Summerhill gets new Primary Care Centre

22 April 2015

by Cllr Joe Costello

A brand new Primary Care Centre has been approved for Summerhill, Joe Costello TD has confirmed this morning.

 

Construction on the new facility is set to get underway early next year and will be completed by late 2016 or early 2017.

 

The new centre will be situated at Mountain View Court and will house GP and community nursing teams. It will also offer services in GP Out of Hours Service, Area Medical Officer, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Speech & Language Therapy, Dental Services, Nutritional and Dietician Services, Psychology & Counselling Services, Mental Health Services, Early Intervention and School Age, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Ambulance Services.

 

Deputy Costello commted: “I am delighted to confirm that Summerhill is to get its own Primary Care Centre, and I’m encouraged that it will be completed so soon. It means that local people will have a top-class, community-based healthcare service on their doorstep, and it is a further step towards delivering the right care in the right place at the right time.

 

“The centre will be open at least five days a week with extra hours at weekends and evenings for some services. The HSE will manage the centre.

 

“The Summerhill Primary Care Centre is in addition to the recently opened Navan Road/Cabra West Primary Care Centre; the Grangegorman Primary Care Centre, which is due to begin construction this month; and the reconfiguration of the North Strand Health Centre into a Primary Care Centre.

 

“I have been working hard to bring these projects to fruition along with my Labour colleague and Minister for Primary Care, Kathleen Lynch. Providing better healthcare facilities and ultimately better and safer care in the community has been a priority for Labour in Government. Today’s announcement proves that Labour delivers when resources permit and it builds on our already strong record of building primary care centres in local communities where the need is greatest.

 

“Funding is being provided as part of an arrangement between the Government and the European Investment Bank. A total of 14 primary care centres across the country were given the green light today. 

 

“At the start of this year, Labour leader Joan Burton emphasised that she wanted to see ordinary people begin to share in the recovery. Today’s announcement, along with the recent news that free GP care will be provided to all under 6s this summer, proves that we are fulfilling that vision.

 

“Finally, it is important to note that once the primary care centres are up and running they will remove pressure on hospital accident and emergency units.  The A&E units where seriously sick people are sitting on chairs and lying on trolleys for days before getting hospital beds and which have been the scandal of our health system for decades will be addressed once and for all with the new primary care centres.”