NURSES are providing front-line medical services in Leigh.

The nurse-led minor injuries unit at Leigh Infirmary, deals with accidents which happen in the home, workplace or school.

The unit was opened after the closure of the casualty unit in 1995.

As already reported the closure of A and E at Leigh prompted an increase in the number of patients from the Leigh, Atherton and Astley areas, at the Royal Bolton Hospital. The minor injuries unit however is open 365 days a year and boasts team of nurse practitioners who can carry out a wide range of medical procedures.

There are also facilities for doing X rays, although children under five are referred to the nearest casualty unit and more complex X rays are also referred on.

Simple fractures can be dealt with by the team and plaster casts can be applied.

"The unit is not designed to treat the sort of everyday illnesses for which your family doctor or your local pharmacist can provide advice and treatment, but it will not turn away anyone who comes for advice," explained a spokeswoman for Wigan and Leigh Health Services NHS Trust.

If you're involved in an accident and you are not sure whether to go to the unit, they can be contacted on 01942 264002.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.