Poots opens care centre

Poots opens care centre

23 January 2013

DOWNPATRICK’S new GP and primary care centre has been described as an “important step towards the healthcare of the future.”

Located at the Downe Hospital, the modern premises were officially opened last week by Stormont Health Minister Edwin Poots who believes the new care model could be rolled out across other hospitals.

GPs and hospital staff can work alongside one another to provide what is being described as an integrated model of care to deliver enhanced patient services.

The development of new GP and primary care centres is one of the key aspects of the recently-published Transforming Your Care document which outlines the vision for the future provision of health services across the Province.

The new facility at the Downe replaces services provided at the former Pound Lane Health Centre in Downpatrick which was badly damaged by two fires in November 2008.

Located on the first floor of the hospital are the GP practices of Dr. Una Small and Dr. Paddy Moore and Dr. Hugh McGoldrick and Dr. Damian O’Connor.

The GPs transferred to the Downe in April last year, with the community services provided at the hospital site now including district nursing, podiatry, community dentistry, physiotherapy and pain management.

Mr. Poots described the official opening of the new facility as a “significant day for Downpatrick” and the concept of healthcare in Northern Ireland.

“I know people will use this particular facility for many years to come. There are now a whole range of services here for people to use and this new facility provides a huge opportunity for people to have services provided to them at a primary care level,” he said.

“I would like to see more of these primary care centres across Northern Ireland and we are looking to see how we can do that. I know GPs will be able to provide wonderful services from this wonderful facility.”

Mr. Poots said he is happy to invest in such new facilities which will provide better healthcare for patients in the future.

Dr. Paddy Moore, one of the GPs based in the new centre, said: “It’s good for our patients to be at the forefront of what will be the future shape of services.”

South Eastern Trust officials say all the services provided at the Downe enable the integration and future sustainability of health and social care services for the local community.

Trust Chief Executive, Mr. Hugh McCaughey, described the opening of the new GP and primary care centre as an “important day and one which will bring real benefit to patients.”

He said the model of care available in Downpatrick means GPs, other community health professionals and hospital staff will all be in the same location.

“We can work better together to keep people well,” he said. “Having GPs and a primary care centre on the one site is a new concept and one of the key aspects of Transforming Your Care is the need to integrate care provided by GPs and hospitals much more effectively.”

Mr. McCaughey said this will lead to better access to services and, more importantly, better outcomes.

He added: “We think this particular development where you have primary and secondary care professionals and services working much more closely together is at the forefront of meeting the needs of patients. This is an important day for the Downe and an exemplar for Northern Ireland.”