€7.5 Million Primary Care Centre For Carrigaline Writes Jack White
Now past the crucial midway point, Carrigaline’s new €7.5 million Primary Care Centre is on schedule and is expected to be open by August 2017 according to developer, Axis Healthcare. The 32,000 sq. foot purpose built facility will open at Estuary Business Park, just off the main Carrigaline – Crosshaven road. Mandated by government, Primary Care Centres are designed to provide a one-stop shop in the community for all of a patient’s primary care needs, with the ultimate aim of keeping pressure off hospitals by treating people locally with each Primary Care Centre mapped to an acute hospital. The primary care centre is the second of its kind in the country with construction having commenced in September 2016. Coming in accordance with national HSE policy for the development of Primary Care Centres, which requires the co-location of GPs and HSE staff, the building has been acquired on long-term lease, a process managed nationally by the HSE Estates department. The development of the Primary Care Centre in Carrigaline will facilitate greater collaboration between the local GPs and the HSE services. The HSE services that will be located there include community nursing, home help, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech & language therapy, dietetics, podiatry, dental and others. Space will also be allocated for additional services not previously available in Carrigaline. In theory, the new facility will ensure that locals can access a range of enhanced health and personal social services as close to home as possible.Services at the new Carrigaline Primary Care Centre will include the Bridge House GP Practice with 5 general practitioners, a pharmacy, public health nursing and other HSE community services. In August 2017, the centre will open with the GP Practice and Pharmacy, with HSE Community Healthcare Services expected to follow in subsequent months. With more than 160 car spaces, including electric car charging spaces and cycle spaces, the facility will accommodate the population of Carrigaline, Crosshaven and environs. Speaking at a site visit to review progress, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Simon Coveney, T.D. said, “This Government has always prioritised primary care as the future model of health provision in Ireland. I welcome the progress here at the Primary Care Centre at Estuary Business Park in Carrigaline. The new facility will provide accommodation for the Primary Care Team and network services including public health nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech & language therapy, podiatry, dental and home support as well as GP services and a pharmacy. This centre will be an excellent healthcare resource for the area.” Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Seamus McGrath also participated in the site visit, along with representatives of the HSE, local councillors and medics from the GP practice set to move into the multi-million euro centre in August. “I am delighted to see the progress on site here today. This state of the art facility will be a key location for the provision of quality healthcare services for the region, and the community here will benefit enormously from immediate access to a wide range of services from public health services, community health programmes and a GP practice,” said Cllr. Seamus McGrath, Mayor of the County of Cork. Ger Reaney, HSE Chief Officer Cork & Kerry Community Health Organisation welcomed the progress with the building saying, “The new Primary Care Centre in Carrigaline will mean greater collaboration between the GPs and the HSE services. This is of enormous benefit to those living in the town and surrounding area; it will ensure that people will receive a wide range of enhanced health and personal social services as close to home as possible, from a team of locally based health professionals.” Over 40 people are currently employed on site with this figure expected to double in the coming months as the fit-out for the centre begins. Quinn Architects were responsible for the design of the Primary Care Centre, while Conack Construction won the contract to build the
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