients presenting with minor injuries to emergency departments contributes to overcrowding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16231/26]
View answerMinor Injury units provide safe and convenient care to recent minor injuries that do not require emergency department care. They can handle a variety of conditions, including broken bones (non-complex fractures), dislocations, minor burns and scalds, cuts and wounds. These units are designed to provide the same level of care for specific conditions as an Emergency Department (ED), but more locally and with significantly shorter waiting times.
Some Minor Injury units are located in, or within close proximity to, hospitals which allows for the clinic and its staff to access other hospital services. Patients may need to be referred if the required treatment cannot be provided at the Minor Injury unit, such as for orthopaedic or plastic surgery.
A range of community healthcare services are provided in primary care settings, such as public health nurse, physiotherapy and GP services. Out-of-hours GP cooperatives provide for urgent GP care outside of normal GP practice hours. GPs do not provide the same range of services that are provided at Minor Injury units. Patients who contact their GP or local out-of-hours GP service provider may be referred to a Minor Injury unit or their local ED, although a referral is not required to attend either service. Decisions to refer patients to further/other services are based on the clinical need of the patient.
The HSE website provides advice on when, depending on the patient’s condition, a patient should visit a Minor Injury clinic or attend their nearest ED. In addition, ahead of periods of expected increased healthcare demand, such as Bank Holiday weekends, the HSE publicly request persons who require treatment to consider the appropriate care service.
Last year, there were 222,697 attendances at Injury Units, representing a 5% increase compared to 2024. Crucially, the median Patient Experience Time (PET) in an Injury Unit remains exceptionally low at just 1.3 hours, ensuring that patients with non-life-threatening injuries can access the care they need much more quickly than in a traditional emergency department setting.
In 2023, the HSE undertook a National Injury Unit (IU) Review to examine the existing level of service and put forward recommendations to improve coverage, including:
• To standardise and expand the opening hours of all existing IUs to operate from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week;
• To increase the number of IUs nationally to meet growing demand and improve geographical coverage.
The objective of the IU expansion programme is to provide more equitable access to IUs, to avoid longer waiting times in Emergency Departments (EDs), and to reduce unnecessary ED attendances of lower acuity patients.
As part of the HSE’s 2023 review, the geospatial and population implications of site options under consideration were assessed. The 2026 National Service Plan includes provision for the opening of additional IUs in Tallaght, Athlone, Carlow and Ballina.
