A broken wrist or a deep cut doesn't always mean a six-hour Emergency Department wait. Ireland has a tier of injury units and private urgent-care clinics designed for exactly these problems. Here's what each treats, what they cost, and the line where you really do need A&E.
| Where | For | Speed / cost |
|---|---|---|
| HSE injury unit (a.k.a. minor injury unit) | Recent breaks, sprains, dislocations, minor burns, wounds needing stitches, minor head injuries | Usually much faster than A&E; statutory public charge unless medical card / GP referral |
| Private urgent care (e.g. VHI SwiftCare, Affidea ExpressCare, Centric urgent care) | Similar minor injuries + some illness; X-ray on site | Fast; private fee (often ~€125–€200), some covered/part-refunded by health insurance |
| Emergency Department (A&E) | Serious, life-threatening or complex emergencies | Triaged by severity; statutory charge unless medical card / GP referral; can be a long wait for non-urgent cases |
HSE injury units handle recent injuries (typically within the last week or so) that are not life-threatening: broken bones and suspected fractures, sprains and strains, dislocations, wounds and lacerations needing cleaning or stitches, minor burns and scalds, splinters and foreign bodies, and minor head injuries where you didn't lose consciousness. Most units treat adults and children above a certain age — check the individual unit, as the minimum age varies. They have X-ray on site and can apply plaster casts.
They do not deal with chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, abdominal emergencies, pregnancy-related problems, or anything that needs a full emergency team — those go to A&E.
An injury unit carries the same statutory public charge as an Emergency Department if you attend without a GP referral — but the charge is waived if you hold a medical card or if your GP referred you, and the wait is typically far shorter for a minor injury. Private urgent-care clinics charge a private fee (often around €125–€200), some of which may be refundable under private health insurance — check your plan.
For these, call 999 or 112 or go straight to an Emergency Department — don't route through an injury unit.
The HSE publishes the full list of injury units with locations, opening hours and the ages they treat. Check opening hours before you travel — not all are 24-hour. Start from the HSE's urgent and emergency care pages.
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